1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:04,520 Speaker 1: So after eighteen months, the probe into the insurrection on 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: January six, finally came to a close on Monday, and 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: their final recommendations are actually kind of huge. Let's get 4 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: into it. The committee recommended that the Department of Justice 5 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:19,119 Speaker 1: investigate Trump for inciting an insurrection, conspiracy to defraud the 6 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: United States, conspiracy to make a false statement, and obstruction 7 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: of an official proceeding. The committee officials and investigators said 8 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: that they decided to make criminal referrals against Trump after 9 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: seeing sufficient evidence of all of this behavior. So yeah, 10 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: basically the stuff that we already knew, the stuff that 11 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: we basically all saw with our own eyes unfolding on 12 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: and before January six, And now I am really curious 13 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: to find out what happens next. I have been a 14 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: little bit skeptical that we will ever actually see Trump 15 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: or any of his creonies face actual accountability for their actions. 16 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: But notably, I have not seen a lot of the 17 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: major Republican players on the right circling the wagons to 18 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: protect Trump like I thought they might have done, so 19 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: I guess we'll see. During the closing comments, the committee 20 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: played a montage of all the different people who were 21 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: hurt or killed during January six and that includes Ruby 22 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: Freeman and Shame Moss, and I am really holding space 23 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: for these women in the aftermath of the commission. Their 24 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: story is a really good reminder why we should all 25 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: care about what happens on the Internet, because not only 26 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,759 Speaker 1: does it hurt the people targeted, like Ruby and Shame, 27 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,400 Speaker 1: but when our online platforms amplify lies that traffic and 28 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: racism and sexism, it has real consequences for all of us. 29 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: It makes us all less safe and less secure in 30 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: the process. So I sat down with my good friend 31 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: Miles Gray from the podcast The Daily Zeitgeist to discuss 32 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: the story of Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss to private 33 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: citizens who were targeted by Trump and his allies and 34 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,240 Speaker 1: how cruelly their own country betrayed them. And this is 35 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: just part one of a two part conversation about what 36 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: these women went through and how it hurts all of us. 37 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: Look be to another episode of Internet Hate Machine. I 38 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: am so thrilled to be joined a BYuT one of 39 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: my favorite humans, Miles Gray of The Daily Zy Guys. Miles, 40 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 1: thank you for being here? Are you for really for real? 41 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 1: Oh my god? Thank you? Bridget I mean honestly, you're 42 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: one of The feeling is very mutual. Um before can 43 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 1: I tell them off? Mike, I was in my feelings 44 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: because when I was in d C, I was like, 45 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 1: let's hang out, and you didn't see the message in time, 46 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: but it did break my heart only because of my 47 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: deep respect and admiration for you. So the feeling is 48 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: so mutual. As I said, next time you're in d C, 49 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: I'm taking you and yours out to a big dinner. 50 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,640 Speaker 1: I mean it, okay, I mean I don't need a 51 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: big dinner as you know. Whatever, Just show me something cool, 52 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: you know, like is Marvin still open on Q Street? 53 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: It closed? It's still longer there? Yeah, it's gone. It was. 54 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: It's like a DC institution gone because of the pandemic. 55 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: Oh no, I really wow. Anyway, this isn't a DC 56 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: restaurant show. But anyway, shout out to r I P 57 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: long live Marvin's had so many good nights there. But 58 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: I have to ask you, Miles, have you been following 59 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: that any of the January six hearings me a daily 60 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 1: news podcast? Me? Oh, I would say, I mean, to 61 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: be honest, I follow enough to know like what happened 62 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: during every Night of Couchella, as I refer to as 63 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: the January six hearings, so like I'll keep up with 64 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: the big developments from there, but I definitely have like 65 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: there's so I know, there's so much information to go 66 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: deep on. That part of me is like my cynicism, 67 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: where it's like, look, i'll be interested if there's actual consequences, 68 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: So wake me up when I start seeing people getting 69 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: perp walked. But to that, to that end, I have 70 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: been keeping up, but I would say, like I'm a 71 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: I don't even know how to gauge my engagement with 72 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: the news, like casual follower, although I probably know a 73 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: few things, but yeah, I've been It's so funny because 74 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 1: I was going to say the same thing. I consider 75 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: myself a casual follower. But that makes it sound like 76 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: you're talking about Grey's Anatomy or something, or like Housewives, Like, oh, 77 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: I dip in and dip out. I missed the last season. 