One small thing you can do when responding to concerns like these from a friend or family member is be explicit with them that their information sources misled them intentionally—that they’re untrustworthy and their efforts to mislead people are contemptible. - ThreadSky

brianbeutler.bsky.social • 43 days ago

One small thing you can do when responding to concerns like these from a friend or family member is be explicit with them that their information sources misled them intentionally—that they’re untrustworthy and their efforts to mislead people are contemptible.

Reposted from Nick (derogatory) ✨

Whole immediate family now lives in LA. Mom has been fielding calls from folks back home (east coast) all week asking if it’s true that:

- the entire city has evacuated
- all the water is gone
- Newsom is prepared to resign
- the LAFD chief is trans
- the Hollywood sign is gone
- Elon is helping

Comments

slightreturn.bsky.social•43 days ago

The internet is wasted on most people on this planet.

decmusicology.bsky.social•43 days ago

This very much seems cut from the same information climate that produced people who firmly believe that the entire city of of Minneapolis burned to the ground in summer 2020

john-nemeth.bsky.social•43 days ago

Same information climate as Pizzagate in 2016.

eubanksengineeringresearch.com•42 days ago

And we know what happened to that dude, don’t we?

m154n7hr0p3.bsky.social•43 days ago

Unrealistic. Sorry/not sorry, your shitty friends and family need to go

mbandman.bsky.social•43 days ago

Truth is now fake news.

Only fanciful stories can be truth. If unproven, it’s the deep state hiding things.

Today’s new media world.

danmitchell.bsky.social•43 days ago

What if somebody insists that shoplifting is a huge problem and that crime is up, or that the right wing has a point about critical race theory? Just agree to disagree and just keep palling around?

mtlb.bsky.social•43 days ago

it is crazy to see this happening four months removed from Helene where I had friends in LA reaching out to me asking if it was true that FEMA helicopters were controlling the sky and all the parking lots.

smrubinstein.bsky.social•42 days ago

From experience, the problem with this is that while you can get them to agree, they then ask you what a better news source is, and none exist.

sdodecahedron.bsky.social•43 days ago

Even “reliable”
MSM sources tend to exaggerate pretty much everything. A couple of podcasters I know have recommended Ground News as a great resource, and I also recommend it. Randy Rainbow and Trae Crowder both offer discounted memberships.

jf2u.bsky.social•43 days ago

I know there can be a lot of fact resistance. I'm just wondering if it would help if, for
* social media accounts: people (post/pin) a brief factual listing of FAQ bullet points
* voicemail: have a temporary message that says such-and-such news agency is accurately reporting the situation

jf2u.bsky.social•43 days ago

And maybe... for the people who insist on sticking with their misinformation... have a line that says the recipient doesn't have time to discuss right now, but the concern is appreciated.

It wouldn't stop everyone, but it might cut down on the noise.

jf2u.bsky.social•43 days ago

I was thinking... some people who bring up the false reports... maybe those reports are all they fell they have to connect with, if they are truly concerned about the recipient's well being. Maybe the recipient could say they're willing to talk about anything else.

katyhadalittlefarm.bsky.social•43 days ago

This should be SOP.

wordgremlin.bsky.social•43 days ago

Dealt with the same thing after Hurricane Helene. Well-intentioned friends and family who were out of state parroting misinformation for a whole month. It’s exhausting when you’re having to deal with the disaster itself AND the misinfo on top of it, especially when that misinfo can impact aid.

davidandrews.bsky.social•43 days ago

Ongoing conversation with baby boomer mother:

“Look at this (on Facebook-always Facebook), it says…”

Me - ‘Mom - occupy democrats is propaganda and doesn’t help anyone, totally unreliable, etc.’

Her - “Okay - but look at this!’

