Twitter is going up in flames. This Fresno man enjoys pouring gasoline on the blaze

In real life, Dary Rezvani is a certified public accountant who owns an auto repair shop and enjoys playing video games, collecting sports cards and reading.

But on Twitter, the social media platform imploding in real time under Elon Musk’s stewardship, the 32-year-old Fresno native is known for his sh--posting.

In recent days, sh--posters like Rezvani had themselves a grand ol’ time. Not only at the expense of a few corporations and political figures but ultimately the world’s wealthiest billionaire.

Wikipedia defines sh--posting as “the act of using an online forum or social media page to post content that is satirical and of aggressively, ironically, and trollishly poor quality.”

Rezvani describes what he does as “online skits through text.”

Opinion

“Sh--posting is parody — that’s ultimately what it is,” he said. “The Onion would be the original sh--posters. Very believable parody. Sometimes it’s sarcasm, but basically nothing you say is serious.”

Sh--posting across the platform reached new heights (or depths, depending on your perspective) this week after Twitter started selling its verification status to anyone with $8. Previously, the blue check marks were only given to elected officials, celebrities, corporations and, yes, journalists.

What happened next was entirely predictable to anyone of average intelligence, let alone a purported genius like Musk.

All numbers of people registered or repurposed accounts with names that closely resembled those of corporations and public figures. Including Rezvani, who renamed “a test account for jokes” @GeorgeWBushs after the former president, forked over $8 on Apple Pay and instantly received the vaunted blue check.

“Hit the side button twice and you’re George Bush,” he said, laughing.

On Wednesday evening ,Rezvani’s phony Bush account tweeted, “I miss killing Iraqis” followed by a sad face emoji and accompanied by a “gaming” tag. (Which, in the creator’s mind, added to the gag since it was inspired by a video game release that includes an Iraqi war scenario.)

Fake Bush tweet goes viral

Despite that account’s small following — about 300 followers compared with Rezvani’s primary account, which boasts nearly 11,000 — the fake Bush tweet with the blue check soon went viral. By the time Twitter suspended @GeorgeWBushs some 12 hours later, “I miss killing Iraqis” had been retweeted and liked thousands of times and was featured on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.”

“I was having a hooting hollering time” reading the responses, Rezvani said.

The fake Bush tweet had plenty of company. There was one from a parody pharmaceutical company account declaring free insulin. (The real company, Eli Lilly, subsequently saw its stock prices drop.) From a parody Pepsi account saying Coke tastes better. And from a parody Lockheed Martin account announcing the suspension of arms sales to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Proving why Musk’s attempt to recoup some of his $44 billion investment by charging users $8 for a blue check was such a terrible idea.

On Friday, Twitter reportedly paused its Blue subscription service that left the platform even more ripe for misinformation. Since Musk assumed the reins, the San Francisco-based company has laid off thousands of employees and seen a mass exodus of advertisers and users.

Rezvani isn’t going anywhere at the moment. Not when there’s so much fun to be had watching Twitter go up in flames and throwing gasoline on the fire. At least in a figurative sense.

“As a user it’s hilarious,” he said, “Things are extremely funny right now. So of course I’m going to enjoy it.”

‘Blocked by people on both sides’

Previously, Rezvani garnered a degree of Twitter fame by “ratioing” President Joe Biden, impersonating ESPN newsbreakers Adrian Wojnarowski and Adam Schefter on fake sports trades and getting threatened with legal action by the rock group Trapt.

His account, meanwhile, has been blocked by Republican and Democratic commentators and politicians alike. The list includes Tomi Lahren, Candace Owens, Christine Pelosi, Medhi Hasan and Meghan McCain.

“One of my claims to fame is that I’m blocked by people on both sides,” Rezvani said.

“To be clear, these are big accounts. My No. 1 rule is you have to make fun of people in power. Call it bullying if you want, but these are rich powerful people who I’m picking on. If they can’t take a joke, that’s kinda on them.”

Fresno political candidate-turned-Twitter sh--poster Dary Rezvani.
Fresno political candidate-turned-Twitter sh--poster Dary Rezvani.

After revealing himself as the source of the phony Bush tweet, Rezvani followed up with one saying, “My dad escaped the Iranian revolution to have a kid who sh--posts. Hope you’re proud baba!”

In online parlance, that right there is known as “good content.”

Rezvani gained much of his early Twitter following during two unsuccessful political campaigns in 2020. He ran for Congress as a Democrat opposing Devin Nunes, then shifted to a State Center Community College District board race. Neither was particularly close.

Two years later, any political aspirations have been squelched.

“The city has thoroughly rejected me, so I’m worrying about making money and taking care of my family,” Rezvani said.

“There’s absolutely nothing inspirational about any of the elected officials we have in the Central Valley,” he added. “I’ll let them continue to act like they care.”

Spoken like a true sh--poster.

Advertisement