Why do groups like "red watch" target revleft specifically?

[Skyhilist]

So I know part of the forum rules are that we should not show pictures of ourselves, because groups like red watch and similar right wing groups will target people who do. I'm sure this is the case and am not trying to question whether or not this would happen, I'm just curious as to why.

Any cursory search of Facebook reveals pages like "anarchist memes", "socialist meme caucus", "being a socialist", and tons of socialist groups abound. Combined, these pages and groups easily have over 100,000 socialists/communists in total. And many of the people in them have readily accessible profiles including pictures and even contact information. It seems that given this, social media sites like Facebook would be a much better, easier target for groups like red watch than would revleft.

So why is it that these right wing groups make sites like revleft a top priority for trying to find stuff out about socialists/communists and don't rely more heavily on social media sites like Facebook where they could likely get the information that they are looking for more more easily? It seems that when we need to do all this stuff do obscure our identities on here that groups like redwatch are launching a disproportionate and irrational attack.

[WilliamGreen]

Forum battles, and it's easier to target intelligent well spoken individuals when you can review all their posts, leanings, etc.

It's war right.

[Criminalize Heterosexuality]

I'm not sure they do target RevLeft specifically - nonetheless it's a good security rule to prevent overenthusiastic people from outing themselves and getting into trouble, not necessarily with groups like that, but with people ranging from the police to local knuckleheads.

[WilliamGreen]

When I reviewed Red Watch it reminded me just why I came to left politics.

It's always important to try and reach people to try and show them that equality, common sense, and rational discourse are the ways forward but when you realize how violent and hate filled these men and woman have become it's frightening.

To see how far a person can be warped is quite astonishing.

[Futility Personified]

As this is one of the few leftist boards on the internet that is relatively productive in it's discussions, (ha!) a poster might make themselves more noteworthy to a fash or otherwise disdainable individual by the merit of their posts or proclivity (correct word?) on this site. Also, I can't help but feel that the rules in place encourage a type of, dare i say it? I think I will, intellectual atmosphere on the site. We're all comrades, to one degree or another, but are we all chums? Only if people choose to go that far. The intelligence agencies types all know who we are (unless some on here do their internet homework) but in some countries, there is a legitimate and concerning risk of reprisal from the far-right that could put some people in trouble. I think it is fair to make it harder for potential persecutors.

[Skyhilist]

Don't get me wrong I'm not questioning the board policy in this case I think it makes sense to protect users.

I guess I'm still not seeing why right-wingers would target a site with less than 50,000 (and mostly inactive) users, when they can just go on Facebook and find way more communists/socialists there that often have photos, contact info, and even statuses in some cases at the disposal of anyone. You would think that that would cause them to have a relatively minimal interest in revleft by comparison. I can see it maybe being a matter of perhaps the average revleft user being more active in movements than the average communist on Facebook, but even given that it seems odd that they'd obsess over us. I mean go on stormfront and you find tons of thread where they can't get over revleft, but few to no threads on things like radical left wing facebook pages and groups even when the content is on an equal intellectual level.

[RedWaves]

Because this forum is full of young reactionary liberals and it's so easy to find bullshit on here and make a joke out of it, which is not really tolerated around here as I've learned the hard way. This forum is not really Communist, or if it was it wouldn't have a problem with freedom of speech and attacking it's own members for not agreeing with the popular opinion on certain topics.

[Igor]

Because this forum is full of young reactionary liberals and it's so easy to find bullshit on here and make a joke out of it, which is not really tolerated around here as I've learned the hard way. This forum is not really Communist, or if it was it wouldn't have a problem with freedom of speech and attacking it's own members for not agreeing with the popular opinion on certain topics.tell me more how about how your shitty views on gay rights should be tolerated more

[Per Levy]

Because this forum is full of young reactionary liberals and it's so easy to find bullshit on here and make a joke out of it, which is not really tolerated around here as I've learned the hard way. This forum is not really Communist, or if it was it wouldn't have a problem with freedom of speech and attacking it's own members for not agreeing with the popular opinion on certain topics.

oh look a frustrated social democrat who complains about lack of free speech and upholds stalin who, as everybody knows, was the paragon of free spech. you were called out for some of your shitty views(i've looked through some of your posts, im masochistic like that, and i have to say you're not called out enough on many other issues either) and now you act like a child and call everyone else names. but i always love it when homophobes and closet liberals/social dems call the rest of the board reactionarys and liberals. always quite funny.

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

So I know part of the forum rules are that we should not show pictures of ourselves, because groups like red watch and similar right wing groups will target people who do. I'm sure this is the case and am not trying to question whether or not this would happen, I'm just curious as to why.

Any cursory search of Facebook reveals pages like "anarchist memes", "socialist meme caucus", "being a socialist", and tons of socialist groups abound. Combined, these pages and groups easily have over 100,000 socialists/communists in total. And many of the people in them have readily accessible profiles including pictures and even contact information. It seems that given this, social media sites like Facebook would be a much better, easier target for groups like red watch than would revleft.

So why is it that these right wing groups make sites like revleft a top priority for trying to find stuff out about socialists/communists and don't rely more heavily on social media sites like Facebook where they could likely get the information that they are looking for more more easily? It seems that when we need to do all this stuff do obscure our identities on here that groups like redwatch are launching a disproportionate and irrational attack.
tbh with social media, rightists are probably less and less inclined to look at revleft as opposed to facebook or whatever. things have changed.

as for those pages having a lot of likes, it is important to understand that there is a difference between someone liking a page on fbook and someone actually being an activist, like many on here, some of them in parts of the world where fascists are always looking for targets - this is the main reason we protect our identities.

some people on here know who i am but i would rather be anonymous than have fascists finding out who i am and coming after me.

not to mention cops.

[RedMaterialist]

wow. i wasn't aware anybody targeted revleft.