Concern troll
A concern troll is a charlatan, usually on the Internet, who insincerely invokes professed concern about an issue, whether genuine or not, with the aim of exploiting it to propagate fallacious attacks against their opponents. Concern trolls claim to advocate particular causes they actually oppose or have no interest in for the purpose of appearing righteous.
Examples
A classic example of concern trolling is when leftists advocate higher taxes on the wealthy, claiming they are compassionate towards the needs of the poor, despite themselves being known for comparably less levels of charitable giving than their conservative counterparts, who they ironically claim to "lack compassion." (studies consistently demonstrate that conservatives contribute more to charity than liberals[1][2]) Other examples include:
- anti-Zionist propaganda smear campaigns against Israel, claiming to advocate on behalf of killed Palestinian children, while ignoring or denying numerous examples of extremist Palestinian authorities using human shields
- claiming to support "gay rights" while obliviously ignoring vicious Palestinian persecution of homosexuals
- accusing conservatives (and their policies) of antiblack racism by using cherry-picked strawman fallacies, ignoring the overt devastation caused by abortion and welfare
- accusing the political right of being responsible for antisemitism while turning a blind eye to, or even justifying, instances of new antisemitic propaganda by Ilhan Omar or Rashida Tlaib,[primary ref 1] who are known for propagating anti-Israel conspiracy theories and even blood libel[3]
- comparing Donald Trump and right-wingers to the Ku Klux Klan[primary ref 2] while defending Margaret Sanger in spite of her actual connections to the KKK[primary ref 3]
- claiming that white supremacist David Duke endorsing Trump is significant, while dismissing Richard Spencer's endorsement of Joe Biden as irrelevant and trivial
Judas Iscariot
- For a more detailed treatment, see Judas Iscariot.
According to the Gospel of John about Jesus's anointing by Mary Magdalene at Bethany:[4]
| “ | Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” | ” |
| —John 12:1–8 | ||
According to Seventh-day Adventist preacher and pastor Doug Batchelor in a sermon on March 20, 2021, Judas Iscariot, the Apostle who would betray Jesus, was exposed of his sinister nature to a greater extent in John's Gospel than the Synoptic Gospels, attributable to greater disdain towards him by John the Apostle.[5] Judas, a thief, did not care for the poor, and being in charge of managing the Apostles' financial matters, posed a guise of concern in the hopes of being able to steal more money for himself.
See also
References
- ↑ The Examiner (February 18, 2008). Who gives more to charitable causes, conservatives or liberals? Washington Examiner. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ↑ Yang, Yongzheng; Liu, Peixu (June 16, 2021). Are conservatives more charitable than liberals in the U.S.? A meta-analysis of political ideology and charitable giving. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ↑ Multiple references:
- Jewish Press News Desk (January 25, 2020). Rashida Tlaib Retweets Blood Libel Against Israeli Jews. The Jewish Press. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- Kerstein, Benjamin (January 26, 2020). Rashida Tlaib Accused of Spreading ‘Vicious Blood Libel’ After Tweeting, Deleting Claim Jews Killed Palestinian Child. Algemeiner. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- Kliegman, Aaron (January 29, 2020). Rep. Rashida Tlaib still hasn’t apologized for pushing a blood libel against Jews. New York Post. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ↑ John 12:1–8. Bible Gateway.
- ↑ Doug Batchelor (March 20, 2021). Judas Iscariot - Apostle of Infamy With Pastor Doug Batchelor. YouTube. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
Primary sources
- The following citations are provided for the purposes of quoting direct firsthand evidence of concern trolling:
- ↑ Beauchamp, Zach (March 6, 2019). The Ilhan Omar anti-Semitism controversy, explained. Vox. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ↑ Baker, Kelly J. (March 12, 2016). Make America White Again? The Atlantic. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ↑ Numerous articles by left-wing propaganda outlet PolitiFact purportedly "fact-check" statements by conservatives, especially black individuals who denounce Sanger for her past Klan connections. For example, in a post on May 10, 2022, PolitiFact admits the factual reality of Sanger's speech to the Klan and explicitly downplays it as supposedly irrelevant.
