Have you Ever Heard Some Big News, Spread it Around, Only to Find Out it Was Fake?

by Scott Posted 2012/06/23 23:42:43

Related Topics: Onion, Spread, President, Republicans, President Obama, News, Internet, Email, Website, the onion, Living, Times

Read More

26 votes
Read all 73 opinions
View Results and Demographics + View Demographics

Loading Demographics... Click an icon to see demographic results Display unknown and private
	Yes I have. I'm still living it down. Talk about embarrassing.	3 votes	12%
	Yes I have, but no big deal.	10 votes	38%
	No, I always check my sources.	8 votes	31%
	No, I'm just not that gullible.	5 votes	19%

Three times in the past month, I've had Republicans I know (or not know) either email, call, or post some outrageous news story about President Obama. After a quick search on the internet, I found out the story was a bit of satire, or comedy, put out by a satirical website.

Just a few minutes ago, a RWNJ posted a "news" article about Obama's home being foreclosed upon. It had outrageous quotes from Obama, and, of course, neocons from all over SH swarmed to say how repulsive Obama is. Nobody took the 20 seconds, it takes, to verify the "news", choosing instead to believe whatever a fellow neocon posts.

Have you ever posted something erroneous (maybe from The Onion, or Super Tuesday News) only to find you've made an ass of yourself?

Add a comment above

Queen B 2012/06/24 02:47:55

No, I'm just not that gullible.

+5
A third of the stuff on here is bs posted by wingnuts. Most wouldn't know a credible source if it bit them in the ass.
>> See Replies

More polls by Scott

BlytheSpirit~bn0 2012/07/29 06:54:55

No, I'm just not that gullible.

+1
Well, I haven't posted something that wasn't true, but I have resonded to some things which turned out to be satire. I felt super stupid, and indeed I was stupid not to check things out first. Live and learn. It's never too late.

reply
Boo 2012/06/27 19:46:40

Yes I have, but no big deal.

To avoid this dilemna, do not repeat anything your hear on the major news networks!

reply
Marie-Jacqueline 2012/06/24 14:00:11

No, I always check my sources.

+1
I learned that you have to fact check!

You know it is bad when some U.S. politician (at that moment in the race for Presidency)
does it.
It is also bad when a US showhost does it.

It is really bad when factchecking proves that they lie.
It is worst that they don't stand corrected and apologize.

Two examples on The Netherlands:

reply
Cleaver62 2012/06/24 13:57:42

No, I always check my sources.

+3
I personally have not but I know FOX News does it all the time. And never ever do they post a retraction. they just go on as though nothing ever happened.

reply
Marie-J... to Cleaver62 2012/06/24 14:01:53

+1
Very true!

reply
Lefty 2012/06/24 11:08:53 (edited)

No, I'm just not that gullible.

+2
Republicans do it all the time, then I check with snopes.
But that doesn't curtail their lies, they feel if they keep repeating them over and over, it will eventually stick! Pretty much like "We did build it!

reply
jesus christ 2012/06/24 06:32:52 (edited)

No, I always check my sources.

+2
i saw a story on cnn years ago about north korea testing a nuclear bomb. by the time i got to work that day the story going around the job was that north korea had suitcase sized nukes and were trying to sell them to al qaeda. who knows where the second story came from but it was being stated as fact by every conservative i knew. as julius caesar stated "people willingly believe that which they wish". why check facts when you've already heard the story you want to hear.

reply
twocrows 2012/06/24 05:44:24

Yes I have, but no big deal.

+2
I did, once, pass on info I heard about a neighbor. I live in a retirement community of 385 households. so everyone is in everyone else's business ALL THE TIME. one of the hazards of small town living.
I learned after one time, though, and now always check before saying anything to anyone. it saves grief later.

never about politics, though or anything else I learn of on this infernal machine. I know enough to check ANYTHING I read online.

reply
ruthannhausman 2012/06/24 05:20:46

Yes I have. I'm still living it down. Talk about embarrassing.

+3
Unfortunately, I am lazy. Too lazy to verify everything. So I have been dumb enough to take everything at face value that I get on this computer. Learning fast, though. I am working on not jumping on things right away but checking them out on important issues. How can I persuade folks to my way of thinking if I put out false information myself, right? So I've got to be careful.

reply
jubil8 BN-0 PON 2012/06/24 03:36:59

Yes I have, but no big deal.

+2
I try to remember to Snopes or Factcheck everything that sounds weird. There's a lot!

I've seen the story about Obama's house before. Some people WANT to believe anything that puts Obama down.

reply
Scott to jubil8 ... 2012/06/24 03:45:52

+1
No doubt.

reply
BigFig#9 to jubil8 ... 2012/06/24 07:32:38

+2
The funniest part about these Obama stories are how they get reborn - same story just with new dates.

reply
jubil8 ... to BigFig#9 2012/06/24 20:58:06

+1
True! P.T. Barnum would have a ball. :)

reply
tweet_tweet 2012/06/24 03:23:41

Yes I have, but no big deal.

+2
Yeah, in the fourth grade, I heard a rumor that Mark-Paul Gosselar was dead, and I spread it. It was totally fake.

reply
Mrkando 2012/06/24 02:49:54 (edited)

No, I always check my sources.

