• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Adele moved to tears by man holding up a picture of his wife at her concert
  • Marc Jacobs admitted facelift to stop people talking s***
  • Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search

Furries and fakes: Debunked myth litters US midterm campaign

Towleroad October 21, 2022 Leave a Comment

Published by
AFP
649171 origin 1
Early voting for the US midterms, which have featured bizarre fake claims that some schools are stocking boxes of cat litter for students who identify as animals

Washington (AFP) – Conspiracy-embracing candidates in the US midterm election have courted mockery by repeating a debunked myth about schools pandering to students who identify as cats, but analysts say the strategy is calculated, serious — and effective.

At least 20 conservative candidates, including several elected Republicans, have claimed that some schools are stocking boxes of cat litter for students who identify as animals, according to a compilation of public statements by NBC News.

It is what some observers call zombie misinformation — falsehoods that resurface after being repeatedly knocked down by fact checkers and, in this case, schools and even one Republican lawmaker who apologized and retracted his statement in March after spouting the claim.

The wave of misinformation in the midterm campaign comes amid wider culture wars in the United States over transgender rights and “woke” schools educating children about gender identity — issues known to resonate strongly with conservative voters.

“The legislators who continue to parrot these debunked stories are most likely doing so because they believe doing so is politically expedient, regardless of whether they believe it or not,” Joshua A. Tucker, professor of politics and co-director of the New York University’s Center for Social Media and Politics, told AFP.

“And as long as we’re in a period of time where identity and culture are such salient political cleavages in US society, we are going to continue to see politicians latching on to outlandish claims to demonstrate what side they are on in the culture wars.”

‘Electoral incentive’

There is a “clear electoral incentive” for conservative politicians to suggest that they believe this misinformation, said Matthew Motta, an assistant professor at Boston University School of Public Health.

“Political science research suggests that culture war issues like these (LGBT rights and ‘woke’ politics) are relatively easy for voters to grasp,” Motta told AFP.

“Republican politicians may circulate misinformation like this in order to try to improve their electoral standing.”

The subculture of furries refers to people who dress up or roleplay as animal characters. Activists see the hoax about furries and cat litter as part of a broad conservative backlash against LGBTQ students and public schools that support their rights. 

Conservative politicians have long been accused of amplifying false narratives — from former president Donald Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen to Covid-19 misinformation and the QAnon conspiracy theory.

The rise of misinformation, particularly around elections, illustrates the potency of false narratives in a deeply divided nation that can be spun into viral political discourses.

One analysis of congressional candidates’ Facebook posts by the NYU Center for Social Media and Politics found that Republican candidates in this year’s midterms shared more links to unreliable news sources than they did in 2020.

“We find that Republican challengers consistently share more unreliable sources than Republican incumbents,” said the analysis authored by the university’s Megan Brown and Maggie Macdonald.

‘Division, disorder, confusion’

Among other culprits, their analysis identified former Alaska governor Sarah Palin as a “super-sharer of unreliable sources,” with 849 links shared from January to July.

Hemant Kakkar, an assistant professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, cautions against increasing already rampant polarization around misinformation by generalizing all conservatives as promoters of false information.

“In our research we have found certain conservatives — those low on conscientiousness are driven by the need to create division, disorder and confusion when it comes to sharing of fake news,” Kakkar told AFP.

“However, that is just a small subset of conservatives.”

Kakkar’s research, published this month, also pointed to the “inadequacy” of fact-checker interventions to deter that subset from spreading false news.

The inability to stop the spread of the litterbox hoax could have real life consequences, with activists warning that the misinformation could result in more stigma, violence and discrimination against sexual minorities, particularly those who are transgender and non-binary.

“Claiming that kids are identifying as cats underscores the sickening lengths some politicians will go to rile up the most extreme and dangerous elements of their base,” said Geoff Wetrosky from Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization.

“The attention this freakish lie has received on social media illustrates the pernicious influence of disinformation and that anti-LGBTQ+ politicians will do and say anything to animate the most extreme fringe — no matter the consequence,” Wetrosky said in a statement.

