Major General Patrick Donahoe posted what he called a “Public Service Announcement,” telling people to “Block and report the trolls and the disinformation tinfoil hat team.”
A Major General, in the US Army has called for people to "block and report" those they disagree with on Twitter. Major General Patrick Donahoe posted what he called a "Public Service Announcement," telling people to "Block and report the trolls and the disinformation tinfoil hat team."
Public Service Announcement. Block and report the trolls and the disinformation tinfoil hat team.
— Patrick Donahoe (@PatDonahoeArmy)
Pushback on Twitter was swift and fierce. Human Events' Jack Posobiec noted that Donahoe "couldn't even win a Twitter war..." and in fact, he couldn't.
Dumpy Pat Donahoe couldn’t even win a Twitter war… https://t.co/UAcxPl3BTZ
— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec)
Glenn Greenwald called Donahoe out for "accusing people who question him on Twitter" as "shills for Putin." Greenwald posited that Donahoe is more interested in securing tv appearances than actually doing his job in the US Army.
Important "Public Service Announcement" from General Donahoe:https://t.co/OSaRdX8ioh
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald)
A Marine herself, Twitter user Michele Perez Exner said that Donahoe's statements mark the "disturbing trend in the breakdown of civilian-military discourse in America," and said that Donahoe himself is "directly contributing to that problem."
There is a disturbing trend in the breakdown of civilian-military discourse in America. And Maj. Gen. Donahoe is directly contributing to that problem. https://t.co/MyWIWZBHsF
— Michele Perez Exner (@michelepexner)
Former White House official Darren Beattie said that Donahoe's comments were "embarrassing," and that the Major General has not exhibited "bravery" but only shown that he is "an obedient dog for his superiors."
It's embarrassing. But it's a good thing to pierce the mystique of the military brass
Patrick Donahoe didn't get to where he is via bravery.
He got to where he is by being an obedient dog for his superiors. https://t.co/lkjFgTUqlb
— Darren J. Beattie ? (@DarrenJBeattie)
Elijah Schaffer of The Blaze noted that Americans are constantly being told they face some new, bigger, more horrific threat. "First," he said, "the threat was climate changes... Then it was white supremacy... Now it's Twitter trolls."
The Army is for diversity and equality, I'm told.
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.substack.com (@JordanSchachtel)
In his tweet, Donahoe uses the terms "trolls" and "disinformation" as though everyone knows exactly what they mean, as though they are commonplace terms that identify easily recognizable things. They do not.
In fact, each term is highly open to interpretation, and each term is designed to be malleable and manipulable enough to be used to take down detractors, without need of evidence, or facts.
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