this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024
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Storms Helene and Milton have triggered rise of misinformation stoked by Trump and fellow Republicans

Meteorologists tracking the advance of Hurricane Milton have been targeted by a deluge of conspiracy theories that they were controlling the weather, abuse and even death threats, amid what they say is an unprecedented surge in misinformation as two major hurricanes have hit the US.

A series of falsehoods and threats have swirled in the two weeks since Hurricane Helene tore through six states causing several hundred deaths, followed by Milton crashing into Florida on Wednesday.

The extent of the misinformation, which has been stoked by Donald Trump and his followers, has been such that it has stymied the ability to help hurricane-hit communities, according to the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).


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[–] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 254 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

This is what you get when you systematically sabotage and gut the educational system: Crazy idiots.

[–] ChocoboRocket@lemmy.world 173 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (5 children)

Killing education is definitely a big part of it, but controlling every news source in huge areas and pumping outright lies and disinformation 24/7 can eventually break down anyone living in that environment.

These people desperately cling to hierarchy. Bad people go to jail, good people don't.

These people never hear about Trump being bad, and only see him slip though the law effortlessly.

All they see is Trump being innocent and not getting in trouble at all, ever, for anything. Half of all politics and nearly all Media hide or obfuscate Trump's insanity and incompetence.

So many voters see a president everyone they know and talk to adores, getting dragged by Democrats to no effect.

"If he was guilty he'd be in Jail, but since he's not in jail Democrats must be liars and everything Republicans say about him is true."

Easy, thoughtless conclusions that reinforce their worldview and solidify them as supremely correct.

Now, they'll certainly move the goalposts once he is in Jail, because they will also never admit they were wrong about anything because if they're wrong about Trump, they're wrong about their entire worldview and that's something they are not mentally able to do.

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 42 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Yet they're the same group that will accuse Russia, China and a whole bunch of other countries of lying to their citizens and controlling them with propaganda.

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 46 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

There's a long history of Americans and other Westerners thinking it's all those other countries that do propaganda. Meanwhile, the less propaganda you see, the more effectively the propaganda is working on you. Americans are some of the most propagandized people in the world.

[–] djsoren19@yiffit.net 10 points 3 weeks ago

No, the same group will praise Russia for being strong and their citizens being in line, and will say something incredibly racist about China. These people aren't informed enough to have opinions about the police-states of other countries, and the talking heads at Fox News don't vomit one into their mouths.

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[–] LillyPip@lemmy.ca 18 points 3 weeks ago

The damage Rupert Murdoch did to public discourse and society in general – not just in the US, but in the UK, Australia, and elsewhere – will take generations to recover from. That man was a cancer on all of us, and it seems his son is happily taking up the mantle.

[–] karashta@lemm.ee 12 points 3 weeks ago

It's sad how true this rings.

And I'm not sure how much other people understand about how thick the bubble is that they've been submerged into.

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[–] oxjox@lemmy.ml 22 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Nah. That's bullshit. You don't have to be a high school graduate to discern fact from fiction here. The issue is much deeper and broader. Anything the government does, the Democrat government does, is bad because they're out for you. You need to dig deeper in to why these people are falling prey to the brainwashing of the far right extremism and conspiracy theories. A lot of these people are very well educated. Fear of the unknown is far more powerful than a college degree. I'm not knowledgable enough on the subject but I'm sure a handful of books have been written about how people fell for Hitler's regime.

[–] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 32 points 3 weeks ago (9 children)

The gutting of the educational system is part of the far right extremism you're describing: This is a systematic effort.

Being educated does not make you immune from propaganda (especially if your education was not quality in the first place) but giving everyone a quality education that teaches, among other things, critical thinking, absolutely does make people more resistant to disinformation.

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[–] explodes@lemmy.world 137 points 3 weeks ago

Everything is a conspiracy when you don't know how anything works.

[–] Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world 117 points 3 weeks ago (11 children)

-Conservatives hate FEMA and want it dismantled.

-Conservatives hate the National Weather Service and want it dismantled.

-Conservatives hate climate science and want it to be silenced.

-Conservatives now also hate meteorologists.

How 'bout we compromise. Let conservative states be opted out of all of these things by default. Bundle these services into an opt-in government program called "Obama and Hillary's Woke Weather Service". They can opt in by calling 1-800-4 Pelosi. If all this stuff is just woke liberal propaganda, then they shouldn't mind this at all. They should be thrilled.

