Dolphins, Memes, and the Spread of Online Propaganda: The Legacy of Juan J. Posadas
Image by Di is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The internet is a breeding ground for extremist political ideology, and in recent years, discussion boards like Reddit and 4Chan have made it easier than ever for individuals to cultivate extremist opinions on both ends of the political spectrum. Far right groups like QAnon and the so-called ‘boogaloo boys’ are the most notorious outside of the internet, but on Reddit, an underground, far-left movement is gaining traction, all under the guise of ironic humor and niche memes: Posadism.
Posadism is a sub-branch of Trotskyism that began in 1960s Argentina under the guidance of Juan Posadas. Posadas himself had gained fame and support for his efforts to unionize workers throughout Latin America and his position as the leader of the Fourth International’s Latin America Bureau. He officially split from the Fourth International in 1962 and took with him a sizable portion of his supporters. His following quickly became cult-like, centered around Posadas’ ideas and personality, and in 1968, he published his first essay about aliens.
The Argentine Socialist party was quick to distance itself from the Posadists on account of their highly controversial beliefs. Based on the tape-recorded ramblings of its leader, Posadism posits that the ‘worker’s states’ of the world must defeat capitalism via nuclear war, and that the human race will be ushered into the enlightened age of socialism by aliens. Additionally, Posadas himself had an obsession with the fringe science of the ‘60s and declared that water-birth (both on earth and in space) and communication with dolphins was the only way forward to a transhumanist, socialist utopia. Despite the outlandish claims of their leader, Posadists became a large sect of the Trotskyist party in Argentina (most followers ignored the UFO aspect, and focused on the strike-first nuclear policy). Even among socialists, a group known for their devotion to various charismatic leaders, Posadism was unique in how virulently followers obeyed their founder. It existed for the better part of a decade, but after the death of Posadas, the party died a slow death. Despite the dissolution of a formal chapter, a small but active group of followers still exist in Argentina, working tirelessly to spread and publish the ideas of their late leader.
However, Posadism has seen a sudden resurgence online, specifically on forums like Reddit. Subreddits like r/Posadism and r/FULLPOSADISM are filled with socialists and libertarians alike, all coming together to mock the more ridiculous aspects of Posadism. And it’s easy to understand the draw of Posadist memes; there are few ideologies more primed to be publicly ridiculed. The concept of alien socialists, telekinetic dolphins, and transcendental levitation are so far removed from the modern political arena that imagining a political party based around these ideas is, frankly, absurd. But online, absurdist humor is flourishing, making Posadism rife with potentially meme-able material.
Regardless of the sheer insanity of it all, these message boards still perpetuate the ruse that Posadism is a genuine political perspective. It may be couched in irony and satire, but one of the primary ways that other dangerous political groups like white supremacists and fascists spread their message is through the veil of humor. By focusing on the ridiculous, they lower people’s mental guard and make room to plant the seeds for harmful ideology. Leading with the absurd stops people from thinking they need to protect themselves from propaganda and makes them more amenable to other “more reasonable” political perspectives— no matter how extreme. By framing Posadas’ insanity as a genuine political perspective, these message boards momentarily shift the conversational Overton window and make ideas that would usually be considered fringe beliefs seem normal in comparison. Additionally, the thin veil of comedy allows genuine attempts to spread ideology a certain level of plausible deniability: what fails to convince people is simply a joke or poorly made meme. This plausible deniability allows things like fascism and white supremacy to be everywhere and nowhere at once, depending on how amenable audiences are to the message. Posadism, for all its absurdity, is an easy opening for extremists of any group to spread dangerous ideas and push political propaganda that would otherwise be spotted and shut down. For example, many threads exist to dubiously joke about the necessity of a violent uprising against capitalism, and some are devoted to discussing genuine alien conspiracies. These subreddits are full of people willingly exposing themselves to extremist beliefs and political propaganda in the name of humor.
For all of the humor to be found in Posadism, we must be cognizant of the fact that among the seemingly inane ramblings about extraterrestrial communists and dolphin telekinesis, there are genuine pieces of political ideology. These message boards already have a dedicated community that has been primed for extremist persuasion tactics. It is more important than ever to be aware of how propaganda moves through online spaces, and to curate our own media experiences carefully.