Z-Lurkers

Earlier this week it daunted on me just how many people are monitoring comments on YouTube belonging to the Zeitgeist Movement. Persons from the Austrian School of Economics in particular seem to feel the strong inclination to make their ideology known and almost act like guardians of the free market. The screenshots here are just a selection from this week and many of these YouTube accounts are sock-puppets. They are empty channels created for the sake of trolling or arguing with other folks while revealing no personal information. What fear can do to people!

YouTube Guerilla Tactics II

Last week a person made a comment to me on a YouTube video concerning Alex Jones and the ludicrous remarks he had against the Zeitgeist Movement. The person went by the handle of AndyMcNabStab and his core disagreement revolves around the first Zeitgeist movie, which has very little to do with the Zeitgeist Movement and should be viewed as a personal performance piece by Peter Joseph. However, some individuals viewed that as an attack on their religious beliefs and subsequently claim that the movement is a New Age "luciferian" propaganda effort aimed at steering people away from God.

It's understandable that people would react after seeing Zeitgeist the Movie. I'm not an atheist and as such I thought the critique directed towards religion was unwise since some people can't help themselves making negative associations when their beliefs are questioned. I also wouldn't stand for any 'dark teachings' should I detect it in the Zeitgeist Movement. However, I haven't seen any. Which in my book makes the claims of this Andy person totally irrelevant. But then again, he wouldn't be the first person to use the religious angle to spout critique while his real argument is something else. Possibly plain economics.

The YouTube channel of this person also has a number of videos of violent video games and where he boasts to have taken out opponents using only a knife. Safe to say that the Biblical 'love thy neighbor' still needs some work with this character. Conclusion; the guy is mostly likely a troll.

What's perhaps most interesting is the number of 'likes' he received. He got 7 likes within a short period of time, and that is highly unlikely on a video that doesn't get that many hits anymore. I asked him the question if he generated those likes himself and he replied in the affirmative, the end justifying the means. No matter how you twist and spin this, this is internet guerilla tactics. If you can generate 7 likes you can also generate 7 dislikes. Not 1 person 1 vote but maximize your influence as you see fit. Voter fraud..

Ironically, people like Andy here would probably also object to stricter regulations on the internet while they have no problem abusing the system themselves. Their conduct shows who they are.
Sadly, this is just one person. Many more circle around videos belonging to the Zeitgeist Movement like vultures, ready to plunge down when they think they see a carcass. But maybe I should take the high ground and close with a sentence from the Bible. "You'll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?" (Matthew 7:16)

YouTube Guerilla Tactics

Yesterday I uploaded some videos I had compiled from assorted clips, and what seems to be a common occurrence these days and what's been happening for weeks now is that the video quickly receives a number of 'dislikes.' The person(s) doing this are specifically targeting Zeitgeist members, for the simple reason in that they dislike the information presented by the Zeitgeist Movement. And by the way, 'we' advocate applying the scientific method for social concern. Nothing outlandish really. Yet some people feel so threatened apparently that they have to put a negative spin on everything that is forwarded. I myself am by no means the only person who gets this treatment.

As you can see in the screenshot above there's also something highly unusual going on. My video had in fact only gotten 3 views when I captured that image, but the number of 'dislikes' already reached 13. That's a clear indication someone is using some additional software that creates multiple votes. That's an escalation if you ask me in how far some people are willing to go. People are not just voting a single time but use different accounts to vote multiple times or have downloaded software to that effect. If that doesn't sum up YouTube guerilla tactics I don't know what will. Like I mentioned before, many people who upload material that promotes the Zeitgeist Movement get the same treatment.

What's also fascinating is that some segments of society actually get instructed to vote down certain material. In this video (filmed in secrecy) it becomes readily apparent that young members of the Tea Party at a lecture are advised to vote down anything that's too progressive or otherwise doesn't fit their ideology. Highly unorthodox and outright undemocratic if you ask me. I thought the Tea Party stood for freedom and democracy, maybe they have another interpretation? What I've noticed on YouTube is that a number of critics of the Zeitgeist Movement are also supporters of the Tea Party Movement. Is there a correlation?


What I found out about the YouTube "troll" responsible for all the dislikes is that this person is from Florida. One video of mine that rarely got any views got the same treatment. YouTube allows you to see the data (to some extent) of who's viewing your videos and where they are from. When the dislikes start appearing and the troll is the only one who visited the video you get something like in the picture above. A clear indication of where this person is from.

Another hint is mannerism or behavior. There are only a couple of Zeitgeist critics (that I know) who are from Florida and one person by the YouTube handle of 'MarioBrothaYT' (Mario Rodriguez) fits the bill right on when it comes to sociopathic behavior. He runs a blog here, filled with the most asinine comments a person can come up with. By far the most probable candidate responsible for the YouTube guerilla style warfare. You would almost feel sorry for such a misguided person were it not for the mayhem he creates.