• sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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    6 months ago

    I’m referring to Poe’s Law, and applying it outside of the Internet.

    An example of bumper stickers as mentioned by someone else here:

    • 1-3 - probably normal
    • 4-12 - quite extreme
    • more than 12 - probably parody

    I’m saying there’s a point where parody turns back into extremism/mental illness (probably around the 20-30 bumper sticker mark). So there’s a spectrum:

    1. Normal range
    2. Crazy range
    3. Parody range
    4. Back to crazy

    Examples in conservative politics:

    1. Moderate conservatives, like your average conservative family member - probably dislikes Trump, etc, but sides with the GOP more than not
    2. Trump evangelists - doesn’t know what they believe, other than Trump; weird form of double think required to follow Trump through flip flops
    3. The old Colbert Report and other conservative parodies from the left - generally take a more extreme view from 2 to make parody obvious
    4. Far right extremist groups, like those present on Jan 6 - these groups say what 3 says and mean it, and take it even further

    Or with pork:

    1. Someone saying their favorite food is bacon when asked
    2. Someone who talks about bacon all the time, when when not talking about food (kinda weird)
    3. Someone who wears bacon themed shirts, has bacon bumper stickers, etc, in obvious parody
    4. Someone wears bacon rings, and always seems to have bacon with them

    Poe’s law is the boundary between 2 and 3, and there’s a point where you go beyond and get back to crazy.