Can't make this (stuff) up

[Vrede too]

A decent breakdown of all things real and fake news.

Full size

I'm on a zillion lefty lists and have never even heard of the "sources" in the lower left circle. In contrast, the "sources" in the lower right circle are routinely cited by cons as authoritative. I guess lefties have higher standards and greater rational skepticism.

I've seen each of the lower-left sites - except maybe for the (something) Report one - cited.

But especially NaturalNews.com. When I used to debunk on Reddit it got cited all the time. It really is the InfoWars of the left. Like InfoWars or Breitbart, it's BS would quickly get repeated on a hundred other sites. Some claims - in particular one story claiming that most honey in stores isn't real - used to show up on more credible sites until they caught on.

Wikipedia: Natural News

Why is it considered lefty? My experience is that health wingnuts can be right or left and the Wiki page doesn't mention anything besides health wingnuttery.

"Natural News has approximately 7 million unique visitors per month." Ugh.

That's the nature of any left-right spectrum; it's more of a loop. The extremes start looking alike, meeting somewhere around back.

Much of the "North American Union" / "Amero" and 9/11 wingnuttery on InfoWars also appealed to the left.

I think some things exist outside of the left-right spectrum/loop. Health wingnuttery is often one of them, animal rights (as opposed to environmentalism) is another.

Speaking of the rightwing's InfoWars (lower right circle):

7 More Viral Photos That Are Totally Fake



6) Is this Hillary Clinton looking extremely ill?

Throughout the election campaign, there were countless fake photos circulated online. And none were more popular than fake photos of Hillary Clinton. This photo, as just one example from the conspiracy theory site InfoWars, is totally fake.

As Brendan Karet points out on Twitter, the photo of a haggard looking Clinton was manipulated by InfoWars, which then published the doctored photo. The real photo was published in the Wall Street Journal in 2015.



Obviously InfoWars is a garbage site that traffics in ridiculous conspiracy theories—like the idea that the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012 that left 20 children and 6 adults dead was actually staged by the government. But sadly we can’t just laugh them off. The president-elect Donald Trump is a fan and has said that Alex Jones is “amazing.”

“Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down,” Trump told Alex Jones in December of 2015.

[Mr.B]

I talked to a to a homeless man this morning and asked him how he ended up this way.
He said, "Up until last week, I still had it all. I had plenty to eat, my clothes were washed and pressed,
I had a roof over my head, I had TV and Internet, and I went to the gym, the pool, and the library.
I was working on my MBA on-line. I had no bills and no debt. I even had full medical coverage."

I felt sorry for him, so I asked, "What happened? Drugs? Alcohol? Divorce?"
"Oh no, nothing like that," he said. "I was paroled."

[Vrede too]

I think some things exist outside of the left-right spectrum/loop. Health wingnuttery is often one of them, animal rights (as opposed to environmentalism) is another....

9/11 troofing, too.

[Mr.B]

k9nanney mentioned "our last desperate stand".....

Just think; any of these could be tomorrow's leaders... <shudder>

"I major in government and international policy"..

[JTA]

k9nanney mentioned "our last desperate stand".....

Just think; any of these could be tomorrow's leaders... <shudder>

"I major in government and international policy"..

I wonder how many people were interviewed before they found 7 or 8 dumb ones to show in their video to make us all feel aghast at the incredible dopiness of Americans.

But for real, the older I get the more I catch myself doing the same.

"Man, kids are incredibly dumb what is happening!"

But then I remember my days of working with the public, and remember old folk are just as dumb as the kids in that video, only what makes them even more frightening is their steadfastness in their ignorance and refusal to even listen to reason because "this is the way things have always been done, and society is on a slow and steady course toward degenerency, and I KNOW it!!!"

[Vrede too]

I wonder how many people were interviewed before they found 7 or 8 dumb ones ...

But then I remember my days of working with the public, and remember old folk are just as dumb as the kids in that video ...

For example, old folk that:
Don't know that "many people were interviewed before they found 7 or 8 dumb ones to show in their video".
Didn't notice that few were asked both male pol photo questions, suggesting that correct answers were eliminated.
Don't know that Kim K. has more face exposure than Biden, just as a mid-1980s celebrity had more face exposure than Daddy Bush.
Think that IDing a long dead POTUS from 30 years ago is an indicator of dumb.
Didn't notice that apparently only one of the entire bunch got the Hillary opponent wrong.
Don't check to see that their "credible" source is laughably an Alex Jones organ.

