Somebody should research why people fall for obviously-fake parody news stories.

It’d be useful if we could figure out why, and maybe set up some kind of counter-programming.  Because, seriously: people simply DO NOT, say, refuse to go onto airplanes anymore because the pilot is black.  If you’re the kind of person who uncritically believes that sort of thing about the Left, you’re at best a goofball.

Moe Lane

…PS Ooh, let me forestall a troll or two: every four years I fall for a story about election-themed violence.  Because, you know, I’m a goofball* like that.  Although I still say that an actual police report should be exculpatory…

*Annoying, isn’t it? – I mean, that I can say things like that about myself and get away with it (obviously, this comment is directed at my lurkers).  It’s all about having self-confidence, boychiks; can’t teach it, but it’s not hard to get.  You just have to be willing to like yourself.

Ah, well, that’s where it breaks down for a lot of people. Also:





…I dunno why. My instincts tell me to put up the button. It’s not something that you can quantify.

2 thoughts on “Somebody should research why people fall for obviously-fake parody news stories.”

  1. Had a guy in the office fall for this one this morning. An immigrant, he was actually distraught, asking “Does this kind of thing really still go on?”. I pointed out that it was a joke news site and he said “Thanks for restoring my faith in humanity a little.”

    I didn’t ask where he got the link from.

  2. I had a discussion like this after the election with a female friend. She’d bought into the “Republicans are coming for your ladyparts” meme. She happily and confidently listed off a number of examples, nearly all of which had no relation with reality.
    She had a very stereotyped (and inaccurate) view of evangelicals, one that’s been actively pushed by pop culture since ’94, and so the meme played right into her biases.

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