78 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: It's like, I don't know if we should be talking 79 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: about like exactly You're like, I know that it went 80 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,239 Speaker 1: from like I know, I remember when it became Sloan 81 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: Gray Slow Memorial Hospital, and that was a wave of 82 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:28,280 Speaker 1: two um and then that one person who got hit 83 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,160 Speaker 1: by the bicycle and then they were about to anyway. Um, 84 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,719 Speaker 1: all that to say, yeah, who knows in this age 85 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 1: of so much information, what is casual and what is 86 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: like obsessed? Well, on December nineteen is going to be 87 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: the final public hearing of the January six committee, and 88 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: the final report is actually gonna be released a few 89 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 1: days later on December twenty one. So it's kind of 90 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: all coming to an end. And I'm kind of like you, 91 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,599 Speaker 1: I followed it, but I am not getting my hopes 92 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: up for actual consequences or accountability for any of the 93 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 1: major players that deserve consequences. So we will see, yeah, 94 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: because we only have history to tell us that there 95 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: won't be consequences. So I'm like, unless we have a 96 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: market shift, and how are like legal system works and 97 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: who we enforce the like actual laws with um, I'm 98 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: counting on Like it's like I feel like the little 99 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: pieces of a red meat that have people feeling like, 100 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: oh they're doing something or all the like ancillary tertiary 101 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: sort of characters to this, like the like oathkeeper adjacent 102 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: folks who they're like, oh and then you walked in 103 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: there and smashed a wall. See you in two years. 104 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: It's like, where's Jenny Thomas at hello? Are we talking 105 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: about her at all? God? I would love to see 106 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:41,279 Speaker 1: her get up her block. Could you imagine she'd be like, 107 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: I need to speak with the manager like she was, 108 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: She would actually say that I feel like and then 109 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: they would be like, oh, well, why didn't you say that? Sooner? 110 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: Take the cuffs off? Can I speak to the manager 111 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: of jail please? Oh wait, it's my husband, Clarence. Do something, honey. 112 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: So there's been so much compelling testimony from these hearings, 113 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: but in my book, I don't think any was more 114 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: compelling than the testimony from Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss. 115 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 1: You might remember their testimony from a couple of months ago. 116 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 1: Basically when they gave their testimony, it kind of like 117 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 1: broke my heart to hear this personal story in their 118 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:21,480 Speaker 1: own words of how Trump and Juliani and this whole 119 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 1: ecosystem of assholes basically ruined their lives and jeopardized their safety. 120 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: And I think that their story is one that is 121 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:34,039 Speaker 1: really about racism and sexism, and like this general visceral 122 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: distrust and disdain that a lot of folks have for 123 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: black women like Ruby and Shay. So I really think 124 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: that this their story is kind of like the culmination 125 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: of so many things that we have already talked about 126 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: on this podcast. You know, when racism and sexism run 127 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:52,799 Speaker 1: unchecked online and it creates the conditions for lies about 128 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: black women to have a welcome home online where they 129 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: will always be amplified and legitimized. And in this case, 130 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: it doesn't just impact these black women, it threatens democracy 131 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: or all of us. So that's really what I'm excited 132 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 1: to get into today. Please, I'm excited to talk about 133 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: anything that helps me feel better about our democracy, I mean, 134 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: or worse. But as long as we get to the 135 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: bottom of it, I feel like there's there's comfort in 136 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: knowledge too. There's a little comfort in it. Um. So 137 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 1: if folks don't know, Ruby Moss and her daughter Shae 138 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: Freeman were both election workers in Fulton County, Georgia, a 139 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 1: state that Trump legitimately lost in Barren Square and where Yeah, 140 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: I'm gonna be saying that every twenty minutes like a 141 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: goddamn egg timer on this episode. So okay used to it. 142 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: So if you're listening, that is may or may not 143 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: be a drinking game. Yeah, drink a sip of your 144 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: beverage every time I bring that up. You might also 145 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: remember that Georgia is where Trump pressured the Secretary of 146 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: State to find votes for him in an attempt to 147 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: rewrite history. Mm hmm, because he lost that election. Farren Square, 148 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 1: So shame eight had really been like a long time 149 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: election worker in Georgia. This was something that she was 150 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:07,120 Speaker 1: like known for in her community. Listening to her talk 151 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 1: about why she became an election worker, you know it. 152 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 1: She describes it as something that she did out of 153 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 1: a way to like genuinely support her community. She talks 154 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 1: about how there are a lot of older folks in 155 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 1: your community, and working as a poll worker felt like 156 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: a way to give back to the elders in her 157 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: in her town. Um. You you can just tell when 158 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:27,119 Speaker 1: she's describing this that it's something that she feels felt 159 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 1: a lot of pride about. During Fulton County was meant 160 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:32,920 Speaker 1: to have a shortage of election workers because of COVID, 161 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,440 Speaker 1: and so Sha recruited her sixty two year old mother, Ruby, 162 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 1: who was a retired nine one one operator, to also 163 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: serve as an election worker. And Yeah, it just was 164 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: clear that This was something that these women were really 165 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 1: excited to be sort of doing what they saw as 166 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: their civic duty to support their their community, that they 167 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: talk about it with such reverence and pride. In an 168 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: attempt to cast doubt on the election, which Trump legitimately lost, 169 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:03,319 Speaker 1: that's number two. Trump and his henchman Rudy Giuliani repeatedly 170 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: