[phakding]

You should know that this is not a grass root movement rather someone astroturfing.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/04/whos-behind-the-reopen-d...

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/coron...

Also take a look at this Reddit comment

https://www.reddit.com/r/maryland/comments/g3niq3/comment/fn...

If you don't trust BuzzFeed you can go look at the domain registration information for open[enter state name].com domains.

[TechBro8615]

It's only "astroturfing" insofar as at least some of these protests are part of an organized drive to protest. I think you'll find that most protests entail some level of organization. Do you think black lives matter protests or women's march protests are "grassroots?" Would you be surprised to learn they are also backed by organizers?

[perl4ever]

I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were also backed by the same organizers. It would match the push-pull dynamic I imagine I see with online controversy. Not to mention the reported activity on Facebook and elsewhere around the 2016 elections.

[chrisco255]

This is not astroturfing. I saw the protest in Austin this weekend. 22 million people have been laid off in the last 4 weeks. I've seen the footage of tens of thousands lining up at food banks across the country. This is just getting started.

[phakding]

I don't see the link here. Yes there are 22 million laid off. But given a choice between being alive and being jobless, I think people would choose being jobless. The people protesting are not the same people lining up at food banks.

I have seen wapo video of Michigan protest. People there were angry because they want to get their hair done or buy paint and fertilizer. They want others to go to work to they can stay home.

[hckr_news]

Valid point. Millions are being affected by this shut-in. So what do you suggest? Re-open the country and have a free for all?

[drapred7]

What makes it astroturfing is that the organizers are being paid by GOP donors. You can agree with their objective or oppose it but it meets the definition of astroturfing.

Part of astroturfing is getting the grass roots to participate.

I wonder how astroturfed this was: SF Anti-mask League 1918. https://mobile.twitter.com/timkmak/status/125193624283456307...

[dmoy]

Oh wow, the "COVID-19 IS A LIE" sign being held by someone wearing a protective mask. Charitably, maybe it's just to disguise themselves?

I don't see how that's astroturfing though, unless they're being paid to show up? Seems unlikely?

[wyager]

Are you implying that the "other side", insofar as it exists, is a grassroots movement? That seems to be the implication of pointing out that people who want to reopen the economy aren't grassroots.

[bpodgursky]

No, it's a guy in Florida who went through and parked a bunch of domains with the same pattern. Maybe because he believed in the cause, and maybe because he wanted to make a few quick bucks.

"Astroturfing" would be when paid shills or robots spam FCC comment boards. It's not astroturfing when thousands of genuine supporters of a cause show up at a protest, whether or not there is coordination (surprise, all protests need coordination).

Trying to turn this into a sinister conspiracy -- and not genuine discontent -- is a cheap mental shortcut which lets you discount that a lot of people feel differently than you.

[ThePowerOfFuet]

Read the Krebs link. Follow the Florida guy's phone number...

[phakding]

Did you even read the links I posted?

[tomcam]

It's astroturfing, but astroturfing organizations have the same free speech rights as any other party: unions, NGOs, nonprofits, and evil corporations.

[jariel]

"this is not a grass root movement "

This is a deeply disingenuous statement and essentially false.

a) The protestors at the rallies clearly believe in their cause. You can't delegitimize their opinion.

b) CNN just published a study showing 2/3 worried about opening to early 1/3 worried about not opening soon enough.

That's 100M Americans, out of them it only takes a few to be very concerned.

The snippets from a recent protest of individuals describing how they are going out of business, will lose their livelihoods, homes and going destitute cannot be dismissed.

S. Korea has no lock-down with tracing. Sweden has no lock-down and is going 'kind of ok'.

It's deeply disturbing to see major companies suppress individuals' right to reasonable expression and it's not helpful to diminish their views just because a few idiots in Russia may like it.

The protests are fine, except for all the guns, which is a little spooky.