As the turmoil of elections in Brexit, the United States, and France has rolled on, much speculation and evidence are emerging that show how much involvement was used to sway elections towards the same anti-globalist populist direction. Big hint: It’s not just Russian hackers to blame.
The intentional misinformation aimed to change reality using fear, hate, anger, and desires for drastic social change as the bonding glue to create a movement unlike any other in history. This erased a sociological disorder best described by the Italian term for fascist, “fasces” or bundle of sticks. Once formed, there is nothing a totalitarian leader can do to unbundle the fascists short of allowing immigrants to enter their country (which explains why many Trump supporters support him no matter what he says or does). Even without their leader, or as I say, “the head was cut off from the fascist movement by the resistance,” the movement still carries on like a vast fictional robot programmed to destroy the world. This was not just accomplished by fake news. One of the most critical tools used to change minds ahead of fake news articles was memes called Memetic Warfare.
To ordinary, educated people, Memetics sounds like some weird, unbelievably sick, childish joke. The images can often be cartoonish and extreme and distort or misrepresent information. The joke’s on us, apparently; that’s why the fascist movement calls us normies. “We just don’t get it,” they constantly say. Normal people want the stabilization of society, while memetics requires disrupting all normal society’s culture to advance change in social structure. To the “normie” mainstream populous, disruption is an evil force rather than a necessity to change. In order to make that change, you must be able to evoke senses of irony, mayhem, and fear. Change in itself evokes fear, which creates a pushback from change occurring. That is part of human nature. This is how you shift norms, shifting the Overton window.
The use of Memetics in these modern times has been used to farm and develop a fascist autocracy throughout the Western World today. How Memetics works can be a long and far more exhaustively complicated process than it needs to be. A shorter, more straightforward explanation can be this: memetics is a psychological marketing tool used to change people’s perception of reality in a way that can sway and change culture and entire societies. It uses marketing tricks like gathering as much data as possible of a target audience/demographic. It then uses that data to understand how to influence a group’s perspective psychologically. With that persuasion, entire culture-based groups can move in a different direction in society, like a puppet being moved with strings by its memetic puppet master.
People have short and straightforward attention spans, so marketing has always been about grabbing eyeballs and swaying a person’s interest in the marketer’s direction as quickly as possible. This often leads to misleading slogans and extreme measures to entertain. Within the mainstream, the triggers are subtle. But in memetics, it is an astonishing onslaught. To “trigger” someone means you instantly catch their attention, and they become emotional.
This is why being politically incorrect is so crucial to the memetic users. The person who is triggered may feel like they are becoming a victim of bullying, instantly react, and in exchange, will be treated as if they are the attacker. There is no winning in a game of “triggering,” and those who love using politically incorrect memes get off on this sort of power play and control of someone else’s emotions. Pulling one’s strings and proving their point of “how ridiculous they react” tends to gather more followers of memetics who wish for the same self-fulfillment of power and control. Triggering also works in recruiting the fascist masses by attracting those who would enjoy the memes themselves. The memes become relatable over time because they are targeting that audience. In other words, the memetics used today (2017) are just ugly reflections of many in our societies who fear and hate immigrants, Jews, and Black people, all while wishing death upon liberals who embrace globalization and equality (aka the “cucks” and feminists).
Memetics displays an image, picture, or graphic while adding short, easy-to-digest information. The image and information must tell a story. It may be a story to trigger nostalgia or a loved one. It may trigger someone having difficulty finding work or understanding a changing world. One small image can tell a story of history, science, religion, war, or anything culturally relevant to grab one’s attention. It has been best used recently to create virtual “witch hunts” like the ones towards Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election that made many people believe she was a criminal killer despite the numerous times she has been investigated and cleared of any criminal activity.
The continuous appearance of one image posted and reaffirmed by many social media users makes the information far more believable, especially the more times it is shared on social media. That makes it certifiable. When shared by a celebrity, it makes it part of history, an accomplishment for the meme makers. Whether or not it is factually accurate can have no relevance to those who view memes as an entertaining escape from reality. Yet the more people who use memetics, the more chances they have of making their fantasies come to life because they are all thinking with one like mind, making things happen as a group. So they must believe in trying as hard as possible to persuade their cause. The memes build community among people otherwise isolated in the real world.
The marketing research for memetics has been done on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Just today, The Guardian published an article on how that data has been extracted, legally and without consent. By taking in social media activities of one’s habits, thoughts, purchases, interests and then going further to take the information of their social media friends they gather a picture of how to establish their memetic narrative. Think about the old use of Rorschach inkblot psychology tests, now amplify that test to millions of unknowing participants giving information to understanding their deepest thoughts. That information can be used to persuade entire societies into different directions by using “images that trigger”.
