What is a smear?

[wikiphile]

TKL has kept insisting that some individuals has been involving him in a smear campaign. A definition of a smear campaign is as follows

Definition

A smear campaign is an intentional, premeditated effort to undermine an individual's or group's reputation, credibility, and character. "m&d slinging", like negative campaigning, most often targets government officials, politicians, political candidates, and other public figures. However, private persons or groups may also become targets of smear campaigns perpetrated in schools, companies, institutions, families, and other social groups.

Smear tactics differ from normal discourse or debate in that they do not bear upon the issues or arguments in question. A smear is a simple attempt to malign a group or an individual and to attempt to undermine their credibility.

Smears often consist of ad hominem attacks in the form of unverifiable rumors and are often distortions, half-truths, or even outright lies; smear campaigns are often propagated by gossip spreading. Even when the facts behind a smear are shown to lack proper foundation, the tactic is often effective because the target's reputation is tarnished before the truth is known.

Smears are also effective in diverting attention away from the matter in question and onto the individual or group. The target of the smear is typically forced to defend his reputation rather than focus on the previous issue.

Smear tactics are considered by many to be a low, disingenuous form of discourse; they are nevertheless very common.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smear_campaign

Hence when we 'smear' TKL, we are basically saying things like

- he has enjoyed the benefits of his PAP membership and NTUC income GM post for the past 30 years
- he only came out confronting the powers to be after the Lehmann Brothers crisis in 2008
- he had a petition asking him to run for the president if 100,000 signatures are gathered that fizzled.

and so on

Are these smears? They are facts known to anybody who has read a newspaper and the going-ons in this forum lately that there is an element of truth in it.

If we are 'smearing' somebody, we basically go all out and talk about half truths and repeating them to no end to hurt the person's reputation

For example if we are to 'smear' Tonychat, we will write things like the below

- He only likes hetrosexual women
- He is a reputable forummer who loves to help out his community for the benefit of all Singaporeans
- He has done his best all his life to support his fellow Singaporeans in times of need and crisis
- He has a meaningful job and has given to various charities all his life since the age of 7
- He loves Singapore more than anything else
and so on

Hence writing half truths like this will only serve to 'smear' an individual like Tonychat and ruin his reputation. If i can make this any clearer, i will try to do so!

 

[po2wq]

...

Are these smears? ...

tink 2 truly establish whether dey r anot, nid 2 make dem undergo sum stringent smear tests ... :o

 

[kingrant]

The best person to answer this question is PAPsmear. He has been doing it for years!!! LOL..

 

[Rogue Trader]

to begin, take one of these and ..............

 

[SalahParking]

First if there is a "smear", you have to ask "smeared with what?"... Smeared with Air? or smeared with water? or smeared with perfume?
Second, a "smear campaign" must be done by a collective group of people who are known to each other and in cahoots for it to be deemed a "campaign". As the alleged smear is not done by people who are identifiable to each other, it is considered a figment of imagination and non-existent.
But what seems to be happening is a group of known people obviously rallyed around a central person to shoot accusations, threats, and "smear" totally anonymous ghostly internet nics. In conclusion, they are "smearing" themselves and causing more discredit to themselves as they go along. What's worse is that they are a group of known individuals who were rallyed together in hong lim park.

 

[Lian9]

how about PAP SMEAR?

 

[maja06]

"My supporter told me that a few people who are attacking me online are TCB supporters and are working as a group. I communicate TCB aide, and he told me that TCB has told his supporters to act honorably"

To continually raise the opponent's name despite no evidence to prove a connection. Now, who's smearing?