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Fellow readers whose interests are piqued by this comment: this is apparently true. This book [1] talks about it in greater depth. From Wikipedia: > [The autho

Fellow readers whose interests are piqued by this comment: this is apparently true. This book [1] talks about it in greater depth. From Wikipedia: > [The author] describes the growth of the Abstract Expressionist art movement, and its frequent showcasing in New York's Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), as largely a CIA-sponsored operation [...] Since many abstract expressionist painters and sculptors were anarchistic, and strongly anti-CIA, a "long leash" policy was adopted that "kept CIA operatives at a remove of two or three degrees from the artists and art exhibitions—sometimes even more—so that they could not be linked to any furtive governmental bankrolling." [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Paid_the_Piper%3F https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Paid_the_Piper%3F

sourdecor 27d ago
That was because Russia was creating actual art and laughing at the media America produced.
- PearlRiver 27d ago
  The USSR was selling art to fund the KGB. Stone glass houses.
  - jazzyjackson 27d ago
    Well that’s exactly the opposite situation isn’t it, funding their intelligence with art people were willing to pay for Vs art that needed to be paid for by intelligence
    - 47635274172635 27d ago
      Never would have thought that art and intelligence agencies have so much synergy tbh.
- a34729t 27d ago
  Russia has exceptional art education and the best art school in the world. I am proud as an American that we weaponized shitty art as a cultural weapon (Pollock bukkake)
  - throw-the-towel 27d ago
    What art school do you mean?
    - a34729t 27d ago
      St. Petersburg Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture
  - anigbrowl 27d ago
    Is this ironic or did you inadvertently omit a word
- TFNA 27d ago
  Within the former USSR, there is very, very little demand today for the socialist-realist works produced during the Stalin era. No one goes to see museum exhibitions of the visual art except as a historical oddity, and the doctrinaire literature of that time is rotting unread in myriad provincial libraries. Its own market rejected it. Meanwhile, some of the Western abstract expressionists still appeal to a decent audience of art lovers.
faidit 27d ago
This narrative has been popularized all over social media for the last couple years. Obviously it's true and not a surprise to anyone familiar with the history. But no one is asking more complex questions: why is it being pushed by algorithms and networks ultimately controlled by the same powers? Is it a "limited hangout"? Well poisoning? What does the "CIA" gain from revealing a sliver of its past activities and discrediting (both directly and by insinuation) a large number of radical artists and thinkers?
- qarl2 27d ago
  One idea - these days there are many MANY more players using the same strategy - maybe the CIA wants us to be aware of the technique to limit its effectiveness.
- willy_k 27d ago
  Not a direct response to your question; I figure you or others reading this may be interested in the thoughts of the host of The War on Beauty (best found on youtube).
- oldsklgdfth 27d ago
  My brain tingles when I hear "three letter letter agency did X" But my take on the question: "why is it being pushed by algorithms" is that it is a property of the medium of "algorithmic feeds". YT, shorts, etc. are a great medium for attention grabbing in a way that is district from TV. Broadcast TV caters to the "average" viewer, ex. Sienfeld, Johnny Carson show. "Algorithmic TV" caters to specialized viewers. Fringe ideas and science, "the truth about X". The crown prince of "algorithmic TV" (IMO of course) is Joe Rogan. For every niche quest he has on, there's many more YT channels on that topic. Weird history, ancient aliens, psychedelics. So I don't really think the "algorithms" are controlled, rather they "algorithm" elevate weird ideas more than other mediums.
  - leonidasrup 27d ago
    As the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal showed, the social network algorithms can be used to send political messages according to your psychological profile. (Political messages shown to you, can be different from political messages shown to your neighbor). " Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign used the harvested data to build psychographic profiles, determining users' personality traits based on their Facebook activity. The campaign team used this information as a micro-targeting technique, displaying customized messages about Trump to different US voters on various digital platforms. Ads were segmented into different categories, mainly based on whether individuals were Trump supporters or potential swing votes. As described by Cambridge Analytica's CEO, the key was to identify those who might be enticed to vote for their client or be discouraged to vote for their opponent. Supporters of Trump received triumphant visuals of him, as well as information regarding polling stations. Swing voters were instead often shown images of Trump's more notable supporters and negative graphics or ideas about his opponent, Hillary Clinton. For example, the collected data was specifically used by "Make America Number 1 Super PAC" to attack Clinton through constructed advertisements that accused Clinton of corruption as a way of propping up Trump as a better candidate for the presidency " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge_Analytica_data_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge_Ana...

sourdecor 27d ago

That was because Russia was creating actual art and laughing at the media America produced.

