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Comment by paulcole | Hacker News Reader

Me in 2090 BC, “Seems like people keep retelling this Gilgamesh tale and embellishing it each time! I’m really smart so it must people trying to convince me to buy something.”

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Why would the Epic of Gilgamesh want to sell you something? In contrast this Sriracha story clearly does want to sell you something. If you want to use an analogy at least use one that makes sense.

You think this Sriracha story wants to sell you something.

Yes, the fact that I can even think so makes a case that it's possible to astroturf it. The same cannot be said of a folk tale, unless somehow it had its own interstitial ads between every chapter.

People sell things by telling stories. Sometimes those stories are interstitial ads and sometimes they are not.

If you can't tell the difference between an ancient poem and an astroturfing reddit post then I'm not sure how to convince you there is one.

It was all about Shamhat's OnlyFans clay tablet.

The point of heroic tales such as Gilgamesh was to draw tribute and sacrifices to the temple of Ishtar. The analogy makes perfect sense.

Maybe that's a post facto rationalized reason, as I'm sure it did draw in more tributes, but that's like saying folk tales across the world's sole purpose is to have sacrifices when in reality people just like making up and telling stories. It's like saying the apostles of Christ only spread his message to raise money for the Catholic Church, no doubt that was a side effect but it wasn't the "point" by any means, especially early on where there was no church.

> Maybe that's a post facto rationalized reason

Isn't this what you're doing with the idea that the Sri Racha story is obviously meant to sell?

One is plausible as the primary reason, with documented instances of it happening, as I had linked before, while the other is mere conjecture.

Because astroturfing on reddit exists doesn't mean that this is plausibly astroturfing. Any post on reddit about any business could be plausibly astroturfing by that logic.

Correct, that is what plausible means in this case, especially as we have evidence of them doing so, even in this very thread.

So it's plausible to think that you're astroturfing here to hurt the reputation of Reddit?

Because people have made posts on social media sites like HN in the past in an effort to change public perception of companies, right?

Sure, you can think that. Why do you think I'd deny my own chain of logic, just because it doesn't suit my current purpose? That's philosophical inconsistency which is not good for sound argumentation.

Surely you wouldnt disagree with it since you’re known for sound argumentation and philosophical consistency.

I see, looks like you aren't interested in actually debating, being sarcastic and calling positions ridiculous when you cannot justify your own. Have a good day.

Yes I can see why that POV is appealing when you’ve backed yourself into a corner.

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