Unfair Game
Al Jazeera (2018)
Film Review
The them of this documentary is that Trump used unfair tactics to win the 2016 electoral college vote, despite losing the popular vote by 3 million.
Most of the the film focuses on the California subsidiary of Cambridge Analytica, which purchased personal data from Facebook, Google, Twitter and other Internet data harvesting firms. It then used sophisticated algorithms to individually target potential Trump supporters in swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
According to filmmakers, Cambridge Analytica compiled 4,000 data points regarding the personal lives of 23 million voters. They then used the data to generate paid “dark posts” on Facebook. Dark posts are the weird personal ads and messages that pop up briefly on your Facebook news feed and then disappear.
Although it was intriguing to learn how Cambridge Analytica massaged personal data to identify and influence potential Trump voters, I objected to the way the documentary blames the Trump campaign for introducing microtargeting (potential supporters) to US elections. It was actually the Obama campaign that pioneered microtargeting, which is largely credited for his ability to overcome Republican vote rigging and vote suppression efforts in 2008 and 2012.
When the Obama campaign engaged in microtargeting, they were widely hailed as ingenious public relations innovators. When the Trump campaign does it, he’s branded as a liar and a thief. While I have no love for Donald Trump, the clear bias in this film really irritates me. I have no doubt that Hillary Clinton, who inherited many of Obama’s campaign staffers, also used microtargeting in her campaign.
That being said, I found it significant that Cambridge Analytica was actually an offshoot of the British Strategic Communications Laboratory, which was widely used by NATO, NSA, the State Department and other deep state actors to influence US and global opinion and meddle in foreign elections. I was previously unaware that the California branch of Cambridge Analytica was headed by Trump’s campaign manager Steve Bannon and mainly funded by Trump’s biggest campaign donor, Robert Mercer.
The first 15 minutes of the documentary in which, “mainstream” corporate journalists decry the unregulated dissemination of “fake news” by “ultra right wing” online publications, is frankly embarrassing.It was the collective decision by so-called “mainstream” media to become a propaganda mouthpiece for the CIA, State Department and Pentagon that led Americans to look to the Internet for alternative sources of information.
The Most Revolutionary Act 
Alternative left websites, left antinuclear sites, peace sites are held back in rankings, in googles search engine.
Many once liked Rense because, both alternative sides were shown.. Then in about 2014, he started highlighting, rascist websites and, shows with KKK leader David Duke. His ratings went down but, he stook the dark money for his hard right, racist turn to keep going. Probly in anticipation of Trumps run.
Jeff Rense has been all about Trump. Since Trump started running it is all protrump propaganda. Brietbart threw a lotta money at blatantly white supremecist and, white nationalist sites before Trump came to power. Tell me there is nothing fishy about that.
Gerrymandering is still a concern. Voter suppression by purging voter roles of people , even with clean criminal records. Major vote rigging of electronic voting machines.
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I’m inclined to agree with your views, Keri. And I’m really glad we have lots alternatives to Rense at the moment. In the past he played an important role in publishing information about conspiracy theories that no one else would touch. Thanks for you comment.
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Al Jazeera is part of the problem nowadays not the solution
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You can say that again, arcanecorvid. This particular film seems to have been scripted by the CIA.
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Trump won but, at what cost to already degenerate United states and the world?
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To be honest, Gloria, I think Trump’s election has been a benefit to the forces of democracy in a way. He’s such a big buffoon that for the first time European (and South Korean) allies feel emboldened to thumb their nose at America’s dictatorial ways.
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Trump is making america a lot worse place to live. It was already quite bad. I do not know about the internet anymore. I see popups about privacy on everywebpage and it seems like even alternative sites like this are manipulated.
I do not watch the msm.
There is litle or no freedom of anything left. So called patriots will harrass u, or stalk u, or kill u if u disagree with them. Blatant, ugly racism is everywhere.
If u contradict a nut or christian, about climate change, they will go for your throat.
It is almost impossible to make rent. Might as well drink some hemlock if you get sick.
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I agree totally, Gloria, that things are getting really bad under Trump. But until American workers build a viable resistance movement against the wealthy elite that controls the US government, I believe their only hope is for other world powers – China, Russia, Europe to isolate the US politically and force them to end the endless foreign wars that are starving the vital domestic programs that have traditionally guaranteed Americans a decent standard of living.
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For many or, most of us it has been a part-time nightmare most of the time with many nightmares , mental torture, starving, and physical abuse. Now it is a full-time nightmare. If u get sick u might as well forget about it. Brainwashed asses ask u why. It is beyond anything george orwell, dreamed up in 1984. I met a 45 yo guy with a PhD in Engineering, living rough. He had been successful. I asked him how it happened. He said, he had the life sucked outta him. The lies, the cons, the fraudulent promises, the abuse. Their is no integrity to this society. It is an ugly, filthy, meatgrinder.
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Donald Trump is not real. It is a right-wing , billionaire, consortium generated figure-head. Its retinue, has plenty of dark, deep-state connections. It has been a snitch for the fbi. It is an internet and, media creation and amalgomation. It is quite fake. It is not competent. It has been drug to court several times for bankrupsy and, twice for tax fraud. It is not even a competent criminal.
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Free countries like costa rica, do not have myriads of federal gestapo, cheka police and spy organizations like the cia, fbi, nsa, nnsa etc. The usa has the most spy, police-spy, military spy groups in the world that spy on its citizens and elsewhere. That generate propaganda in the usa and abroad. America is the opposite of a free country. It is very sad.
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Last night I listened to a forum at the University of Washington where former Seattle police chief (and police reformer) raised the possibility of abolishing the police – that’s the first serious consideration I have heard of that idea. There were no police and no prisons before our ancestors were driven off the commons at the start of the industrial revolution.
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The modern police in americas proginators were pinkerton goons and the kkk. Their emphasis, to this day. Is property ownership and skin color. If you are poor and dispatch the police, usually very little will be done. And you know, the rest of the story.
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