Rage-baiting, Big Pharma, and MAHA

Fearing for our safety is part of the package.

For the gullible, easily manipulated, and frankly, paranoid personalities, outrage trolling - or really, rage-baiting posts and essays- often cause great confusion and anger, as they are meant to do.

What is outrage trolling or rage-baiting?

(Definitions below) are based on AI queries)

Outrage trolling involves intentionally posting inflammatory, provocative, or offensive content online designed to provoke strong negative emotions like outrage or anger.

It exploits controversial topics or polarizing opinions to spark heated arguments, disrupt discussions, or manipulate groups into public outrage. This behavior is common on social media, comment sections, or forums where emotionally charged content can spread rapidly, increasing division, misinformation, or the visibility of the troll’s message.

Outrage trolling is a specific form of provocative trolling and is closely related to rage-baiting or rage-farming, which also aim to generate engagement by manipulating emotions.

It is related to what I often refer to as “Fear Porn”, but represents a significant departure and evolution of the use of fear to drive clicks, likes, follows, and social media engagement.

**Key features of outrage trolling:**

• **Intentional provocation:** Posts are created to maximize anger or offense.

• **Escalation of conflict:** It often amplifies debates and spreads misinformation through emotionally manipulative tactics.

• **Viral potential:** Emotions like outrage are particularly effective at increasing online engagement and visibility.

**Limitations:** Although related to general trolling behaviors, outrage trolling mainly targets anger and public controversy, not just annoyance, confusion, or humor.

Rage-baiting is a deliberate online tactic aimed at provoking anger or outrage to increase engagement, such as comments, shares, and visibility or revenue. This is often done through inflammatory posts, memes, headlines, or comments intended to trigger strong emotional responses - mainly anger from audiences.

Key aspects of rage-baiting include:

• Intentional provocation: Content is crafted to elicit anger or frustration, often without regard for truth or accuracy14.

• Engagement-driven: The manipulation is aimed at increasing online interaction, which in turn boosts the post’s visibility due to how social media algorithms reward engagement, regardless of whether it is positive or negative246.

• Financial and social incentives: For creators, this can result in more followers, subscribers, and sometimes direct financial gain from increased traffic or monetization27.

• Distinction from trolling: While similar to trolling, rage-baiting is usually more calculated, aiming at maximizing algorithmic reward rather than simply upsetting individuals for amusement3.

• Common in politics, political influence campaigns, media and marketing: It is also used as a political tactic to manipulate public opinion, distract from issues, or target opponents, sometimes by combining partial truths with misinformation.

Have you stopped beating your wife yet?

There isn’t any way to respond to rage baiting, except to ignore it. That includes queries and comments from the gullible, who don’t seem to understand that the attacks are coordinated and meant to stir up outrage and confusion. Usually for revenue and that these attacks are being coordinated.

It used to bother me a lot, so a few years back, I consulted various experts as to how I should respond. This is the standard playbook that I follow:

• “Do Not Engage Emotionally: Trolls thrive on provoking emotional reactions. Responding in anger feeds the cycle and can damage your public image. Maintain a calm, collected, and professional tone in all public interactions123.

• Resist the Urge to Respond: In most cases, the simplest and most effective response is silence. Ignoring trolls deprives them of the attention they seek. They often lose steam if there’s no reaction from their target145.

• Block and Report: Use moderation tools to block the offender and report abusive content to the platform. Take screenshots before doing so, in case legal action or official reporting becomes necessary.”

The truth is that blocking stops the angst, but reporting does very little.

That said, I personally have recently had a full day with two FBI agents about the harassment, threats, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, psyops, etc. Apparently, an investigation has been launched from within the government.

And yes, we do fear for our lives sometimes.

So, when I don’t respond to the hate, which is designed to cause engagement by the readers, it isn’t that I don’t want to. It is that my responses would literally “feed the trolls.”

What I don’t know is how many of these attacks are coordinated. I do know that some (maybe most) of the people involved are getting paid to do this. And I know of at least one organization that pays people to write this filth.

I recently received an apology from someone who has been involved in slandering and libeling me. I won’t dox them - but here are parts of their letter (some of it has been redacted both to protect the writer and because of the ongoing investigation):

“I’ve owed you an apology for quite some time now, and I deeply regret not delivering it sooner. That delay is on me. But I believe we’re now more aligned in how we view things, and I want to be transparent with you. First, the article in question (redacted) was written by me. I regret it deeply. I didn’t write it voluntarily—I was under duress. But that’s not an excuse. I take full responsibility and offer you a sincere apology.

(redacted)

I said things like, “His posts don’t seem to be affecting sales. There’s no reason to go to war with him publicly.” I wanted us to focus on content that mattered to people, not petty drama. I was worried that obsessing over you would sink the business (redacted). But (redacted) shut me down: “We tried ignoring him. He’s not going away. We have to do something.”

I tried to resist further, but I eventually caved to the idea of … (redacted). Drama was the only angle you were vulnerable to because, frankly, you had been right about almost everything. I published (redacted) under the (redacted) name because I did not want my name attached to it.

At first, I didn’t promote it. I was already mad that I was strong-armed into doing this, and I didn’t want to be a part of their drama. I figured no one would even see (redacted) unless I shared it (redacted).

Then came the pressure. (Redacted) called me and said (redacted) was worried I was “wavering”—meaning that I was not passing his loyalty test. At the time, 80% of my income came from (redacted). I caved and chose the path of least resistance.

For that, I am truly sorry. I’m even more sorry that it appears the (redacted) may have harmed your reputation. That’s what weighs on me the most. You didn’t deserve that (redacted), and your criticisms of (redacted) were completely fair.

I see (redacted) for what they are now, and I’m disgusted that they built their success by exploiting my influence and grifting off the medical freedom movement. (redacted) operation deserve to be held accountable. I am sorry that I not only hurt your good name but contributed to their success. If there is anything I can do to make this right, I am open to having that conversation. Sincerely, (redacted)”

(end of letter -sent to my X DM from an account with almost two million followers)

At least one person apologized. More than I ever expected. But this is my world. Sometimes, it is hard not to be bitter or afraid.

The outrage trolling and rage baiting is not “just” about engagement farming. The outrage trolling and rage baiting is coordinated, and yes, pharma is involved.

Secretary Kennedy and his team at HHS are also under attack. From literally all sides. But please understand, none of us subjected to these types of attacks can defend ourselves. We just have to suck it up. No matter how much we want to fight, clear our good name, or strike back with some pithy comment.

The only thing we can do is go quiet. To engage in their war is to lose.

In the meantime, I continue to keep my gate closed, my dogs wild, and my weapons nearby. But not too nearby, because frankly, the risk of getting swatted is great, and makes any defense dangerous. And yes, the widespread deployment of swatting continues unabated, and according to my sources, the FBI won’t do anything to stop it.

The rage baiting against MAHA may eventually get someone killed, and at times, I am afraid it will be me.

There is no winning in this war, except by educating followers and MAHA movement supporters of how this trick is played, in hopes that they will not fall for the bad jacketing and false flag attacks.

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