British grannies, please stop with the QAnon memes on

Facebook

by THE CONVERSATION — 7 minutes ago in SYNDICATION

A headteacher in Stoke-on-Trent told me that, alongside ensuring a COVID-safe return to school for her pupils this September, she’s having to reassure parents that their children will not be forcibly taken away and isolated in a secret location if they start coughing in class.

The headteacher keeps getting sent a Facebook post warning parents to “wake up” to the threat in the UK’s Coronavirus Act. “Is this true, can you take my child?” she is asked.

The Facebook post those parents had seen began going viral mid-August. It’s one of several similar posts seen in the UK and Australia, and follows a pattern in many posts linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory. These often include a direct appeal to parents, challenging the reader to do their own research to “prove” the veracity of the claim, a call to defend individual rights against big government, elites, or some undefined “they.”

Despite being quickly fact-checked and tagged as false, this and related posts that use the hashtag #SaveTheChildren are still circulating and the phrase “COVID act 2020 children in school” still comes up as an autofill option if you search for “COVID act” on Google.

The power of memes

For the past five years, my research has looked at how strangers talk with each other about politics on Facebook. I’ve focused on four English constituencies – Stoke-on-Trent Central, Burton and Uttoxeter, Bristol West, and Brighton Pavilion – tracking conversations through public pages, posts, and public information on people’s timelines and profiles.

More at link:

https://thenextweb.com/syndication/2020/09/28/british-grannies-please-stop-with-the-qanon-memes-on-facebook/

top kek I could not resist

Granny Panic!

Go Granny Go!

The QAnon phenomenon as a symptom

by Bhavi Mandalia September 28, 2020

In the era of transparency, in which any conjecture can be dismantled in five minutes, the logical thing would be for a theory as far-fetched as QAnon’s to starve to death shortly after being launched, or at best to live in minority sinks of eccentric antisystems. . But the logic of the Internet leads just the opposite. That the most unusual of conspiracy theories can spread and cross borders to reach millions of followers in a short time. And also in a short time to be in a position to influence something as decisive as the next elections may be …

More at Link/signin site:

https://pledgetimes.com/the-qanon-phenomenon-as-a-symptom/

Taiwan fights back as President Xi orders companies to name

Taiwan as part of China

CHINA has ramped up pressure on international groups and companies to refer to democratic Taiwan as being part of China.

By RICHARD PERCIVAL

PUBLISHED: 08:30, Mon, Sep 28, 2020

To the anger of Taiwan's government and many of its people, Beijing views the island as merely a wayward Chinese province since the Republic government moved from mainland China in 1949. The dispute over international organisations referring to Taiwan as Chinese has moved from wild bird conservation to climate change.

This included a Taiwan bird conservation body who said it had been expelled from a partnership with a British-based wildlife charity after they demanded the Taiwan group change their name and sign documents stating they did not support Taiwan's independence.

At the same time, the Brussels-based Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy had begun listing Taiwanese cities as belonging to China on its website.

This included the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung over this weekend causing Taipei to react with anger.

Speaking at a news conference, Premier Su Tseng-chang said: "Taiwan is Taiwan. China is China.

“Taiwan is not a city of China's. If there is incorrect usage we think this is extremely improper.

"China hopes to make Taiwan part of it in the world, a city of its. This is not in line with the facts."

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said it had asked the group to make a correction while Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai said his city was known globally as being in southern Taiwan, rather than as part of China.

Following the comments, Taipei claimed that the European Union stepped in saying the Global Covenant had reverted its original designation of the cities.

More at Link:

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1340770/China-vs-Taiwan-naming-dispute-Su-Tseng-chang-xi-Jinping-Taipei-latest

>>10819450

GM, Sam