named Ruby and Shay, both black women, as election workers 171 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: who were rigging the election in favor of Biden. Now 172 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: I don't think I need to tell you this was 173 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: just an outright baseless lie. But this lie basically destroyed 174 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 1: their lives. And I want to get into a little 175 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:20,440 Speaker 1: bit of how it started and where it came from. 176 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: On December three, lawyer working for the Trump campaign obtained 177 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 1: security video from election night from the State Farm Arena 178 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: and Georgia. It showed election workers and pole counters, including 179 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 1: Ruby and Shay, just doing their jobs like exactly what 180 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:37,319 Speaker 1: you I know, how dare they well? I mean, yeah, 181 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 1: we all know what they were doing in there. They 182 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: were they were making votes up for Joe Byron. If you, 183 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:47,560 Speaker 1: if you believe Rudy Giulietti, that is exactly what was 184 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 1: going on. This lawyer brought the video to a Georgia 185 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,440 Speaker 1: State Senate committee, saying that it showed someone who quote 186 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: had the name Ruby across her shirt somewhere finding a 187 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: suitcase full of ballots underneath the ta able. Again, I 188 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:03,200 Speaker 1: don't really think I need to tell you that this 189 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 1: is all complete bullshit. The video just showed election workers 190 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,080 Speaker 1: who were told to pack up for the night, so 191 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: they're putting the ballots away, not in suitcases. There's no 192 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: suitcases in this video. It's just like the normal ballot boxes. 193 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: They put these ballot boxes away, and then later they're told, 194 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: actually go ahead and we start to vote count, don't 195 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: wait until the morning. And so that's what they did. 196 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:26,439 Speaker 1: It's just a hum drum normal video of people doing 197 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 1: their fucking jobs. I just love to like all these 198 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 1: conspiracy theories that come with the like come from the right. 199 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 1: They all have this like Looney Tunes depiction of how 200 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: like reality works, like and it's in a leather suitcase 201 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:42,959 Speaker 1: with ballots shooting out this side. This thing was tacked 202 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: to the gills, like really a suitcase, Like what does 203 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: that even mean? It's so how someone who was writing 204 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: a bad movie would script like like election rigging, like 205 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: being passed a suitcase under a table, like even like 206 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: a briefcase is such a like weird thing to say 207 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: that that was in use um for election rigging. Later, 208 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 1: Juliani talks about how it was involved like USB drives 209 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: and like, you know, staging a phony pipe pipe breaking 210 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:15,199 Speaker 1: in the in the vote count center. You know, it's 211 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: like it's so over the top and cartoony. But I 212 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: do think that that is what these people think actually 213 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: happens in real life, That real life works like a 214 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 1: goddamn episode of dark Wing Duck. I mean, it would 215 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:29,200 Speaker 1: explain some of the logic that they used to try 216 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:32,440 Speaker 1: and like overturn elections or most people like what the 217 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 1: funk was that? Just like I don't know, I think, 218 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 1: maybe call a bunch of goons to the capitol and 219 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: then it will work out. Let's just try it, you know, 220 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 1: you never know, you never know. So the video of 221 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 1: these election workers, including Ruby and Shay, starts making its 222 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 1: way online through this really gross cottage industry of like 223 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: right wing extremists blogs and media sites, and once it's 224 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: in that online pipeline, it's everywhere. It doesn't matter that 225 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:03,439 Speaker 1: this video was like immediately debunked by Georgia's Secretary of State, 226 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 1: like immediately, once it's out there, it's out there. And 227 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,560 Speaker 1: this is where we really get like a big vector 228 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: of lies about the women, which is a website called 229 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: the Gateway Pundit. Have you ever heard of this? Oh yeah, real, 230 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: real place where you poison your brain with nonsense. Absolutely so. 231 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 1: The Gateway Pundit is an extremist right wing media site. 232 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 1: Research from the University of Washington Center for and Informed 233 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: Public found that the Gateway Pundit was the second most 234 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 1: prolific purveyor of election misinformation on Twitter in the late months. 235 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: So just a real place where if you want complete 236 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:44,319 Speaker 1: fictions to be amplified to millions of people, that's your site. 237 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: M hmmmm, I mean yeah, it's it's they're soothing bedtime 238 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: stories for panicked white people who are not ready for 239 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: the status quo to be upended. Sounds exactly the same 240 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 1: day that that lawyer for Trump sends that video saying 241 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: that he thinks that it includes election tampering. The Way 242 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,880 Speaker 1: Public publish as an article the first article that disseminates 243 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:06,080 Speaker 1: the video, and a story that was promoted under the 244 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: headline huge in all caps. Video footage from Georgia show 245 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:13,439 Speaker 1: suitcase is filled with ballots pulled up from under a 246 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:18,199 Speaker 1: table after supervisor told GOP poll workers to leave tabulation 247 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:20,920 Speaker 1: center right, and so that's the first time that this 248 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:25,400 Speaker 1: video kind of hits the online space in a big way. 249 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:29,040 Speaker 1: The Gateway Pundit then calls Ruby out by first and 250 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: last name writing on the site. Her name is Ruby Freeman, 251 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:35,320 Speaker 1: and she made the mistake of advertising her purse on 252 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: her desk the same night that she was involved in 253 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 1: voter fraud on a all caps massive scale. Her t 254 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: search says Lady Ruby, and her purse says La Ruby, 255 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:48,160 Speaker 1: which is her company. This was not a very smart move. 256 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,120 Speaker 1: Her company is called La Ruby's Unique Treasures. It's on 257 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 1: her LinkedIn page. Maybe the Georgia Police or Bill Bars 258 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: d o J may want to pay Ruby Freeman a 259 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: visit um. The article concludes with an image of her 260 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,360 Speaker 1: with a banner that says all caps read lettering crook 261 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: gets caught. Oh boy, yeah, that's uh, that's you already 262 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 1: know that's bad news. I mean knowing to like this 263 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:17,640 Speaker 1: online trash, to like Fox News or news Max pipeline. 