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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    • ChocoboRocket@lemmy.world
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      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.

      • undergroundoverground@lemmy.world
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        I think its a very specific kind of person myself. Noy necessarily stupid, although many of them are.

        To me, the person they target the best is both A) people who are easy to wind up and B) the kind who’ll, despite even knowing they know nothing about a given subject, will, if they hear something they just don’t like, will declare it to be bullshit and will never, ever back down from that regardless.

    • oxjox@lemmy.ml
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      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.

        • oxjox@lemmy.ml
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          From my experience, it seems to me that 99.9% of people commenting on the internet lack critical thinking. Looking at Reddit in particular, it’s the comments that are the most outlandish or “popular” and often having little or nothing to do with the story they’re commenting on that are risen to the top. No one cares about the actual news. They’re engaged with headlines and chit chat. If the story takes a turn, if it no longer “supports their narrative”, they turn tail and move on to the next thing to fume over.

          We’re generally focused on the maga crowd in the context of this story but the truth is that we are all subject to and fooled by misleading content. And when you, as an actual intelligent person with actual critical thinking skills, or just someone who read the article, tries to call attention to the fact that a headline is misleading or outright wrong, you get downvoted. So, why is that the case?

          Also, fwiw, I have a shitty education, I’m not very smart, but I believe I have better critical thinking skills than the majority of people.

          • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world
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            the truth is that we are all subject to and fooled by misleading content.

            A perfect example of this is that recent claim that Geico stopped providing insurance for the Tesla “Cybertruck.” Tons of people, including many here on Lemmy, were quick to believe and share this story. A handful of users pointed out that the source couldn’t be verified, but those comments were drowned out by all the “Ha, take that, Musk!” comments.

            It just goes to show that everyone is vulnerable to misinformation. If we want to claim to be well-informed, we have to question everything - even (or especially) the stories that reinforce our existing beliefs.

            • oxjox@lemmy.ml
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              Well, this is interesting. I did come across that story but wasn’t interested enough to question it. Other than the larger point you’re making, I couldn’t care less. However, reading the Snopes article, the only evidence to the contrary is “A Geico corporate spokesperson told Snopes via email that the company has “coverage available nationwide for the Tesla Cybertruck.”” which feels a little flimsy to me. It would be nice if they’d post something on their site or socials to confirm.

            • Dainterhawk999@lemmy.world
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              It just goes to show that everyone is vulnerable to misinformation. If we want to claim to be well-informed, we have to question everything - even (or especially) the stories that reinforce our existing beliefs.

              The beliefs we hold by analysing information may not be the actual state. The only thing a blank slate logical mind can do is that to think a bit, verify multiple sources and get to a conclusion. Multiple sources points to different views having some reasonable practicality. Blank Slate refers to a neutral unbiased mindset.

          • dhork@lemmy.world
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            Looking at Reddit in particular, it’s the comments that are the most outlandish or “popular” and often having little or nothing to do with the story they’re commenting on that are risen to the top.

            Reddit is infested with bots, especially on the larger subs. If things are at the top, it’s because someone paid for bots to get it there.

          • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
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            A lot of people posting online have multiple accounts (so you’re seeing the same person’s opinion over and over) or are bots. And a large amount of people are also literal teenagers, who can’t have much of a nuanced opinion because they don’t know much. If you really really want better discussion, you have to find small niche forums around your personal interests. One of my favorite forums to lurk is the Ray Peat forum (biochemistry), the users are likely mostly unique because they have to pay to have an account, and it’s noticeable how distinct everyone is. They also tend to argue a bit which is funny and interesting to me (“That’s not very Ray Peat of you”). I am convinced going back to old internet style individual forums is the best way to make sure you are speaking with real people.

            Any larger social media like Twitter, Lemmy, etc, will be subject to more capitalism and advertising and spam, so yeah, you’ll feel frustrated and alone because it’s like you’re talking to an animatronic.

