Elections are just the right time for the rumored factory to run at full speed.
A series of sexual rumors about Argentina’s major political character has been widespread for some time, deepening into the so-called “collective unconscious” over time and deep into the deep forests of the election season. .. These unfounded and unconfirmed allegations extended from President Alberto Fernandez to Oracio Rodriguez Lareta, the mayor of Buenos Aires, the main character of the opposition. They included former President Mauricio Macri, and in the not too distant past Christina Fernades de Kirchner was involved. Political rumors are ancient and the alleged sexual varieties are the most powerful types, but the proliferation of digital means of communication and news consumption rapidly distorts, amplifies and potentially distorts them. I have a time bomb. At the same time, the use of social media and other platforms has disseminated a new generation of conspiracy theories and false information that could have a very realistic impact on social perceptions and election outcomes.
In 2019, when Alberto had just been finger-picked by Fernandez de Kirchner to lead a ticket for a pan-peronist who tried to expel Makri, the candidates at the time were probably chosen as having caused a very public separation. It was done. Viviana Canosa, a gossip journalist who has just returned to television on a political show, recently announced that she has left. ClarinPolitical humorist, Alejandro Borensztein. She soon connected with Alberto. Journalists dismissed it and talked about the Smear Campaign, which points to the digital “Troll, 4 followers.” Since then, the rumored factory has targeted the president as a feminine, despite public relations with Mrs. Fabiola Janez and the level of exposure he was exposed to. This is a fact that makes it very difficult to hide an incident in a closed room.
What exactly is the purpose of the rumor that, beyond its credibility, it has a very realistic impact on public perception? There is a lot of literature on the political use of rumors, and there is a new area to investigate the emergence of social media and digital platforms regarding the spread of false information. In a paper entitled “The War of (False) Information: The Political Impact of Rumors and Rumor Counterarguments in Authoritarian Countries” (2015), Haifeng Huang, a professor of political science at the University of California, Merced, said that such injured people Showed to reduce. Trust in the government. They permeated the entire socio-economic and political background, the effects of which persisted beyond rebuttal and reduced beliefs in certain content, but did not rebuild credibility.
Soo Young Bae, a researcher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Communication, analyzed the impact of social media on this issue. Her paper, Social Mediation of Political Rumors: A Survey of Social Media Dynamics and Beliefs in Political Rumors (2017), includes people’s reliance on social media for news consumption and their beliefs in political slurs. Mentioned the relationship. These are affected and exacerbated by the network characteristics of social media in building beliefs about political rumors mentioned above. If a Pew Research Center survey in the United States shows that 71% of people get news from social platforms, this area is ripe for operation.
Returning it to Argentine politics, it is unclear whether the rumors are being used to harm certain actors or for their benefit. Claims can also be used to distract attention from other issues, both for the benefit or harm of various political parties. The more personal and salary you are, the better.
The farewell between Rodriguez Laleta and his wife, celebrity wedding planner Barbara Diez, surprised many of the establishments late last year. The official story is that the intensity of his political activity as mayor and potential 2023 presidential candidate strained their relationship, but soon the rumored factory began to change and out-of-marriage relations. The claim began to spread.News magazine Noticias Research This issue demonstrates the involvement of intelligence agencies under a circle of illegal espionage snooping on both the Makuri administration’s allies and enemies. “In their report, the agents mentioned the case between the mayor and the community leader,” read an article by journalist Rodis Recart, who received a firm denial from the inner circle of Lareta.
Interestingly, it is not entirely clear whether this “attack” against the most important members of the hostile Cambiemos coalition is an external or domestic threat. There is a fierce battle between hardliners near Macri (publicly represented by Patricia Brurich) and the consensus-makers of Rodriguez Lareta and Maria Eugenia Vidal. What is clear is that the intention to put them on the agenda from a particular sector, whether these rumors are true or not, has a clear desire to push the public towards a particular perspective. It means that it is.
A story about sexuality in this world of dirty political tricks where it’s unclear whether rumors are intended to hurt or exaggerate a particular actor or have been released to the wild by colleagues or enemies. Is used intentionally. But this is not new. Roman General Julius Caesar was a prime example, as Kelly Olson of the University of Western Ontario wrote in her treatise “Masculinity, Appearance, and Sexuality: Roman Ancient Dandy” (2014). Quoting Suetonius, she said Caesar was “somewhat overkill to take care of his man,” and Plutarch talked about how well his sexual tendencies are known. Caesar used all the means of communication he had at hand to project the image of an Alpha man and use it for political gain. On the contrary, already in the Roman Empire, Caligula’s corruption and sexual thirst were used by rivals to portray him as a madman, and were eventually killed and overthrown.
The rumored factory has been running at full speed lately and don’t expect it to fade. The election is just around the corner.
this piece Originally published Buenos Aires Times, The only English newspaper in Argentina.