264 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:20,480 Speaker 1: It's like it always you can always write like link 265 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: every Tucker or handy thing, and it's always going to 266 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 1: start off with some weird non kernel of lie uh 267 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: that's posted online exactly, and so that's I think that 268 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: this exactly what you just said. I feel like the 269 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:38,000 Speaker 1: way that this video moved through the online right wing 270 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 1: blog a sphere digital ecosystem really gives us an idea 271 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 1: of exactly what you're talking about, right, how this sort 272 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: of digital ecosystem works. Like it started with Gateway Pundit, 273 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: then it goes to O A N, then Trump starts 274 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 1: amplifying it on his Twitter, right, and so like it 275 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,360 Speaker 1: starts in this like really kind of what should be 276 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 1: like a fringe site, even though Gateway Pundit did get 277 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: White House credentials when Trump was an office. But then 278 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 1: it ends up with Trump amplifying the video that he 279 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 1: got from Gateway Pundit and then Box News talking about it, right, 280 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: and so it really doesn't move through this like shitty 281 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: pipeline of extremist right wing garbage. So just three days 282 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,840 Speaker 1: after Gateway Punditt publishes this, Ruby starts getting harassed and 283 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:29,040 Speaker 1: people are showing up outside of her door and she's 284 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 1: really scared. I'm gonna play a little clip of a 285 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: nine one one call that she made grabbing ham and 286 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 1: terrorist great herbans hairs, an harassing phone called and emails 287 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: and they came out and made a police report. Um 288 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 1: yesterday and nast night about time. Minutes after night, somebody 289 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: was a bamon on the door. And now somebody's bammon 290 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:53,560 Speaker 1: on the door. Can't call any screaming he's there, bammin 291 00:15:53,600 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: on the door, right, crying to a bamon on the door. No, 292 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: they are an the wayman, Oh god. So I mean, 293 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 1: she sounds terrified. It's heartbreaking. And this is like a 294 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: sixtysomething year old woman, you know, who's making this call 295 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:27,240 Speaker 1: because people are banging on the doors of her house 296 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: in the middle of the night and she doesn't know 297 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 1: what to do. It is terrifying mm hmm. And I 298 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: think what's also really important to point out here is 299 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: the ways that Trump and his cronies specifically used racism 300 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: and misogyny to fuel this lie. Like, I don't think 301 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:45,520 Speaker 1: that this lie would have worked the same way had 302 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: Ruby and her daughter not been black women. And I 303 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:50,280 Speaker 1: think if we didn't have a digital media climate kind 304 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 1: of ready and willing to validate and amplify the worst 305 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:56,360 Speaker 1: racist lies about black women who we already know are 306 00:16:56,400 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: disproportionately harmed by things like disinformation and harassment and conspiracy series. 307 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:02,200 Speaker 1: I don't think it would have worked the same way, 308 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:04,439 Speaker 1: and I think that you saw that in a lot 309 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:08,680 Speaker 1: of the way that Trump and his allies talked about 310 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 1: these women. I'm gonna play another clip for you from 311 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:13,760 Speaker 1: Rudy Giuliani. I apologize for making you listen to his voice. 312 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 1: Take earlier in the day of Ruby Freeman and Shae Freeman, 313 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:23,199 Speaker 1: Mars and one other gentleman quite obviously surreptitiously passing around 314 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: USB ports as if they are vials of heroin or cocaine. 315 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: I mean, it's our it's it's obvious to anyone who's 316 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: a criminal investigator or prosecutor. They're engaged in surreptitious and 317 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:39,200 Speaker 1: illegal activity again that day and after a week ago, 318 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:44,280 Speaker 1: and they're still walking around Georgia. Why should have been 319 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:48,680 Speaker 1: they should have been uh should been questioned already? There 320 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:51,400 Speaker 1: are places of work, their homes should have been searched 321 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 1: for evidence of balance, for ellis, evidence of USB ports, 322 00:17:56,040 --> 00:18:00,159 Speaker 1: for evidence of voter fraud. Oh so, so they the 323 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:05,480 Speaker 1: USB port, what you put the USB drive into Yes, 324 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: isn't it interesting how earlier you were like, wow, pretty 325 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: weird that their claims of voter fraud involved like briefcases. 326 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:15,120 Speaker 1: That's pretty cartoony. And now he's saying that they're passing 327 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,840 Speaker 1: USB drives back and forth to each other like vials 328 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: of heroin. And then he says that their house should 329 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:25,199 Speaker 1: be searched for USB ports, like like, which is it? 330 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 1: Is it like a super high tech USB enabled voter 331 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,320 Speaker 1: theft or is it briefcases full of ballots? I'm just saying, 332 00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:35,639 Speaker 1: like I'm I'm more getting angry as like a nerd 333 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:41,000 Speaker 1: who likes technology. The port is the opening in which 334 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: you would insert some kind of USB cable or thumb drive. 