Let them find out about storms and let them deal with those storms without all of our woke liberal interference. Let them pray and let their God sort them out. In this way, they get everything they are demanding so they can stop whining like a bunch of little bitches all the time. When they have disasters, we can save some of our hard-earned money and just toss them a roll of paper towels like their dear leader likes to do.

[–] psoul@lemmy.world 23 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Honestly it would be funny to see Biden do some of this. He only has a few months left and can do whatever because of the supreme court. He could just go on TV an be like: “You know what? The conspiracies are true. We’re gonna turn off the doppler radars in southern states. No more flying. No more weather forecast. We’re going to ban farm laborers to come harvest your crops. The unpredicted weather is gonna ruin the crops anyways. We’re going to stop FEMA from giving aid in your republican states. Communism is unacceptable. We’re gonna ban fossil fuel in the south because that drives the weather crazy. No more cars. Enjoy the 1800s. Bye”

[–] BalooWasWahoo@links.hackliberty.org 24 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

can do whatever because of the supreme court

No he can't, because he's biden/democrat. The supreme court made it particularly clear that they get to be the arbiters of what is allowed. They are going to allow everything if the president is republican, and deny everything otherwise.

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[–] lanolinoil@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Hey -- I live here and can move but a lot of people are impoverished and can't. Feels wrong to collectively turn the back to them

[–] ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago

To those who disagree with the above:

  • Moving is damn expensive.
  • Don't forget that the Republicans are working hard to prevent legitimate voters from voting, namely anyone who is more likely to support NOAA, NHC, climate science, education, FEMA, etc.
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[–] andrewta@lemmy.world 74 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

If you live in the south east and you are repeating conspiracy theories about the hurricane. May you rot in hell.

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 48 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

If you ~~live in the south east and you~~ are repeating conspiracy theories ~~about the hurricane~~. May you rot in hell.

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[–] MisterFrog@lemmy.world 52 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

This is absolutely baffling being from practically any other English speaking country.

I mean, we have our share of crazies, but they're a tiny proportion.

It's one thing to doubt the well established climate science (very frustrating), but it's another thing to actually believe humans can precisely control the weather.

It's extremely troubling knowing these people exist, and can vote in the most powerful country on earth.

😬

Something, something if you believe in things without evidence (religion) it's not actually that surprising. And we (Australia) are much less religious than you. Though, this is certainly my bias talking.

[–] oyo@lemm.ee 38 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This is relatively unique to the US because there IS a conspiracy. And it's orchestrated by an unorganized, disconnected cabal of wealthy elite... conservatives, who have for decades advanced a remarkable campaign of anti-intellectualism. The noted scholar Donald J. Trump eloquently described their aims when he spoke about how they "love the uneducated."

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 30 points 3 weeks ago

The Heritage Foundation is anything but unorganized.

[–] Zink@programming.dev 15 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Even being in the US, it is just as baffling, yet it is also somehow completely believable because some of us get to see it up close.

It’s insane knee-jerk team sports by people who tend to not get affected by certain social issues.

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[–] Rapidcreek@lemmy.world 51 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Death threats to meteorologists - as one does.

Does anyone but me think that's simply insane?

[–] Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 18 points 3 weeks ago

I thought I was past being shocked by things like this, but it still shocked me,

We are experiencing a bizarre confluence of terrible things. Large numbers of people have checked out from reality, which is bad. Meanwhile, more and more people are willing to resort to extreme violence toward anyone who disagrees with them, which is worse. The combination is incredibly destructive.

[–] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago
[–] jettrscga@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago

Of course it's insane! To threaten these absolute gods who wield the power of nature (and also accept part time work explaining their plots on television.)

Is their plan to shoot someone who can summon hurricanes?

[–] style99@lemm.ee 43 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I see the Kremlin has been hard at work, spreading chaos just before the election, the same way they do every time.

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 23 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

The Kremlin may have had to work hard in 2015-2016, but I bet they don't need to work so hard now that MAGA has become self-sustaining. No doubt they're doing their bit, but these days they have more help than ever from inside the USA.

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 35 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)
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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 35 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

What's going to happen if (when?) a meteorologist actually gets murdered over this?