            Unfortunately, I am not sure how to solve this with journalism and current events. There are likely journalists on Telegram and very secured channels networking, as well as more basic forums with news reporting. However, I’m not sure of any specifically that I could link.

      • krashmo@lemmy.world
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        You need to dig deeper in to why these people are falling prey to the brainwashing of the far right extremism and conspiracy theories

        Why is it my job to try harder to understand them rather than their job to stop being such buffoons?

        • oxjox@lemmy.ml
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          Because if you just keep calling them buffoons without giving a flying fuck about them, you are responsible for the divide. If you believe you’re the more intelligent person, if you believe you are right, you have an obligation to listen to them and help them out of their mess. We have all been brainwashed for generations by corporate and government interests. None of us have a clear mind. We should all be working together and embracing each other in spite of our differences to rise up against our oppressors. Frankly, your question sounds just as stupid as they do. You can answer for yourself why you may or may not be interested being a helpful empathetic soul.

          • krashmo@lemmy.world
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            You seem to be under the impression that empathy and rationality will break through the divide and reach them. Why? My experiences over the last decade tell me that isn’t remotely true. You make it sound like a noble goal, and maybe it is, but I don’t think it’s practical or realistic in any sense of those words.

            They’ve abandoned reality in favor of delusion. You can’t reach someone in that state of mind because they immediately label you as an other and stop listening. Call that judgment elitist if you like but I don’t think it changes the truthfulness of the statement.

            • oxjox@lemmy.ml
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              Most everyone has abandoned reality in favor of delusion. That’s the point. Everyone sees the world from their own perspective, or the perspective of their bubble or tribe or religion.

              “The algorithm” mostly shows me left-leaning news. Aside from major news orgs like AP, any other source of information is pushing a narrative. They’re twisting the words of presidents, former presidents, other news persons, etc. to make it seem a certain way. Video clips are cut short or taken out of context. Headlines are grossly misleading. A minor inconsequential event or statement is flipped on social media to be today’s trending topic - which may very well sway an election. The entire world is flooded with lies targeting everyone, regardless of your politics.

              Pushing people away because you disagree with them, or because you think they’re “crazy”, only fortifies the establishment of their beliefs among others. You’re putting them in a corner where they can crowd together and commiserate about being called crazy while they point at you and eye you up as the enemy.

              People are afraid. They’re struggling to get by. They’re desperate for someone to listen to them and provide salvation.

              We all need to recognize we’re being manipulated. Everyone is susceptible to mistruths, regardless of your education. We need to be more curious and empathetic and accept we may be wrong about something and that our perspective is not the only perspective that matters.

              • mriormro@lemmy.world
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                Yeah, sure, let’s take a moment to really listen to the people who are sending death threats to fucking meteorologists.

              • krashmo@lemmy.world
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                That’s one of the weirder “BoTh sIdEs” takes I’ve seen in a while. If left leaning news and voters were at all comparable in terms of misinformation you would have a point but the difference is orders of magnitude apart so it just seems like you’re trying to equate two vastly different things.

  • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
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    -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@lemmy.world
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      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”

    • lanolinoil@lemmy.world
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      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
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        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.
    • Gammelfisch@lemmy.world
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      I would send the crying shit stain loser MAGATs cheeseburgers and Diet Cokes. Do not waste a good tree product on them.

    • Konala Koala@lemmy.world
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      In response to that, we could have.

      -Progressives hate MAGA and want it dismantled.

      -Progressives hate the National Rifle Association and want it dismantled.

      -Progressives hate the Greed Over People and want it to be silenced.

      -Progressives now also hate the Heritage Foundation.

      • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
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        All the things conservatives hate are non partisan services to humanity whereas the things you named are blights upon our nation.

  • andrewta@lemmy.world
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    If you live in the south east and you are repeating conspiracy theories about the hurricane. May you rot in hell.

  • MisterFrog@lemmy.world
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    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.

    • 11111one11111@lemmy.world
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      I mean cloud seeding has been happening for a very long time. I first heard of it as a story about a dude in the '50’s pissed the ski season sucked flew up and just dumped dry ice at a lower-ish Altitude somewhere up in the ADKs and sure as shit it works… under very specific conditions and nothing like how the mad skier did it.

