Wrist Freckle Myth The hunt for an “identical wrist freckle” among women on social media went viral in May 2019 following a widely-shared tweet: ladies….. u got a freckle on the middle of ur wrist or is this a myth lmao pic.twitter.com/VpwkkeWKTj — aaryn ✰ (@aarynwhitley) May 22, 2019 In it, the original poster included four images of […]
Can You Use Cornmeal to Keep Weed Seeds from Germinating? In February 2019, the Facebook page “Country n garden” shared a post (archived here) borrowed from another source, which claimed that cornmeal is an effective substance in home gardens to prevent the spread of weeds: https://www.facebook.com/mydreamhouseandgardens/photos/a.1415059738607771/2031913313589074/?type=3&theater Above an image of a metal measuring cup shaking cornmeal into a garden, text offered a purported explanation of cornmeal […]
Are Eradicated Diseases Making a Comeback Because of Immigrants and Refugees? In April 2019, the Facebook page “Donald Plants” shared the following meme (archived here), which claimed that six “eradicated diseases” are in the process of “making a comeback” thanks to the presence of refugees and undocumented immigrants in the United States. In the meme, six “eradicated diseases” were named: tuberculosis, measles, whooping cough, mumps, scarlet fever, […]
Infant Mortality Rates vs. Abortion Bans Meme On May 30 2019 the Facebook page “Occupy Democrats” shared the following meme (archived here), purportedly contrasting rates of infant mortality in states which had recently passed or had pending restrictions on abortion: https://www.facebook.com/OccupyDemocrats/photos/a.347907068635687/2785459081547128/?type=3&theater In a column on the left side of the meme, nine states were numbered under a column, “states passing abortion bans.” […]
Was the USS John McCain Hidden From Sight for President Donald Trump’s Japan Visit? On May 29 2019, a claim published by the Wall Street Journal was quickly picked up by other news organizations, all relating a story about President Donald Trump’s visit to Japan and his purported disdain for the USS John McCain: The White House wanted the U.S. Navy to move “out of sight” the warship USS John S. McCain […]
Is the ‘New Congresswoman from Michigan’ Describing ‘What the Enemies of America’ Plan to Do? On May 26 2019, rock musician turned conservative commentator Ted Nugent shared the following video and caption to his Facebook page: Listen very closely to the new congresswoman from Michigan what the enemies of America believe especially on Memorial Day so we don’t let them continue to destroy the wonderful American system of individual freedom […]
Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say ‘We Can Land on the Sun, We Just Have to Go at Night?’ On January 31 2019, a Facebook user shared the following meme (archived here), claiming that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had once said that it was possible to “land on the sun” and “we just have to go at night”: https://www.facebook.com/NightTrainInTheMorning/posts/2227289070649770 Not only did the post not include any indication as to whether it was presented as […]
Was a Milkshake Thrown at an Elderly Brexit Party Volunteer? During a May 23 2019 vote in the UK, early-morning rumors circulated that the latest in a line of milkshake-throwing incidents involved elderly British Army veteran Don McNaughton in the south England town of Aldershot: Yet more disgusting behaviour. When democracy fails, civility ends. Let's get Brexit done and finish this. pic.twitter.com/nZjF6aVUbd — Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) May 23, […]
Does This Picture Show the ‘Youngest Parents in the World’? On February 26 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post (archived here), purportedly showing the world’s youngest parents: Aside from a caption (“Man Wtf🤔”), no included information explained how the original poster had divined this information from a single photograph. Nevertheless, the image accrued tens of thousands of shares. Commenters on the image were […]
Is North Carolina Changing Rape Laws So Victims Cannot ‘Withdraw Consent’? Amid a rash of near-total abortion bans in various American states in May 2019, a screenshot of two tweets regarding sexual consent laws in North Carolina caused further confusion on social media. As of May 22 2019, one of the two tweets was deleted, but one was still live: what the fuck is happening in […]
