On "One Hand Clapping"

the changing of an icon to green may seem like a great action of support — the beating of paths into highways in the field — but it is more appropriately the sound of multiple people clapping one hand in the effort to increase the volume of their outrage.

Or to paraphrase w/ another recent paraphrase:  “You are with us or you are against us.”  In this case, the sound of so many single hands clapping was not accusing those in the West who were not clapping — at least not directly — but  targeted the Iranian regime, as if to say, “See how much of the world is arrayed against you?  If you are not with us, then you are surely against us; we know that, and you should be aware that we know that.”  That is, the either/or proposition of this 4GW-style manipulation set up one clear side while leaving the membership fuzzy and potentially alterable:  the Iranian regime could join with the Greeners, if it so chose, or would remain the Enemy.

So in hindsight (though I realized it at the time) the Greening of Twitter, although not itself a 5GW activity, may not have been entirely ineffectual.  Yes, some effects may have resulted from it, but only 4GW-style effects.  (This doesn’t mean it was much of a 4GW campaign, however, if judged on its success or failure.)

Addendum (added):  Actually, due to the fuzziness, the action did “attack” those in the West also; in other words, “If you don’t join us….does that mean you support the Iranian regime?”  All this goes back to what I wrote on Alignments and 4GW & 5GW manipulation.