I shared the image above on Instagram and got dinged by a “partly false information” warning.
Do yourself a favor and read this fact check from the AP, written by an Ali Swenson. Even though the each image cites a source, this “fact checker” is of the OPINION these numbers from the FBI and CDC are not “reliable.”
So that means, currently on social media:
* If you don’t cite a source, you get dinged.
* If you DO cite a source, even if it is the government’s own numbers, if Big Bro no likey, that’s a no-go, too.
In the past few weeks, several memes I’ve shared–ARTFUL TAKES of current events generated fast and dirty–have been censored or labeled as “missing context” or “partly false.” Before we move on from that…. Think about those labels for a sec… technically, everything in life is “missing context” and everything that is “partly false,” is equally “partly true.” Acknowledge the manipulation of their word choices here… In actual fact, their own statements are also, “missing context” and “partly false,” but I’m confident Goebbels would 100% approve of the technique.
For those of you who do not, like me, now routinely get in trouble with the Thought Police online, each ding, depending on the severity and frequency, “levels” you up until you catch a suspension (different time frames for different platforms and violations), or, ultimately, a ban.
Of course, I want to provide accurate information if I am presenting facts as facts, but I also have a wicked sense of humor, and love funny takes for the sake of the lulz. For us to accept some Orwellian Big Bro to now “fact check” cartoons, jokes, take-downs, and memes on social media is extremely troubling, because this means they’re now “fact checking” ART.
By way of example, I shared a snarky pic about Davos on Instagram (see HERE) that depicted a bunch of private jets and the words: “A record 1,500 private jets have arrived at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland to discuss what they can do about your carbon footprint.” This is clearly satire. EXCEPT, days after I posted it, the Thought Police slapped a “missing context” warning on the photo, and used this “fact checked” article to claim the graphic is inaccurate because, and I quote: “The second photo was originally captured by Reuters photographer Arnd Wiegmann in January 2016. ‘Passenger jets are parked at the Swiss Airforce base in Duebendorf, Switzerland January 21, 2016,’ reads the photo’s description, which goes on to explain the airport was being used for arrivals and departures of WEF attendees for a Davos meeting that year.”
So, just ICYMI, these “fact checkers” are “fact checking” a tongue-in-cheek, satiric internet meme because the photo depicted IS REAL AND OF THE PLACE IT CLAIMS TO BE, ONLY FROM A DIFFERENT YEAR. Personally, I was surprised it was even from the same country or airport, not something you would expect or require from fast-paced humorous internet artwork/meme.
Memes by their very nature are often about suggestion, a feeling, creating something newsy from the old, inaccuracies, a vibe, whatever the magic sauce is that makes art art, and humor humor, that’s what a well-crafted meme is. Memes therefore poses an interesting challenge to censors because they break down complex ideas into identifiable tropes or themes, and, because much of it is extremely irreverent, memes tend to go viral when done right… which is exactly why the censors are concerned.
People who know me here in the Free State know that as early as 2010, if I was saying something edgy that might be misconstrued, I would yell: “IT’S FOR THE SCREENPLAY!” The thinking, and joke, at the time was, if the NSA was bugging my phone, the fact that it was “art” would protect my speech.
Art used to be able to do this, be the medium we could express ourselves, make fun of the world, and explore weird and wonderful ideas. No more. ART was the last place where free speech existed, but the Control Freaks are coming for that too.
I won’t let them, and neither should you. Know this: I will fight the destruction of free speech, art, and the right to express myself in any manner I see fit until I draw my dying breath. #FreeSpeechMatters
I have been a fan of Ai Wei Wei for a long time and was thrilled to hear him speak in NYC years ago. I’ve caught his exhibits in Brooklyn, Prague, and online, and watched several of his documentaries. My favorite piece of art is his marble surveillance camera, because the incongruity of the marble brilliantly cements Big Brother in such an inconceivable, permanent way.
Sometimes, I just need to lean into my literary side. In case you’re not familiar with the original poem by TS Eliot, The Hollow Men, here’s a quick primer. The lines I worked off are his most quoted, referring to the death and destruction wrought by the H-Bomb. My reference is that as the world slides inexorably towards socialism, and the undisputed death, disease ,and malaise it spreads, voices promoting health, critical thinking, and individualism will simply be drowned out. And by “drowned out,” I mean silenced.
If YOU are someone promoting internet censorship and cancel culture, I implore you to STOP. You are the modern equivalent of a book burner and snitch. If that offends you, it should. What you are doing is wrong, and if you have a shred of decency, you will understand that silencing people you disagree with is authoritarian and tyrannical. Beat me with better arguments…