      It’s honestly not that baffling of a jump from cloud seeding to hurricane inseminating when you put it side by side with shit like flat earthers, Christianity, Tom Brady winning 7 rings deflating footballs, aliens building ancient architecture, the music city miracle wasn’t a forward lateral, Brett Hull’s skate wasnt in the goal crease for the 99 Stanley Cup winning goal, government using vaccines to drug the public rather than just putting drugs in toilet paper for 1/1billionth the cost and 100% distribution efficiency… etc. (Totally fucked myself by throwing a blanket over all of Christianity instead of itemizing shit like eating meat on Friday and humans have been around for only 2000 years lol)

    • jettrscga@lemmy.world
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      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?

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    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.

    • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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      We should just stop any weather predictions for the South.

      Let it all be God’s surprise to them, and if a surprise hurricane comes up and knocks them on their ass, well, God works in mysterious ways.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        Or not because there are plenty of good people in the South who are worried about these threats and worried about climate change and try to get politicians who are also worried about climate change into office so they can do something about it. Those people are in the minority, but they still exist.

        Also, plenty of children.

        • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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          As someone who escaped, we should set up funds to let decent people leave for civilized places.

          I simply do not consider the south redeemable at this point, we’ve given them 150 years and it’s just been a cancer on the rest of the country.

  • irotsoma@lemmy.world
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    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.

    • echolalia@lemmy.ml
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      We need to stop pretending this is due to a lack of education or critical thinking. Sure, that’s true for some, but I’m betting the vast majority of these conspiracy theories are spread by people that know that they are lies and don’t care. Evil Russian propaganda bots aren’t a great explanation for the totality of the phenomena. People say outrageous things because it gets them clicks on the internet and hurts the “other team”.

      We saw it recently with the lady lying about hatian immigrants eating cats - link. She didn’t care how true it was - only that it hurt the other team. They have it comin’, anyway, is their perspective when they’re saying these things.

    • ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world
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      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.

    • qisope@lemmy.world
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      that’s the one about when the good, honest people of the world had to survive the liberal weather machine created by NOAA, right?

  • krashmo@lemmy.world
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    Does anyone want to summarize the misinformation they’re referring to? I’m slightly curious but not enough to dig into what the crazy half of the country is up to today. I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling a lack of enthusiasm to read their bullshit directly.

  • peopleproblems@lemmy.world
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    How hard would it be, to take a state, like Mississippi, wall it off completely from the US (except for the coast so they can have marine ports) get all the citizens who don’t want to be in a conservative hell hole a several year stipend and move them to somewhere else of their choosing.

    Then, we set up this walled off land to be completely controlled by conservatives. They will be able to live in a conservative Utopia. We will move everyone who requests it and their stuff freely to this area.

    We let them do whatever they deem necessary. Hell, we can give them a head start, by letting them stay connected to the grid, and help them organize their own government. Then once we do that, we create a massive DMZ around the state.

    Then we just let them do what they will inevitably do and become a western Iran.

      • peopleproblems@lemmy.world
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        Uhm. If I remember right, that was a forced relocation.

        This would be more of like a national experiment. “Come live in a GOP paradise” “And for anyone stuck in this state, yo we got you covered.”

        Maybe put like a priority housing into effect so GOP land refugees get first bids on homes, or can’t be denied apartments because they’ll have the government covering it for x many years.

        Then the people who want to live in GOP land can have first class one way tickets, with all moving expenses paid, but then once they get there they gotta negotiate amongst themselves how to get property because that’s GOP land rules not modern society rules.

        But yeah the first year a lot of people will kick the bucket mostly because of the lack of everything they take for granted

      • peopleproblems@lemmy.world
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        My hope is that if we can contain it to a geographic area we would have better ways to negotiate with them on curbing emissions.

        They’ll likely have enough problems with death and disease where bombing them would probably end up helping them