Memetics is being used as weaponized sociological warfare using marketing and false narrative to influence the most misinformed and enraged members of our societies. Seriously, this is about taking memes and using them to change entire social structures and movements to fit one group’s agenda. This group has had a long time to develop this strategy, and all they needed was the combination of social justice backlash, a heightened fear of refugees, and the right kind of white nationalist personalities to run for office to push an anti-globalist pro-western civilization culture. It truly amassed a perfect storm.
Memetics comes from the science of Memetic Engineering. Memetic Engineering requires deep research into cultural consciousness and social constructs. The creation of racial ideology, religion, pop culture, and sexual normality can all be used as examples of memetic engineering when paired with recognizable symbolic images or soundbites. It is nothing new, as our society has been memetically engineered.
For example, memetic engineering made systematic racism and white privilege a reality. “That’s just the way things are” might be something you often hear whenever something systemic is questioned, like why certain movie roles are never cast for people of color or women. But when you look at the past, you see movies, posters, books, food products, and “Black face” depictions that controlled the narrative of race in America. The movement we have today is a complete understanding of those social constructs being questioned; for white nationalists, it is a future survival of their heritage.
Memetics has been developed and researched as far back as 1996. Military strategists worldwide have researched it as a new possible strategy for the future of warfare. ISIS has been known to use memetics to recruit on social media.
So, who can be connected to the onslaught use of Memetics during our campaigns? One source gave the name Weev, the white supremacist hacker Andrew Alan Escher Auernheimer. Weev may not be the final pinpoint, as it is clear this big scale onslaught took many to create. But his links are undeniable.
Back in October 1, 2014, Weev wrote an article about his time in prison on the white supremacist media site Daily Stormer. One of his most important messages he wrote said, “I plan on coming back with an army, be it human or automaton. One day I will come to collect every single bit of the debt owed to me by the thugs and criminals that have hijacked my country.” Weev is well known for pulling off one of the biggest trolling efforts known in modern times. Trolling levels are greatly celebrated and rewarded in the memetic war crowd so of course Weev is a national Kekistan treasure (Kekistan being the fictional Alt-Right/Alt-Light world where an army of Pepe the Frog memes are created).
According to Weev’s Facebook, he started as a Chief Technology Officer at the Daily Stormer in April 2016. The Daily Stormer’s site features an article, “What is the Alt-Right,” posted on August 31, 2016, featuring an entire narrative wrapped in memes. The article praises the Alt-Right for using memes and trolling culture, noting that this culture was birthed on 4Chan in the 00s. Southern Poverty Law Center wrote about Andrew Anglin, founder of the Daily Stormer, who used the Daily Stormer to push propaganda and worked closely with 4Chan as a reference. No doubt, 4Chan creates the narrative, and the memetic army tends to discuss further forms of memetics on Reddit forums like The_Donald and Kekistan.
Most recently, Mother Jones also linked 4Chan at the forefront of memes being used to attack elections on social media. Once you can look at the full picture, the links from 4Chan to Daily Stormer to Weev will start to make sense.
4Chan’s /pol/ (pol stands for Politically Incorrect) has been the true source of meme wars. This is where things get tricky because going into the details of the memetic warfare can seem ridiculous. Yet, it has to be. The obvious focus in creating meme makers is to target younger people, from pre-teens to teenagers. Younger minds can get shits and giggles off of the immature narrative needed for memes while feeling engaged in a “shitposting” community, posting memes on social media formats at a feverish pace.
This way, an easy, free-of-charge army of meme makers is at 4Chan’s disposal. You will see how they use cartoonish figures as a starting point. Kek, the frog god of Kekeistan, was born on this forum. Kekistan is a dark world of chaos and disorder, allowing the anything-goes narrative to work its magic while never needing to take responsibility for targeting certain demographics maliciously. When one feels guilty, another can say, “This is how Kek works,” believing responsibility for actions can be shrugged off and left to fate. There is an idea in the Kekistan community that those involved with shitposting memes will be given the power to change the world. This is deeply rooted in how memetics works. As most bullies do, those who cyber-bully using memes probably feel powerless in the real world. So they believe memetics makes them powerful without realizing how they are being used.
It is hard to find the exact demographics of 4Chan/Pol/ users, as some posts about this in 4Chan mysteriously disappeared. It is true to note that not all users are teenagers. 4Chan claims its demographics are 18–34 year olds without a breakdown. However, I have witnessed many conversations with young users in the Kekistan social media world.
The question is not just how many young minds are being corrupted and used for this world coup agenda but the fact that the Kekistan world proudly claims the use of “weaponized autism.”
The term is so used that you will find it listed immediately as an option in Google before you get to the “Z” in weaponized. Here is a Reddit forum that explains the use of using Autism as a weapon. Using autistic youth, be it 12 years old or early 20’s, makes a lot of sense. Autistic people tend to be apathetic, which means it’s more likely they cannot understand the consequences of what they are posting. They are repetitive with their focus, having a far better ability to post constantly than someone with a shorter attention span. While those who are autistic tend to have problems being social and accepted, the constant praise for their efforts in Meme Wars can be an excellent motivator for people who have a hard time fitting in with social norms.
