With this lie escalating to violent threats against the Haitian community, we perhaps need to put a pause on joking about this insidious hoax. They are trying to start a race war, and memes likely aren’t helping.

  • Todd Bonzalez@lemm.eeOP
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    2 months ago

    There are way too many jokes and way too little counter-narratives to this racist hoax.

    • snooggums@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      The jokes are the counter narrative by showing how fucking stupid the racism is.

    • Rhaedas@fedia.io
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      2 months ago

      There’s both humor and serious responses to this, both doing the same job of saying it’s stupid lies. The alternative is to ignore it, which means it only circulates in the circles where it’s meant to drum up real action instead of just a meme. Do you have another solution instead of countering it with how ridiculous it is?

    • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      What possible counter narrative could you have to “those people over there are eating cats!” that hasn’t been said?

      Its flagrantly wrong at a factual level, incredibly racist in a predictable way, and utterly stupid. All three of these points have been argued and repeated and made national headlines over and over again, counter to the evil things that are being said by the racists in the GOP.

      What else is there? What “counter narrative” is missing?

      • Todd Bonzalez@lemm.eeOP
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        2 months ago

        The right wing is trying to start a race war in Ohio, and people are posting pictures and videos of themselves pretending to cook and eat their pets, and remixing Trump’s racist statements into songs.

        People need to stop blasting Trump’s own bigotry like it’s a meme, and start defending Haitian immigrants from hate and violence. Nazi groups are Marching on Springfield already.

        • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          Mocking fascists is wildly effective. They have to portray themselves as strong and serious to make headway. Their rhethoric is immune to facts as its based on feeling, a sense of being virtuous and powerful. Kneecapping that “vibe” completely unarms them.

          It’s why calling them “weird” was so effective. It rattles their core image, and reframes their message from “we are powerful warriors fighting evil” to “we are strange mothefuckers saying and doing weird ass things all day long.”

          You don’t beat fascists with facts because none of them care about facts. You break their rhetoric with mockery or death.

          For those not swept up in his movement, the facts and clear defense of the Haitian immigrants that is occurring are the best tools, and they are being used.

    • Agrivar@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      and WAY too many of the “jokes” are just context-free memes that are only satirical if you ALREADY KNOW the fucking allegations are false! it’s 2024, we should know better.

    • orcrist@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      Define “counter-narrative”. It’s what you wanted, right? But you didn’t. Instead you’re blaming is for mocking absurd racist claims because … checks notes … other racists might or might not get violent.

      And look, I’ve already read a handful of articles on the hoax just from whatever shows up in my subscriptions here or on RSS or whatever. People are addressing it head-on. That is happening, even if you don’t see it. So, do you have any data to back up your claim.