Topics: Aaon, Politics, Republicans, Right Wing Extremism More Posts About: Boston University School of Public Health, Culture war, Donald Trump, NBC, New York University

Related Posts
  • Stormy Daniels Declares It’s ‘Exhausting’ To Always Be Asked About Alleged Affair With Donald Trump: ‘I Wish He Would Go Away’
  • Trump warns U.S. House Republicans not to touch Social Security, Medicare
  • ‘Pastors for Trump’ founder claims MLK would have been a MAGA Republican
  • Marc Jacobs admitted facelift to stop people talking s***

    Marc Jacobs admitted facelift to stop people talking s***

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Marc Jacobs is always honest about his cosmetic surgery so people can’t “talk s***” about him. The 59-year-old fashion designer was candid about going under the knife in 2021 and praised …Read More »
  • Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search

    Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search

    Published by Reuters By Lewis Jackson and Melanie Burton SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian authorities on Wednesday found a radioactive capsule smaller than a coin that was lost in the vast Outback after nearly a week-long search involving …Read More »
  • Sam Smith has ‘the opposite of body dysmorphia’

    Sam Smith has ‘the opposite of body dysmorphia’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Sam Smith has the “opposite” of body dysmorphia now. The ‘Unholy’ singer struggled in the past with the mental disorder, where someone becomes obsessed by a perceived flaw in their appearance, …Read More »
  • Jeffree Star’s Fans SCRAMBLE To Uncover Identity Of Mystery ‘NFL Boo’ As Makeup Artist Drops Latest Clue With New Lover

    Jeffree Star’s Fans SCRAMBLE To Uncover Identity Of Mystery ‘NFL Boo’ As Makeup Artist Drops Latest Clue With New Lover

    Published by Radar Online Mega Jeffree Starsent the internet on fire when he casually dropped photos showing him cuddled up to who he described as his “NFL boo” — and now, fans are scrambling to uncover …Read More »
Previous Post: « Trump’s company faces criminal tax trial as his legal woes mount
Next Post: Kevin Spacey cleared in NY sex assault case »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Proud Boys plotted ‘firing squads’ ahead of Jan. 6 riot: ‘War if they steal this’

    Proud Boys plotted ‘firing squads’ ahead of Jan. 6 riot: ‘War if they steal this’

  • Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2023 nominees include Willie Nelson, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Sheryl Crow

    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2023 nominees include Willie Nelson, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Sheryl Crow

  • Editorial: The drag queen debate is ignorant of history and a proxy fight with kids as pawns

    Editorial: The drag queen debate is ignorant of history and a proxy fight with kids as pawns

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Stormy Daniels takes victory lap after Trump pens tirade about her on Truth Social

    Stormy Daniels takes victory lap after Trump pens tirade about her on Truth Social

  • ‘He Was Consumed With Sadness’: Lisa Marie Presley ‘Destroyed’ Ex-Husband Michael Jackson With Shock Divorce Filing

    ‘He Was Consumed With Sadness’: Lisa Marie Presley ‘Destroyed’ Ex-Husband Michael Jackson With Shock Divorce Filing

  • Jane Fonda ‘worried’ about Barbarella remake

    Jane Fonda ‘worried’ about Barbarella remake

RSS Partner Links

  • Grammys: 17 Artists Who Have Surprisingly Never Won Despite Many Nominations
  • How Was Robert Reed In Bed? + GOP Harasses Cancer Patient, But There'll Be Hell Toupée + Raft Of Anti-Trans Laws + MORE! — 6-PACK
  • Robyn Dixon Of “The Real Housewives Of Potomac” Admitted That Juan Dixon Cheated On Her Again, Despite Denying The Accusations On The Show
  • Is There a New Episode of 'Chicago Fire' Tonight? Schedule Revealed
  • Marge On Tyre Nichols' Murder By Cops: What About Ashli Babbitt?
  • OMG, herstory: the Ladies of Llanglollen get a reprint
  • OMG, have you heard? James Dean and Marlon Brando’s not-so-secret affair

Most Recent

  • Adele moved to tears by man holding up a picture of his wife at her concert

    Adele moved to tears by man holding up a picture of his wife at her concert

  • Marc Jacobs admitted facelift to stop people talking s***

    Marc Jacobs admitted facelift to stop people talking s***

  • Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search

    Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search

  • Sam Smith has ‘the opposite of body dysmorphia’

    Sam Smith has ‘the opposite of body dysmorphia’

  • Jeffree Star’s Fans SCRAMBLE To Uncover Identity Of Mystery ‘NFL Boo’ As Makeup Artist Drops Latest Clue With New Lover

    Jeffree Star’s Fans SCRAMBLE To Uncover Identity Of Mystery ‘NFL Boo’ As Makeup Artist Drops Latest Clue With New Lover

  • Alicia Silverstone returns as Clueless character Cher: WATCH

    Alicia Silverstone returns as Clueless character Cher: WATCH

  • Rep. George Santos agrees to skip sitting on House committees as poll shows 78% of voters want him out

    Rep. George Santos agrees to skip sitting on House committees as poll shows 78% of voters want him out

  • As Pope Francis visits Congo, LGBT+ activists cheer for perceived ally

    As Pope Francis visits Congo, LGBT+ activists cheer for perceived ally

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×