335 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:50,120 Speaker 1: That's like being like and they had outlets that they 336 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:52,679 Speaker 1: were passing around. It's like, well, is it the plug 337 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 1: or what are you talking about the thing that goes 338 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: into what you're I think what you mean is a 339 00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:59,520 Speaker 1: USB drive. So, aside from getting hung up on that, 340 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:04,480 Speaker 1: the like you're saying, this is just so common with 341 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:07,679 Speaker 1: with these like right wing people, because we already get it, 342 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:11,520 Speaker 1: like we know you're anti black racists. That's that's that's 343 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: completely clear. And all of the legislation and the like 344 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:17,200 Speaker 1: the rhetoric that's being used. But to even like evoke 345 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:20,560 Speaker 1: like the drug war, to put these women in the 346 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,640 Speaker 1: context of the drug war, because that was absolutely he's 347 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 1: referring to a hand to hand crack deal or some ship, 348 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. And he's basically saying, Okay, 349 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:35,159 Speaker 1: black people, you know they're shady because of drugs. Therefore, 350 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 1: what the funk were they doing with those USB ports? 351 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: You see, it rights itself and it's this like really 352 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:44,720 Speaker 1: cheap way that allows this racism to just casually continue 353 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 1: because it's like, all right, tick that box, tick that box, 354 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:50,720 Speaker 1: Yet black people yep, yep, that's enough for me. Exactly 355 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:54,240 Speaker 1: like the way that he so casually evokes the like 356 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: the drug the drug war, I think it's meant to 357 00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:59,640 Speaker 1: be like, y'all know how black people are. There's never 358 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 1: there's why would you You're already basically accusing these women 359 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,760 Speaker 1: of vote tampering. Why are you then also evoking drugs? 360 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:09,879 Speaker 1: These women are not like that. That's it just it 361 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: just goes to show how when it comes to racism, 362 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:17,400 Speaker 1: exactly like you said, it's these seemingly disparate things gloamed 363 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,119 Speaker 1: together just to be like, just by virtue of this 364 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:22,680 Speaker 1: being a black person, something shady is going on, my 365 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:25,639 Speaker 1: virtue of their presence, like he could have said. And 366 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:28,280 Speaker 1: then you see in the video handing each other usb 367 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: ports like it was the wire or something. You know 368 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:33,959 Speaker 1: what I mean, that's basically what he's saying, you know, 369 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 1: and that's just hasn't seen the wire. He's not. He's not, 370 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:40,359 Speaker 1: but I'm saying, yeah, of course not. But I'm saying 371 00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 1: that's the shorthand that it's evoking, which is essentially to say, look, 372 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:48,120 Speaker 1: we're so racist, we can't even imagine black people committing 373 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 1: this kind of crime of voter fraud. So let me 374 00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:54,240 Speaker 1: dumb it down to something that are like our culture 375 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:57,400 Speaker 1: has rammed down your throats as to what black people are, 376 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: which are drug dealers or gang members. So let me 377 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 1: re contextualize this voter fraud in this very neat trope 378 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: that you're already used to having, like no thought cliches 379 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:12,920 Speaker 1: that you just immediately say yes to. And that's how yeah, 380 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:15,639 Speaker 1: and it's and it's it's sad how quickly that momentum 381 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: moves because people really they just need a reason to 382 00:21:18,119 --> 00:21:22,159 Speaker 1: act out, like act on their racist beliefs exactly. And 383 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:25,840 Speaker 1: so obviously these women were not passing a USB drive 384 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 1: back and forth, but they were actually passing each other 385 00:21:28,359 --> 00:21:31,760 Speaker 1: was a piece of ginger candy. So what Giuliani was saying, 386 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 1: which is complete bs. Yeah. You might also remember that 387 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,520 Speaker 1: infamous phone call where Trump called Georgia's Secretary of State 388 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 1: Brad Raethvensburger, asking him to find votes. In that call, 389 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: he evoked Ruby Freeman by name. Here's what he said. 390 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:53,119 Speaker 1: We had at least eighteen thousand that's so unpaid. We 391 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 1: had him counted very eight thousand voters having to do 392 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 1: with the roomy Freeman. That's she's a vote scammer, a 393 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 1: professional vote scammer, and hustlers. So he calls her a 394 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:14,200 Speaker 1: professional vote scammer, which and hustler. And I think even 395 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: kind of like what Miles was saying, the language that 396 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 1: he uses to talk about her a hustler, a professional scammer, 397 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 1: like it really hearkens back to this, I guess, a 398 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:28,439 Speaker 1: really specific and well worn trope about black women that 399 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:31,440 Speaker 1: I think he's really, in a kind of a savvy way, 400 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:33,639 Speaker 1: trying to hearken back to, like, oh, you know how 401 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 1: black women are all scammers and hustlers exactly. So I 402 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: also think kind of to that end, And this is 403 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,320 Speaker 1: like a little complicated to talk about, but I think 404 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:46,399 Speaker 1: that's definitely part of it. One of the reasons I 405 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 1: think that this lie took off like it did is 406 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: because of the visual of these two black women. Sites 407 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,640 Speaker 1: like the Gateway Pundit, who are where who that are 408 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:57,360 Speaker 1: really good at knowing what's going to resonate with their audience, 409 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:00,200 Speaker 1: what's gonna stoke something within their audience as going to 410 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:03,440 Speaker 1: motivate them to click and share. It's probably not surprising 411 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:06,720 Speaker 1: to you that they really used a lot of images 412 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,360 Speaker 1: of these women, Like every story had a picture of them, 413 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 1: like a close up of them looking sort of like 414 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,919 Speaker 1: they were up to no good, doing something nefarious. And 415 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 1: I think that that those images, I think really added 416 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 1: like a kind of a visual element to the story 417 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 1: that that really allowed it to take hold with racists. 