+2
These kind of stories started within just a few weeks of Obama taking office. One I read came in less than two weeks of him taking office and he was to blame for the down economy. Several, once you research it, you find that they originated the first time just after Clinton left office and resurfaced after every election with the names changed to who ever held office.

If it is political I always check it out and I have yet to find any of them true. Disgusting because so many people buy into those stories and keep on sending them around and of course cuss and swear that things couldn't be worse and all they are doing is spreading someone else's lies.

reply
Queen B 2012/06/24 02:47:55

No, I'm just not that gullible.

+5
A third of the stuff on here is bs posted by wingnuts. Most wouldn't know a credible source if it bit them in the ass.

reply
jubil8 ... to Queen B 2012/06/24 20:59:02

+4
Not only would they not know it, they'd deny it bit them. :)

reply
Queen B to jubil8 ... 2012/06/24 21:02:00

+2

reply
☆stillthe12c☆ 2012/06/24 02:30:31

No, I'm just not that gullible.

+1
I have had to many bad emails from both side of the spectrum. I do not trust any story any more. I check it out. Some times I let the person know and some times I just let it go and erase it. Normally it is to late to save them.

reply
flaca BN-0 2012/06/24 02:12:14

Yes I have. I'm still living it down. Talk about embarrassing.

+1
I put up a post about the foreclosure and how it had been debunked. That will no doubt create a few blockings for me for pointing it out. Who are these people? I bet you they work for the superPACs.

reply
Josh Robinson 2012/06/24 01:35:12

Yes I have, but no big deal.

It was this...

reply
Scott to Josh Ro... 2012/06/24 01:39:36

+1
I don't know what THAT is, but it's pretty funny.

reply
Josh Ro... to Scott 2012/06/24 01:43:49

It's a fake gif of the Prez losing his temper. I watched a YT video where an effects guy points out the seams and glitches.

reply
Scott to Josh Ro... 2012/06/24 01:47:09

+1
I can see where you'd be fooled.

reply
Josh Ro... to Scott 2012/06/24 01:51:25

Yea it's not exactly a dossier of green energy propaganda...lol

reply
jubil8 ... to Josh Ro... 2012/06/24 21:02:23

+1
I THINK I read that the kick is SNL. It's a good joke though.

reply
clasact 2012/06/24 01:32:27

No, I always check my sources.

if I dont know for sure I keep it to myself and even if I do know I may just keep it to myself and let others find out by themselfs

reply
ServantOfAllah 2012/06/24 01:28:44

No, I'm just not that gullible.

+1
Not that I know of but right wingers do it constantly. It makes me sick that no one will take a minute to fact check, no matter how absurd the claim is.

reply
Beccy 2012/06/24 01:08:54

Yes I have, but no big deal.

+4
And talk about feeling stupid.

reply
Shawna to Beccy 2012/06/24 01:39:19

+1
We all make mistakes but the important part is to laugh and say oops!

reply
Beccy to Shawna 2012/07/29 02:55:43

+1
yes it is

reply
La 2012/06/24 00:54:36
Scott to La 2012/06/24 00:56:07

+1
Sounds like common sense.

reply
sockpuppet 2012/06/24 00:47:22

Yes I have, but no big deal.

+2
I learned a long time ago that you have to check your facts before forwarding ostensibly well-meaning e-mail warnings to your friends. EVERYTHING that says something like
"Send this to everyone you know!" is a lie.

Liberals do it all the time.

reply
Scott to sockpuppet 2012/06/24 00:51:57

+1
Not I. Neocons may think I'm a douche bag, but I hate proving them right by posting satire as fact.

reply
sockpuppet to Scott 2012/06/24 04:33:51

No... you proved your douchebagness by taking off on a rant against the Right. Liberals are just as guilty of perpetuating hysterical hoaxmail as Conservatives are. The Bush II Era was one constant stream of ludicrous, libelous, Leftist spam.

reply
sockpuppet to sockpuppet 2012/06/24 04:36:57

Man... I'm on a roll, here. I think I just created a sort of snide form of haiku. And me, not even a neocon. :O)

reply
BigFig#9 to sockpuppet 2012/06/24 07:39:25

+4
I'm convinced it's much more a conservative thing than a liberal thing but there's almost no sense arguing because EVEN if this were researched by a university or the press the standard right wing answer is that 1) All academia is an aligned conspiracy of the left 2) all press is an aligned conspiracy of the left and of course 3) anything that disagrees with the right wing is by definition a left wing conspiracy.

reply
sockpuppet to BigFig#9 2012/06/24 13:07:13

+1
Typical sanctimonious Liberal denial. You take yourselves too seriously. It's like you're afraid that, if you admit it, you'll lose credibility with the grownups.

I've got news for you-- you're just as ridiculous as the rest of us are, and trying to hide it only makes it worse. :O)

reply
BigFig#9 to sockpuppet 2012/06/25 13:17:29

There's actually some peer reviewed science behind it...http://blogs.discovermag... is a good start point. I'll also note that I don't think this is necessarily a 'rip' on conservative thinking as what I do think conservatives 'in general' are 'good' at is making instinctive gut level decisions where as 'in general' liberals tend to over analyze and if confusing or inconsistent data is presented, we get paralyzed.

reply