This blog is going on 18 years old.
In that time, I’ve written a lot of things, in a lot of styles; reporting, fiction, analysis, history, and a whole lot more.
And, oh yeah, satire. Lots and lots of satire.
And I’ve found the “hard” way (not that hard; there were few real consequences, knock wood) that a lot of people just. Don’t. Get. Satire. At. All.
Combine human bovinity with tribalism, and you’ve got…
…well, Snopes.
The once-respected fact-checking site has beclowned itself a few times in “fact-checking” “news stories” from the likes of the Onion and Babylon Bee. It was easy to chalk it up to not-very-bright “fact-checkers”.
But then it became all weaponized”
In 2018, after Snopes fact-checked a Bee article titled “CNN Purchases Industrial-Sized Washing Machine to Spin News Before Publication” (no, really), Facebook warned the Bee that it could be penalized with reduced distribution and demonetization. Facebook later apologized for its warning.
And last week Snopes escalated its attack. It fact-checked an article called “Georgia Lawmaker Claims Chick-Fil-A Employee Told Her To Go Back To Her Country, Later Clarifies He Actually Said ‘My Pleasure.’” But rather than merely noting that the story was clearly satire from a known satire site, it launched an attack on the Bee’s motives and methods.
In its original fact-check, it questioned whether the article was satire, accusing the Bee of “fanning the flames of a controversy” and “muddying the details of a news story.” It posted a misleading and incomplete summary of the ridiculous Erica Thomas incident in Georgia (where a black Georgia lawmaker accused a fellow Publix customer of telling her to “go back” where she came from and then walked back her accusation) and then called the Bee article a “ruse” and an “apparent attempt to maximize the online indignation.”
It bears repeating that the Bee is obvious satire. Obvious.
This isn’t about would-be “journalists” with no sense of humor. This is about stifling – “deplatforming”, the kids call it today – one of civil dissent’s most powerful weapons – cutting humor.
In other news, Snopes has determined that Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” has completely misrepresented the position of Democrats by suggesting they are in favor of eating children, rather than just killing them.
Snopes hard and fast fall from grace has been nothing short of hilarious, and just further proves the point the leftists have zero sense of humor. I mean its not like one of those ones the Bee does sometimes that dont seem out of the realm of being possible (A notable one of Googles automated cars hunting down people wearing MAGA hats, that seems more credible) but the one they fact checked, JFC. You really cant make it up anymore.
This is so odd. 300 lb., blond Negro women *never* make false accusations. Every time I see one on Cops they are speaking truth to power in nothing but the most respectful way, calmly and succinctly relating the facts, and nothing but the facts.
This is fake news….gotta be.
Huh. Although her Wiki page says she “studied at” Oakwood University , no corroboration of that can be found, not even on her Bio page.
http://www.house.ga.gov/Documents/Biographies/thomasErica.pdf
But her bio page does speak to her many accomplishments outside academia. Let us enumerate them:
In 2013, Rep. Thomas was awarded the Ambassador for Peace Award from the Global Peace Foundation. [Founded by Hyun Jin Moon…Yup, Sun Yung’s son.]
She has also worked to establish libraries in various locations in Africa.
[A noble cause, I’m sure. But $10 says none of those locations lacked a 4 star hotel, and someone else paid for those and the airfare.]
Thomas has was awarded the 100 Black Men of America’s Image award.
[Yes, the fact that she’s on her second child, with no husband in sight confirms she’s very popular with Negro gentlemen.]
Who’s Who of Atlanta Most Influential
[No reference found]
TV One’s Triumph Award through the National Action Network founded by The Rev. Al Sharpton.
[No comment]
Additionally, she is the co-founder of Young Professionals of Cobb County.
[No mention of her… https://www.cobbchamber.org/Member-Services/Cobb-Young-Professionals.aspx%5D
As she is soaring through life, Rep. Thomas is currently in flight school and is ranked as a Major in the United States Air Force Civil Air Patrol
[Completely volunteer…you don’t even need to be a pilot!]
And there you have it. A young, Negro woman, and baby mama, making the world a better place.
Moderated because I had to cite several sources with links.
It is a truism that no one really wants to write or publish a “fact check” column. This is because facts are pretty obvious, or are, at least, easily discovered and are easy to cite.
What people want to write and publish are opinion columns labeled as a “fact checks.”
This is what Snopes does. This is what Kessler (& his lovely assistant) do at WaPo. This is what Politifact does.
SNOPES FACT-CHECKS SNOPES AND FINDS ITSELF “MOSTLY FALSE”
“Many of our writers were confused by a fact-check process that altered some key details,” a Snopes editor explained.
Ran across this Vox article this evening: “Political tension at Google is only getting worse.”
https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/8/2/20751822/google-employee-dissent-james-damore-cernekee-conservatives-bias
Being, Vox, it has an open, far-left, bourgeois bias. The article was written by some being, apparently identifying itself with female pronouns, calling itself “Shiron Ghaffary.”
“Ghaffary” makes this absurd claim (one among many): “There is no evidence that Google, Facebook, or any other major tech company is biased against conservative employees or conservative content.”
It’s an absurd claim because you shouldn’t lump together bias against employees and biased content. They are different things. Also, there is no evidence of bias (or lack of bias) because the management of Google employees and Google’s management of its search algorithm are secrets, protected by NDA’s and copyright. Without access to personnel deliberations and the details of the design of its search algorithm, it is impossible to “prove” that Google is biased against conservatives. A professional reporter would have noted this. “Ghaffary” does not.
Epistemic closure is an ugly thing to behold.
Swiftee, I was named in some Who’s Who. I can’t remember exactly which one. IT was an opportunity to purchase their book, with your name in it, showing you as someone who was named Who’s Who.
Entirely a money grab that borders on a scam, except, AFAIK they do send you the book.