418 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,639 Speaker 1: Um on election night. Uh, these women were wearing blonde 419 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,679 Speaker 1: hair extensions which contrast with their dark complexions, basically the 420 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,359 Speaker 1: exact same hairstyle that I am currently wearing. Ruby owns 421 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:38,879 Speaker 1: a a fashion store like am jewelry store, and so 422 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 1: she has a kind of a flashy personal style. She's 423 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,679 Speaker 1: wearing a bedazzled shirt and has a bedazzled purse. I 424 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:47,480 Speaker 1: think that they posted these images so often to pretty 425 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:50,639 Speaker 1: much say, look how black these women are. And I 426 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,720 Speaker 1: think Trump and Giuliani saw this video of two black 427 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,040 Speaker 1: women counting votes in Georgia, and they knew that they 428 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 1: could say that these black women are the culprits and 429 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:01,200 Speaker 1: that those black women were liars, and those black women 430 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: were the reason that Trump lost the election. And I 431 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:06,160 Speaker 1: think the same way that Trump makes a whole thing 432 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 1: of like attacking black women, that's was his thing when 433 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,760 Speaker 1: he was in the White House, I think, by black 434 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:16,199 Speaker 1: women exactly exactly. Um. I think that he knew his 435 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:20,360 Speaker 1: base would be poised and primed to believe whatever wild 436 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 1: conjecture that he pulled out of his ass, because they 437 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:26,800 Speaker 1: have a visceral disdain and distrust for black women that 438 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:29,320 Speaker 1: he stokes. And I think, you know, when social media 439 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:33,440 Speaker 1: platforms are the cesspools of racist, sexist garbage, of course 440 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 1: it's going to amplify those lines of thinking. So I 441 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:37,720 Speaker 1: think that Trump knew that his base would be really 442 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,440 Speaker 1: ready to believe if they saw this visual of black 443 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 1: women just presimply doing their jobs and you know, not 444 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 1: doing anything wrong in Georgia, that would be enough proof 445 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: to convince them that something shady was going down. In 446 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:53,399 Speaker 1: the absence of like actual proof proof that basically his 447 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 1: supporters would be like, hey, black women were involved in 448 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,040 Speaker 1: the vote counting process. That should be enough to tell 449 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,680 Speaker 1: you that the election was against me, which it wasn't, 450 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 1: because he lost. Exactly what was that he lost the election? 451 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:09,200 Speaker 1: You said election? He did lose? He I mean to check, Yeah, 452 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:12,160 Speaker 1: that's here that he lost, Okay, but yeah, I mean, 453 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 1: it's the same lazy racism. It's like, basically he's trying 454 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:21,359 Speaker 1: to scale up the central part birdwatcher call it's a 455 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 1: black person, you know, because that has been weaponized against 456 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:30,879 Speaker 1: black people for since time immemorial. The mere presence of 457 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,720 Speaker 1: blackness is enough for racist people to say something is 458 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:39,120 Speaker 1: afoot here. Just be just off the fucking physical presence 459 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:41,199 Speaker 1: of black people, you know what I mean. And so 460 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:44,640 Speaker 1: to your point, it's it's because all the base probably 461 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:49,080 Speaker 1: all have a very similar like outlook on black American people, 462 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:53,920 Speaker 1: which is like whoo who h. So if that's already 463 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:57,680 Speaker 1: your baseline in thinking about a black person, it doesn't 464 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:00,439 Speaker 1: take much then to just be like and that's bad, right, folks, 465 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,119 Speaker 1: and yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, And there's no thought that 466 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: needs to go into because like to your point, it's 467 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:09,160 Speaker 1: just like they're just sort of um like drafting off 468 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:12,679 Speaker 1: of the cultural momentum of racism that already exists, like 469 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:14,359 Speaker 1: to the point where we don't really some people just 470 00:26:14,359 --> 00:26:16,600 Speaker 1: don't even need facts. It's the fact that they are 471 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 1: black women is quite literally enough exactly. And I think 472 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:23,879 Speaker 1: that there they knew that their base for them that 473 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,119 Speaker 1: would be enough. They didn't need any other kind of proof. 474 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 1: Just the fact that black women were in the mix 475 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: in Georgia enough said. And this led to really like 476 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:38,200 Speaker 1: like an uptick in very scary online harassment. She says 477 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: that she got so many threats wishing death upon her. 478 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:43,160 Speaker 1: One of them said should be in jail with her mother, 479 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:46,199 Speaker 1: and saying things like you should be glad it's not 480 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty, which is obviously like a pretty obvious threat 481 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,680 Speaker 1: to like lynch her or reference to lynching. So being 482 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:58,000 Speaker 1: a flapper, yeah, they're not talking about like being a 483 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:01,440 Speaker 1: bootlegger or something. Yeah, that's a that's a inching reference, right, 484 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: And so it really goes to show how you know, 485 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:17,040 Speaker 1: we're not talking about just mean messages on the internet. 