4Chan and their Reddit users don’t just push narratives for elections, either. They push nationalist culture into the mainstream. Making nationalist culture a standard, accepted culture is the main objective. The psychology used to confuse the “normie” public is a massive social gaslighting technique that constantly pushes the socially respectable lines back further.
They often will claim they are not racist, yet those who speak about racism are the actual racists. They will use the “okay” hand emoji and milk emoji as a “joke” to claim “White Power,” but the joke is on the “normies” who believed something as innocent as an okay hand sign could be white supremacist. The fact is, signally, it is hugely important to the mainstream, and 4chan, as well as their Reddit users, believe the “normies” will be so stupid as to stop using any signal they taint forever simply because they trained it. When the “normies” stop using the “overused corny okay hand gesture” as the “Kekistanians” wanted over political correctness, they win. To their logic, it proves that political correctness goes too far in terms of censorship. If all goes well, one day, it will be the normies who censored themselves while the “Keks and Pepes” have free reign of all forms of communication without political correctness. Being free of censorship equals more levels of power and control in society. This is why freedom of speech is so essential to nationalists.
Memetics has not yet been an essential part of mainstream media’s investigation into what has gone wrong with our elections. The focus has been on fake news. There probably would not be such a substantial following to fake news if it were not for the “The Great Meme War of 2016”. Whenever an election within Western Civilization arises, a great meme war begins. Specifically, the purpose is to be louder than the truth, which can often be tedious and over-detailed compared to the pure chaos and fear factor memetics can bring. First, the memes roll out daily and night on social media platforms. Then, fake news and self-proclaimed journalists push a particular narrative that fits those memes. Finally, the bots push fake news and memes at an extreme rate until they are top-listed in every related and sometimes un-relatable hashtag. The confusing chaos of disinformation dominates our eyes and minds whether we want it to or not. Ignoring them will not make them disappear.
Despite the current events in memetic use, we must remember that this is just another social construct, a tool that can be used with endless possibilities. Nationalists used the tool to prop their agenda and make it possible for Donald Trump to be president of the United States of America. They only proved how powerful this tool can become when the science is understood. Maybe it’s time for us to learn from the nationalists and use this tool against them.
MEMETIC RESEARCH:
Memetic Engineering: According to Wikipedia, Memetic Engineering is the process of meme-splicing and memetic synthesis, with the intent of altering the behavior of others in society or humanity.
May 1, 1996 — Wired Magazine does article on Memetic Engineering
2006 — A study made by Major Michael B. Prosser from Marine Corps University of US Marine Corp document found on the research of Memetics called Memetics — A Growth Industry in US Military Operations. In fairness, there is a disclaimer that says the opinions and conclusion of indivdual student does not necessarily represent the views of either the Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting or any other Governmental Agency.
2016 — Post on European Endowment for Democracy goes into Russian conquest for Europe using Memetic Warfare.
January 31, 2017 — Motherboard talks about Meme Warfare. It features an important study to reference, led by Dr. Robert Finkelstein, founder of the Robotic Technology Institute, called Military Memetics. The article mentions the above report study made by Major Michael B. Prosser from Marine Corps University which was made just one year before Dr. Robert Finkelstein’s study.
May 3, 2017 — Mother Jones writes about 4Chan and “Meme Warriors” support for far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.
May 7, 2017 — The Guardian writes how Democracy was Hijacked by shadowy big data operations. It talks more about how Facebook and Twitter was used to gather personal information to understand how to target narratives and change perspectives. It does not speak about memetics, but the story leads all the way up to Stephen Bannon and reflects how a narrative attack was built which was most likely used for those involved in the
“Great Meme War of 2016” as well as fake news.
(Update: May 16, 2017: WSJ writes about Weevs connection into trying to Macron during the French election.https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-hacker-linked-to-fake-macron-documents-says-cybersecurity-firm-1494929136)
WEEV & DAILY STORMER RESEARCH:
October 1, 2014 — Weev talks about time in prison and desires to
April 6, 2016 — Forbes Reports Weev could face punishment for mass printer hacking.
August 31, 2016 — Daily Stormer’s site features an article “What is the Alt-Right” featuring memetics as it’s main narrative.
SPLC Notes Daily Stormer
KEKISTAN RESEARCH:
Kekistan: http://kekistan.wikia.com/wiki/Kekistani
Weaponized Autism: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskThe_Donald/comments/59bxut/would_anyone_be_willing_to_explain_the_weaponized/?st=J2CM17SQ&sh=c064bf65
Great meme war: https://encyclopediadramatica.rs/The_Great_Meme_War
Special thanks to OMWC, a media tech company interested in exposing Memetics Inc. Without their tips given to me from VP Annie M, the special operations director and the CEO this never would of came to light.
Follow them on Twitter for updates:
Written by Michelle “Mack Shelle” Dione