Me - ‘long sigh…. Also occupy democrats… we just talked about this!’

bluefrommagioh.bsky.social•43 days ago

you'd be surprised how many locals are asking the same ??

dimension8.net•43 days ago

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are:

I'm from the D.O.G.E., and I'm here to help.

friendofdesoto.bsky.social•43 days ago

As depressing as the fires themselves, and the proliferation of disinformation as such, that people would approach most of these claims without any skepticism. (Also for the one about the LAFD chief being trans, that anyone would deem that [non-]fact all all relevant to the situation at hand.)

twizznit.bsky.social•43 days ago

I find it incredibly frustrating that the people who absorb this false information, after it has been proven to be a lie, do not themselves lose faith in their source of information. I wouldn’t need to be told if and when it happens to me.

staceyberg.bsky.social•43 days ago

@ignuit.bsky.social just posted this suggestion of a different way. Might pivot to “Mexico and Canada are sending firefighters to help”; “helicopters and air tankers are continuously dropping water on the fires as long as it’s not too windy to fly”; “some evacuation orders have been lifted.”

sadlyinredstate.bsky.social•43 days ago

Sad

herexcellency.bsky.social•43 days ago

📌

sneakynics.bsky.social•43 days ago

@brianbeutler.bsky.social a real giveaway here is that program cuts to LAFD that partially driving this narrative actually included cuts to equity & inclusion and Human Resources programs and personnel. There are fair criticisms for local leaders… but they are not the ones coming from the right

stomachtax.bsky.social•43 days ago

Also that during the hurricane disasters this fall, Biden didn’t try to scapegoat the residents and policies of those southern states, and immediately sent them boatloads of money

aelkus.bsky.social•43 days ago

i'm sure you know this yourself, but it is also exhausting to do. you don't just have to tell them they're being misled, you have to tell them exactly why and how. it means having to be an expert on every piece of slop they've been fed, even if its something you yourself have only superficially

aelkus.bsky.social•43 days ago

followed. it is not really sustainable

aelkus.bsky.social•43 days ago

you'll often find that they don't even really *believe* per se in the things that they hear, and these conversations are just an opportunity for them to start ranting about tangentially related grievances you have to humor

neiln.bsky.social•43 days ago

Have you seen this? Reinforces your point. https://bsky.app/profile/klonick.bsky.social/post/3lc3dga3dnc26

clevertitle.bsky.social•43 days ago

This is turning out to be a good thread.

buffaloshuffle.bsky.social•43 days ago

One of the darker things I've seen is being challenged made them worse because they had to keep doubling down on the beliefs so the beliefs got more and more out there

katesellsshells.bsky.social•43 days ago

This works with people who randomly stumbled across a post with misinformation and have good faith questions. It does not work with people who intentionally drown themselves in "alternative" media. Learned that during Portland's protests.

katesellsshells.bsky.social•43 days ago

If you WANT to believe antifa is slaughtering police by the dozens and demolishing an entire city with bonfires, a pesky local contradicting you with eyewitness accounts will not matter.

terrifiedstill2024.bsky.social•43 days ago

Your responses
hopefully
No
No
Who gives a shit
Who gives a shit
Yeah, right

sarahvb.bsky.social•43 days ago

I got into an argument with someone a month ago who was enraged that “CSAM was found on Hunter Biden’s laptop and he should be going to prison, not pardoned.” I told them that it wasn’t true and they were being shown misinformation.

But this person WANTS to be misinformed. So what do I say next??

girltalk.bsky.social•43 days ago

Exactly. Save your breath and keep it moving.

astrocat.bsky.social•43 days ago

"Want to believe this is true, but it's not. You should ask yourself why you want to believe this."

greenowl.bsky.social•43 days ago

You say, "why do want to believe this is true?" Then you keep asking why questions, not about the event/conspiracy theory but about why they think that. If they switch to a contradictory position, ask them why they switched. Concentrate on their behavior only, not the topic itself or their insults.

greenowl.bsky.social•43 days ago

They will squirm, yell at you, try to change lies/topics & try to get away from you. Bc you're questioning why they behave a certain way, chose harmful views, challenging their sense of self, rather than arguing w/ the belief itself. They know it's not true, but it makes them feel better to pretend.

therealzman.bsky.social•43 days ago

Tell them to have a snack & watch a cartoon,

And Calm Down

moyler.bsky.social•43 days ago

You insult them, but use fancy words/sentence structure so it takes them a second to realize it.

therealzman.bsky.social•43 days ago

Omg!

