There are plenty of shows that centre on the US government: The West Wing, Commander in Chief, Veep, Madam Secretary, even Parks and Recreation. But when it came to learning about how to foster civilian mistrust of the government, Russian trolls decided instead to study Netflix’s House of Cards.
In an interview with independent Russian TV station Rain, a former member of the “troll factory” formerly known as the Internet Research Agency revealed that the elite English department used the show to learn the biggest issues plaguing Americans.
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The TV station was able to verify that “Maksim” had worked at the troll factory until the end of 2015, when only three seasons of House of Cards had been released.
Russian trolls picked up on the US’s “main problems” by studying House of Cards
“At first we were forced to watch the House of Cards in English,” the ex-employee said under the pseudonym “Maksim”, according to Yahoo. “It was necessary to know all the main problems of the United States of America. Tax problems, the problem of gays, sexual minorities, weapons.”
These “problems” then helped workers comment on news articles from the likes of The New York Times and The Washington Post, where they would “provoke a discussion”.
Measured by how many likes they received, workers would spread comments calling sodomy a sin, the Clinton family corrupt, and former US President Obama unsuccessful.
“We had a goal to set up the Americans against their own government. To cause unrest, cause discontent [and] lower [President] Obama’s rating,” “Maksim” said.
House of Cards, then, was not a bad choice. The show tells of a corrupt political family that manipulates, kills, and tears down opponents in the race for power. They, in essence, represent a lot of what US President Trump supporters stood against when chanting to “drain the swamp”.