486 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:21,160 Speaker 1: We're talking about very, very threats. But these women went 487 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,159 Speaker 1: through because of these lives. I want to play another 488 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: clip of their testimony talking about how this affected their 489 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 1: everyday life. Now. I won't even introduce my self by 490 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:37,040 Speaker 1: my name anymore. I get nervous when I bump into 491 00:27:37,119 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 1: someone I know in the grocery store who says my name. 492 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:46,760 Speaker 1: I'm heard about who's listening. I get nervous when I 493 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,600 Speaker 1: have to give my name for food orders. I'm always 494 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:54,800 Speaker 1: concerned of who's around me. I've lost my name, and 495 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 1: I've lost my reputation. I've lost my sense of security 496 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:04,960 Speaker 1: m all because a group of people, starting with number 497 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:11,520 Speaker 1: forty five and his allah, Rudy Giuliani, decided to scapegoat 498 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:15,480 Speaker 1: me and my door to shape to push their own 499 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:21,680 Speaker 1: lines about how the presidential election was stolen. It honestly 500 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: boils my blood to hear her talk about how this 501 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:28,160 Speaker 1: reputation and name that had meant so much to her, 502 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:30,639 Speaker 1: Like she talked about how she used to wear her 503 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:33,439 Speaker 1: name bedazzled on her hat, on her shirts, on her 504 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:35,720 Speaker 1: persons because she was so proud of her name and 505 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:38,400 Speaker 1: now she doesn't even introduce herself by name anymore, and 506 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:41,760 Speaker 1: that is what Trump and Giuliani took from her. It's heartbreaking. 507 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,280 Speaker 1: You know, these these women were pillars of their community 508 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 1: and now they're you know, basically resigned to a life 509 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:53,400 Speaker 1: of hiding for their own safety. Yeah, it's it's so 510 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:57,479 Speaker 1: hard to, like you say here that because there's so 511 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 1: many levels of loss that are being experienced by this woman, Like, 512 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 1: you know, just in the context of slavery, right, you've 513 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 1: already lost your identity in your name through chattel slavery, 514 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:16,400 Speaker 1: through the Middle passage, Like you've completely been severed from 515 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: your sense of belonging or identity just from being forcibly 516 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:23,800 Speaker 1: brought to this land. And then to go through all 517 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:25,800 Speaker 1: the other things that black people have to have to 518 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:30,040 Speaker 1: go through since the end of slavery, and to have 519 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,720 Speaker 1: someone like this who still believes that this country is 520 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:36,320 Speaker 1: worth saying, you know what, this is a way that 521 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 1: I feel like I can give back because this is 522 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:41,960 Speaker 1: giving me something, and I and I have this exchange 523 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,040 Speaker 1: feels fair. To only have that lead to something like 524 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 1: this where now you you're doubling back and saying I've 525 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:51,040 Speaker 1: lost my name I've lost my ability to even have 526 00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: pride in myself. That's like such a level of like, like, 527 00:29:56,440 --> 00:30:00,560 Speaker 1: the dimensions of loss are so profound that it's not 528 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:03,120 Speaker 1: just like and I can't even go on Twitter anymore. 529 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:09,320 Speaker 1: It's no, I've actually become afraid to identify myself because 530 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:13,480 Speaker 1: someone's lies are fueling a bunch of violent thoughts and 531 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 1: deeds from other people. That's really funny. It's really hard 532 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:20,719 Speaker 1: to hear that because she doesn't deserve that. And I 533 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:24,480 Speaker 1: really feel bad when people are so invested in how 534 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:27,000 Speaker 1: good this country is and wanting to stick up for 535 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:30,480 Speaker 1: it and fight for it, and you're getting crumbs back constantly. 536 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:32,960 Speaker 1: And there's another part of that too that feels it's 537 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 1: really difficult for me to watch and like kind of 538 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: reckon with as I see this all happen. Is the 539 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:39,600 Speaker 1: same thing with like that one Capital police officer, that 540 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:43,200 Speaker 1: one black officer who was fighting off this whole crowd, 541 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:46,040 Speaker 1: And I'm like, in a way, I'm like, for what, man, 542 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:50,520 Speaker 1: because what are they given? I mean, what how has 543 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:52,760 Speaker 1: how have things? How have those how have the needs 544 00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:56,560 Speaker 1: of our community actually been heard or met? But somehow 545 00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:59,920 Speaker 1: the resilience to come back and keep believing. It's like 546 00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:03,200 Speaker 1: it's it like makes me feel bad that I'm cynical. 547 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:04,719 Speaker 1: It makes me feel like, I don't know, is that 548 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:06,440 Speaker 1: the Is that the best place to put my energy 549 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:09,440 Speaker 1: or not. But that's just I think that's always the 550 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:12,360 Speaker 1: darkness that exists when you look at these kinds of 551 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 1: situations where especially Black Americans are like, I actually believe 552 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 1: in the good of this country, only to have your 553 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:22,040 Speaker 1: own blackness weaponized against you to the point that you 554 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 1: have you've you're in hiding. It's just this level of 555 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:32,880 Speaker 1: docks sing is it's like so inhumane and cruel, like 556 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:35,720 Speaker 1: they're they're they're literally in the amount of they didn't 557 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 1: have to be there. They didn't have to they didn't 558 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:39,480 Speaker 1: have to work in the in the voting polls, they 559 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:41,520 Speaker 1: didn't have to help people. They were there to help 560 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:44,520 Speaker 1: people vote. They were there to help people vote, and 561 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,840 Speaker 1: they've now docks them to the point that they're afraid 562 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: to use their own name. That is that that is America, 563 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:55,880 Speaker 1: and that is disgusting. Just yeah, I just wish um 564 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: it's funny. You know, like my grandmother she loved it 565 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:02,640 Speaker 1: as flashy the black woman. You go to church, you 566 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,000 Speaker 1: put your nice wig on, you know what I mean, 567 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:10,840 