The Sign!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

therealzman.bsky.social•43 days ago

What’s are things I never considered caring about in a natural disaster? Alex

clevertitle.bsky.social•43 days ago

Okay but heres what they'll hear-

"You're so stupid you don't even know where to get information, so inept you don't realize they're lying to you, and ultimately I have nothing but contempt for everything you believe."

Great material if the goal is to alienate and further polarization.

bwreed.bsky.social•43 days ago

People will get mad and call you an elitist if you tell them this. They're literally addicted to believing stupid-ass bullshit.

therealzman.bsky.social•43 days ago

Such an Elitist thing to say….

😂 just joking
People are Dumb

bwreed.bsky.social•43 days ago

When these guys started guzzling horse paste over the vaccines during COVID, it broke me.

therealzman.bsky.social•43 days ago

Ha, the guy next door to me got Covid three times, treated himself with Ivermectin from his animal abusing cousins farm, almost died & then publicly accused the Hospital that saved him of giving him the Ivermectin & trying to execute him with Intubation because he believed in executing liberals.😵‍💫

bwreed.bsky.social•43 days ago

I have a college friend who's a family physician in West Virginia and the hostility she got from brain-poisoned locals she was trying to help nearly killed her:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/health/doctor-burnout-west-virginia.html

therealzman.bsky.social•43 days ago

40 years old, 10” fillet knife

Saw me, took about 1 minute to process, then started chasing us down

He turned the corner and saw we had the cart turn and soup cans in hand, crocodile Dundee style, he panicked and he ran out leaving all his groceries.

I used to wear the half mask respirator

therealzman.bsky.social•43 days ago

Literally and figuratively in Northern Washington

Some guy came at me with a knife in the store 3 weeks ago because he thought me wearing a mask with a cover meant I was trying to get everyone sick

patcasey.bsky.social•43 days ago

Elon is most definitely not helping

wendythurm.bsky.social•43 days ago

I just explained, forcefully, to the NY family of the patient sharing a semi=private hospital room with my mom that I am from CA, that these fires were pushed by 100 mph winds, that there was water but high, simultaneous demand and that what they are hearing is absolute nonsense. They shut up.

legaleagle7223.bsky.social•43 days ago

Good for you, Wendy! They need to hear it.

txtbkenigma.bsky.social•43 days ago

There was a story from the early days of the Ukraine war where the mother of a man living in Ukraine was trying to convince his mom that yes, Russia was actually bombing Ukraine, but the mom didn't believe it was true.

This feels a lot like that.

fenbeast.bsky.social•43 days ago

I got an inquiry from a relative in the Philippines who read a story claiming that US states were reinstating mask mandates for a “quad-demic” of COVID, bird flu, norovirus, and monkeypox. I told her exactly that: it’s misinformation, don’t trust that source.

stiffelman.bsky.social•43 days ago

Especially that last one.

punkassjbrewster.bsky.social•43 days ago

Yeah but use small words.

digitjones.bsky.social•43 days ago

That doesn’t work or we wouldn’t be where we are today.

sempersupra.bsky.social•43 days ago

Happy to see a number of articles in this morning’s LA Times (online & in print) calling out the political hackery surrounding this disaster.

Agree with also letting loved ones know they are being intentionally lied to!

unremembered80s.bsky.social•43 days ago

A phrase I've had some success with is "the people who are telling you to say that are lying to you because they think you're stupid."

joadsprocket.bsky.social•43 days ago

I find "stop letting them lie to you" gets through

jefflevi.bsky.social•43 days ago

Agree totally on your take—

None of what was mentioned is true. I live in LA…and can assure you it is 100% false BS, sorry…

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