Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by a grassroots participant(s).
It's no secret that furious SJWs, Clintonistas and associated fellow travelers are planning to descend on Washington DC to disrupt Trump's Inauguration. But is this movement fueled by outrage or fauxtrage, is it real turf or astroturf?
If companies like Demand Protest are anything to go by, it's the latter.
According to the Washington Times, Demand Protest has run ads in over 20 cities, offering people a $2,500 monthly "retainer" and $50/hour provided successful job applicants take part in 6 protests a year. Full time "operatives" do even better, and get health, vision and dental insurance. Nice work if you can get it. And who pays for the ads? The people who want Demand Protest's services.
Demand Protest tells prospective customers that they're "strategists mobilizing millennials across the globe with seeded audiences and desirable messages." And guess what, they specialize in "discretion" so your phony rent a mob won't get traced back to you.
"With absolute discretion a top priority, our operatives create convincing scenes that become the building blocks of massive movements. When you need the appearance of outrage, we are able to deliver it at scale while keeping your reputation intact."
How fortunate, discrete astroturf fauxtrage that won't dent your moral standing. But who are Demand Protest's clients?
4Chan users suggest George Soros, who has funded the Occupy and Black Lives Matter movements. Whether any money's left in the coffers of the Clinton Campaign for paying protesters remains to be seen.
In the meanwhile, watch out for fauxtrage on Inauguration Day. And if you want to get paid to attend the historic event, why not contact demandprotest.com and collect your check.
LSP