By the evidence at hand America was dumbed down long ago.

[Mr.B]

"I wonder how many people were interviewed before they found 7 or 8 dumb ones to show in their video to make us all feel aghast at the incredible dopiness of Americans."
Yeah, you have to take these videos with a grain of salt; I'm sure most are staged, or else real dummies wouldn't allow themselves to be made a spectacle of. Still ... they're funny and have a sobering message.

"But for real, the older I get the more I catch myself doing the same."
Generally, the problem with growing older is knowing who they are, but can't call out the name.

"Man, kids are incredibly dumb what is happening!"
Unfortunately, a lot of the video's subject matter is true; for example, kids don't have to know cursive writing, as well as most basic math skills we had to learn. The computer has replaced and/or destroyed numerous things that once were commonplace in our lives; but computers don't teach courtesy, manners, respect for others, or how to love and have compassion. Those traits have to be taught at home, providing a home has someone there to teach them ... Computers in classrooms have all but replaced teachers...I'm sure that day is coming.

"But then I remember my days of working with the public, and remember old folk are just as dumb as the kids in that video, only what makes them even more frightening is their steadfastness in their ignorance and refusal to even listen to reason because "this is the way things have always been done, and society is on a slow and steady course toward degeneracy, and I KNOW it!!!"
With older folks, it's not as much as being 'dumb' as it is 'been there, forgot that'. Being unable to remember is highly frustrating, angering, and leads to argumentative attitudes. I know, I worked 'with the public' over 40 years.

I could go on about the younger generation and what all I encountered, but there's no point to go further.

[O Really]

A look at a US map of election results by county is a much better graphic of how much the US is dumbed down. It would interesting to see the relationship between the red counties and (a) education level and graduation rate; (b) support for common educational standards; and (c) support for home schooling and charter schools.

[Vrede too]

What would a map of Bernie vs. Hillary election results by county show?

[JTA]

"I wonder how many people were interviewed before they found 7 or 8 dumb ones to show in their video to make us all feel aghast at the incredible dopiness of Americans."
Yeah, you have to take these videos with a grain of salt; I'm sure most are staged, or else real dummies wouldn't allow themselves to be made a spectacle of. Still ... they're funny and have a sobering message.

"But for real, the older I get the more I catch myself doing the same."
Generally, the problem with growing older is knowing who they are, but can't call out the name.

"Man, kids are incredibly dumb what is happening!"
Unfortunately, a lot of the video's subject matter is true; for example, kids don't have to know cursive writing, as well as most basic math skills we had to learn. The computer has replaced and/or destroyed numerous things that once were commonplace in our lives; but computers don't teach courtesy, manners, respect for others, or how to love and have compassion. Those traits have to be taught at home, providing a home has someone there to teach them ... Computers in classrooms have all but replaced teachers...I'm sure that day is coming.

"But then I remember my days of working with the public, and remember old folk are just as dumb as the kids in that video, only what makes them even more frightening is their steadfastness in their ignorance and refusal to even listen to reason because "this is the way things have always been done, and society is on a slow and steady course toward degeneracy, and I KNOW it!!!"
With older folks, it's not as much as being 'dumb' as it is 'been there, forgot that'. Being unable to remember is highly frustrating, angering, and leads to argumentative attitudes. I know, I worked 'with the public' over 40 years.

I could go on about the younger generation and what all I encountered, but there's no point to go further.

One thing I do find amusing with being on social media is watching my peers go through the transition of first idolizing the past, and then transitioning onto the "kids these days" trope after they've had children of their own.

For example - The only reason my peers and I like the incredibly mediocre and absolutely predictable "90's rock" genre is because thats what we grew up with, and it brings back good memories of our youth. It's not because it's objectively better (it's fucking music, unless it's some fancy pants classical with measurable qualities, if that's even possible I guess, it's all purely subjective). 90's rock is not that good. Amon Amarth though they kill all competition.

[O Really]

What would a map of Bernie vs. Hillary election results by county show?