PearlRiver 27d ago
The USSR was selling art to fund the KGB. Stone glass houses.
- jazzyjackson 27d ago
  Well that’s exactly the opposite situation isn’t it, funding their intelligence with art people were willing to pay for Vs art that needed to be paid for by intelligence
  - 47635274172635 27d ago
    Never would have thought that art and intelligence agencies have so much synergy tbh.
a34729t 27d ago
Russia has exceptional art education and the best art school in the world. I am proud as an American that we weaponized shitty art as a cultural weapon (Pollock bukkake)
- throw-the-towel 27d ago
  What art school do you mean?
  - a34729t 27d ago
    St. Petersburg Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture
- anigbrowl 27d ago
  Is this ironic or did you inadvertently omit a word
TFNA 27d ago
Within the former USSR, there is very, very little demand today for the socialist-realist works produced during the Stalin era. No one goes to see museum exhibitions of the visual art except as a historical oddity, and the doctrinaire literature of that time is rotting unread in myriad provincial libraries. Its own market rejected it. Meanwhile, some of the Western abstract expressionists still appeal to a decent audience of art lovers.

faidit 27d ago

This narrative has been popularized all over social media for the last couple years. Obviously it's true and not a surprise to anyone familiar with the history. But no one is asking more complex questions: why is it being pushed by algorithms and networks ultimately controlled by the same powers? Is it a "limited hangout"? Well poisoning? What does the "CIA" gain from revealing a sliver of its past activities and discrediting (both directly and by insinuation) a large number of radical artists and thinkers?

qarl2 27d ago
One idea - these days there are many MANY more players using the same strategy - maybe the CIA wants us to be aware of the technique to limit its effectiveness.
willy_k 27d ago
Not a direct response to your question; I figure you or others reading this may be interested in the thoughts of the host of The War on Beauty (best found on youtube).
oldsklgdfth 27d ago
My brain tingles when I hear "three letter letter agency did X" But my take on the question: "why is it being pushed by algorithms" is that it is a property of the medium of "algorithmic feeds". YT, shorts, etc. are a great medium for attention grabbing in a way that is district from TV. Broadcast TV caters to the "average" viewer, ex. Sienfeld, Johnny Carson show. "Algorithmic TV" caters to specialized viewers. Fringe ideas and science, "the truth about X". The crown prince of "algorithmic TV" (IMO of course) is Joe Rogan. For every niche quest he has on, there's many more YT channels on that topic. Weird history, ancient aliens, psychedelics. So I don't really think the "algorithms" are controlled, rather they "algorithm" elevate weird ideas more than other mediums.
- leonidasrup 27d ago
  As the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal showed, the social network algorithms can be used to send political messages according to your psychological profile. (Political messages shown to you, can be different from political messages shown to your neighbor). " Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign used the harvested data to build psychographic profiles, determining users' personality traits based on their Facebook activity. The campaign team used this information as a micro-targeting technique, displaying customized messages about Trump to different US voters on various digital platforms. Ads were segmented into different categories, mainly based on whether individuals were Trump supporters or potential swing votes. As described by Cambridge Analytica's CEO, the key was to identify those who might be enticed to vote for their client or be discouraged to vote for their opponent. Supporters of Trump received triumphant visuals of him, as well as information regarding polling stations. Swing voters were instead often shown images of Trump's more notable supporters and negative graphics or ideas about his opponent, Hillary Clinton. For example, the collected data was specifically used by "Make America Number 1 Super PAC" to attack Clinton through constructed advertisements that accused Clinton of corruption as a way of propping up Trump as a better candidate for the presidency " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge_Analytica_data_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge_Ana...