If I were a meteorologist, I would refuse to go on the air after that. Could you blame any of them for wanting to preserve their own lies? Which will inevitably lead to more people getting killed in weather events.

This is so fucked up.

[–] FaceDeer@fedia.io 44 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

It's anti-vaxx all over again. I knew these people were insane and stupid, but still, "anti-meteorology" wasn't on my bingo card.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 26 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Except worse, because I know some meteorologists from my time working in local TV. Doctors get into medicine much of the time because they want to help people. In my experience, meteorologists get into it because they think the weather is really fucking cool and they love telling people about it. That's a much smaller incentive to keep doing what you do when your life could be in danger. At that point, and again I'm just speaking for me, meteorology would become a hobby.

[–] macarthur_park@lemmy.world 25 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This has already played out exactly as you’re predicting: The Weatherman Who Tried to Bring Climate Science to a Red State

In 2021, Chris Gloninger, a television weatherman in Boston with a passion for climate science, was approached with an intriguing prospect. Would he consider a job as chief meteorologist at a television station in Des Moines?

It was a smaller market, and talk of global warming would be challenging in a politically conservative state. But research from 2020 showed that most Iowans were interested in news about climate change, and the state was a leader in wind energy. Mr. Gloninger’s weather forecasts could be a breakthrough.

He quit after death threats.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 20 points 3 weeks ago

And that's just threats. If/when one gets murdered, it won't matter if it's a red state or a blue state. They'll all consider their lives at risk. In an occupation that, unless you're a storm chaser, is not one where the person doing it thinks is going to be an issue.

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[–] irotsoma@lemmy.world 30 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I just saw someone on Facebook saying the aurora being bigger than usual was caused by the weather radars.

I mean ignoring the fact that the aurora has gone through phases for all of recorded history, the amount of energy it would take to generate that is enormous. Do they think we've launched a bunch of nuclear power plants into orbit to power these things? Or maybe the giant nuclear power plant in the sky might be the real reason?

No, they just don't understand the scale of things because they're used to their small town thinking. Just like they don't understand how much a billion dollars is and why one persons shouldn't be allowed to have that much while others have none.

[–] bleistift2@sopuli.xyz 24 points 3 weeks ago

Do they think

no.

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[–] kn0wmad1c@programming.dev 26 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Why is Trump allowed to keep spreading this unethical horseshit?

[–] GhostFaceSkrilla@lemmy.world 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The rulers welcome any culture war distractions to take the masses' eyes off the ongoing class war we have been losing for generations.

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[–] HomerianSymphony@lemmy.world 25 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

If Milton had stayed Cat 5, this could have been a self-solving problem.

[–] ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Except not all the idiots lived in the path of Milton, or even where hurricanes go at all. I can't explain why the presence of hurricanes has become yet another idiotic political issue, but the MAGA morons are latching on to it.

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[–] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 23 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm a Republican who Does Her Own Research and it's OBVIOUS that these WEATHERMEN are causing our Problems and NOT the Billionaires who gave our Supreme Court Justices MILLIONS in Gifts and Vacations! All this Pollution IS LEGAL!

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[–] Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 3 weeks ago

I don’t want to live on this planet - in this star system anymore.

[–] gargamel@leminal.space 20 points 3 weeks ago

When reality is too hard these people will always make up a new one and retreat into conspiracies to help them cope.

What, you want us to help save the planet? But that would mean some sacrifices... No, the hurricanes are caused by the libruls and their evil weather machines, not us. Next. Meteorologists are just the scapegoats in their collective delusions.

[–] fubarx@lemmy.ml 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Doesn't the Noah's Ark story involve some sort of bad weather?

[–] qisope@lemmy.world 20 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

that's the one about when the good, honest people of the world had to survive the liberal weather machine created by NOAA, right?

[–] teft@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

NOAA's Ark or Noah's HAARP?

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[–] uis@lemm.ee 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Is... is american dream is being as dumb as possible?

No healthcare, no welfare, no higher education. But I thought you had at least schools there.

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[–] CynicusRex@slrpnk.net 11 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

I work at a meteorological institute in Europe and we also get phonecalls from angry imbeciles insulting the meteorologists.

My passion for science and curiosity peaked when I got the job. Now I realise everything is a pipe dream if we do not revolutionise education into something that makes more decent philosophers of us all.

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