Dunno, but it probably wouldn't be differed along education-related lines.

[JTA]

Also, the older I get the more mad I get when technology doesn't work. Ain't nobody got time for that!

[Vrede too]

What would a map of Bernie vs. Hillary election results by county show?

Dunno, but it probably wouldn't be differed along education-related lines.

Could be, though usually it does one way or the other. Based on the eventual outcome, though . . .

[Vrede too]

Yeah, you have to take these videos with a grain of salt; I'm sure most are staged, or else real dummies wouldn't allow themselves to be made a spectacle of. Still ... they're funny and have a sobering message.

:?: :?: :?: What "sobering message" is there if they're "staged", "you have to take these videos with a grain of salt", what's shown in manipulated to create a predetermined message and/or Alex Jones is the source?

Unfortunately, a lot of the video's subject matter is true;

Except that it isn't, as has been described by JTA, me and you in this very post before contradicting yourself.

for example, kids don't have to know cursive writing,

I stopped using it in elementary school. Doing so has never harmed me in any way.

as well as most basic math skills we had to learn.

That's just differing education and has nothing to with "dumb". Many kids no how to do things relevant to current life better than I do.

The computer has replaced and/or destroyed numerous things that once were commonplace in our lives; but computers don't teach courtesy, manners, respect for others, or how to love and have compassion. Those traits have to be taught at home, providing a home has someone there to teach them ...

Clearly that aspect of education utterly failed in your case. Otoh, all polls of youth show that they far exceed you on those things, bitter old bigoted Mr.B.

[rstrong]

..but computers don't teach courtesy, manners, respect for others, or how to love and have compassion.

Nor do they prevent courtesy, manners, and respect for others. If you're a misogynistic bigoted hypocrite with a computer, you're one without it.

[O Really]

What would a map of Bernie vs. Hillary election results by county show?

Dunno, but it probably wouldn't be differed along education-related lines.

Could be, though usually it does one way or the other. Based on the eventual outcome, though . . .

I don't have a county breakdown, but voter profiles seem to show it's more age than any other single factor. Unlike the Trumpettes for whom education (or lack thereof) was statistically significant in every analysis. Not everyone who votes Republican is poorly educated, but poorly educated people vote Republican - generally against their own economic interests. Jingoistic racism sells.

[Vrede too]

I did a brief search but couldn't find a breakdown of the Democratic Party presidential primaries by education. I'll bet it's out there, though.

Nonwhites also swung to Hillary in large numbers. In general, sadly, they are less educated than whites, but that says little about intelligence. And, it could theoretically be that educated whites swung more towards Hillary, thus balancing out the overall education results. I don't know.

It doesn't matter at this point. I was just teasing you over it turning out that Bernie probably would have been the smarter choice.

[Vrede too]

..but computers don't teach courtesy, manners, respect for others, or how to love and have compassion.

Nor do they prevent courtesy, manners, and respect for others. If you're a misogynistic bigoted hypocrite with a computer, you're one without it.

One difference - Computers and their relative anonymity give misogynistic bigoted hypocrites with a computer a forum that they mostly don't have in decent society, right Mr.B?

[Mr.B]

"The computer has replaced and/or destroyed numerous things that once were commonplace in our lives; but computers don't teach courtesy, manners, respect for others, or how to love and have compassion. Those traits have to be taught at home, providing a home has someone there to teach them ..."

"Clearly that aspect of education utterly failed in your case."
Pot calls kettle black. Your traits obviously were not self taught; like all kids, mimicry is learned. Now, who failed who?

"Otoh, all polls of youth show that they far exceed you on those things, bitter old bigoted Mr.B."
That's what your condescending, narcissistic, nature is saying. We know you just can't help belittling others; it's in your genes.

[Mr.B]

..but computers don't teach courtesy, manners, respect for others, or how to love and have compassion.

Nor do they prevent courtesy, manners, and respect for others. If you're a misogynistic bigoted hypocrite with a computer, you're one without it.

"One difference - Computers and their relative anonymity give misogynistic bigoted hypocrites with a computer a forum that they mostly don't have in decent society, right Mr.B?"

I'm afraid you two have got me beaten in that area.
You're far more superior to me when it comes to hiding behind your keyboards while running your mouth degrading others.