Speaker 1: the wild metallic jacket and stuff that's like part of culturally, 568 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:13,760 Speaker 1: that's part of how we have a sense of pride 569 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:18,400 Speaker 1: of what little we have we have left because we 570 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:24,560 Speaker 1: were completely excluded from the the fruits of slave labor, 571 00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:28,760 Speaker 1: you know. And then to even say, like there's something 572 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:31,440 Speaker 1: I can see like you like, you know, some people 573 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 1: can easily identify with what you're talking about. Other people 574 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,040 Speaker 1: may have a harder time. But that was another part 575 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:38,560 Speaker 1: that really is hard to hear, is like I used 576 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:42,240 Speaker 1: to like to wear my things, Like the little bits 577 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:44,239 Speaker 1: of joy that she was able to extract from her 578 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,800 Speaker 1: life were taken away from her. And I think that's it, 579 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:51,000 Speaker 1: and how easily and how quickly that happens should really 580 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,080 Speaker 1: be frightening for all people and not just people who 581 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: are are black or women or people of color. It's 582 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:58,600 Speaker 1: the idea that like this is kind of the game 583 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 1: that people are playing now. They're like, you know, will 584 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:02,560 Speaker 1: lie on you and we don't care what the toll 585 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: is because we'll just sick a mob on you. Yeah, 586 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: it's it's difficult to hear me to to listen to 587 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:11,680 Speaker 1: what you're saying. She reminds me so much of my 588 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: own mother and grandmother, who also like to wear their 589 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:17,240 Speaker 1: big hats and dress flashy and be bedazzled and have 590 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 1: long nails, and that that's part of a cultural identity 591 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:23,680 Speaker 1: of what makes them who they are. It's it's a 592 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:25,760 Speaker 1: beautiful way that they express who they are to the world. 593 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:31,000 Speaker 1: And weaponizing your own identity against you having these things 594 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 1: that make you feel like you, that make you feel 595 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 1: like you're showing up in the world and telling the 596 00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:39,480 Speaker 1: world who you are. Turning those things against you is 597 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:43,000 Speaker 1: a different kind of cruelty that I that I don't 598 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:46,920 Speaker 1: know that everybody can really understand what that is like. No, 599 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:48,960 Speaker 1: because you look at people who are like, well, these 600 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:51,120 Speaker 1: other people have been canceled on the right or whatever, 601 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:52,840 Speaker 1: and like they're a shamed or whatever. It's like, no, man, 602 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:55,440 Speaker 1: Kyle Rittenhouse can walk into some bar in Texas and 603 00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:58,400 Speaker 1: they'll cheer for him, and he'll be out here with 604 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:02,000 Speaker 1: his chest outing I'm Kyle House. You know what I mean. 605 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:06,280 Speaker 1: That's he hasn't lost anything, He's only gained something because 606 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:10,080 Speaker 1: he's it's only rallied more violent people like people around him. 607 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:14,120 Speaker 1: Whereas this is just like to your point, weaponizing your 608 00:34:14,160 --> 00:34:17,440 Speaker 1: own existence against you. That is a that battles lost 609 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:20,960 Speaker 1: basically immediately, at least psychologically for the person who is 610 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:25,279 Speaker 1: the subject of it. It's really heartbreaking. Yeah. Then like 611 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:29,480 Speaker 1: part of me was liked, stop fucking helping this place. 612 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:33,160 Speaker 1: They don't give a funk look at what they do, 613 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:36,239 Speaker 1: you know what I mean? And but there, But I 614 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:39,200 Speaker 1: think it's really important to not become that. You can't 615 00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:41,800 Speaker 1: get to that level of cynicism if you are going 616 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:44,560 Speaker 1: to continue. And that's a huge lesson I think most 617 00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:47,840 Speaker 1: Black people carry within them, is you. I mean, you 618 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:50,640 Speaker 1: can't give up because we could have given up, We 619 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:53,759 Speaker 1: could have given up hundreds of years ago. But there 620 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,080 Speaker 1: has to be that sense that there is something on 621 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 1: the other side of it to keep you going. That 622 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:02,160 Speaker 1: it's when it comes out in the kind of cruel 623 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:05,000 Speaker 1: way to like use the optimism of these women to say, 624 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:06,799 Speaker 1: you know what, I think, I think this could be 625 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,320 Speaker 1: something good, and then it turned into something just the 626 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:13,160 Speaker 1: antithesis of that, just tragedy upon tragedy. Yeah, this is 627 00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:15,759 Speaker 1: one of those situations that makes it, to your point, 628 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:20,440 Speaker 1: makes it really hard for me to be optimistic about 629 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:25,160 Speaker 1: the state of things. Like they were just so cruelly 630 00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:29,040 Speaker 1: discarded and used, and no amount of money can make 631 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:31,040 Speaker 1: up for what they went through, Like they should get 632 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:32,719 Speaker 1: all the money they deserve, all the money they should 633 00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:35,239 Speaker 1: sue everybody. No amount of money will make up for 634 00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:38,160 Speaker 1: what they have been through. Yeah, unless you have like 635 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,920 Speaker 1: a gigantic neuralizer from Men in Black and you can 636 00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:42,719 Speaker 1: just aim it at the whole state of Georgia and 637 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:44,319 Speaker 1: be like, yo, look up in the sky real quickly. 638 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: All right, girl, put your bejeweled hat back on, you 639 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 1: do it? Ruby? Like that really would be the only way, truly. 640 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:54,600 Speaker 1: So we've talked about what Ruby and Shay went through, 641 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:57,200 Speaker 1: and next week on part two, we'll be looking at 642 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:00,240 Speaker 1: the major players who are behind the harassment campaign against them. 643 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:04,600 Speaker 1: Spoiler alert, Kanye West and r Kelly are like tangentially involved, 644 00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:07,400 Speaker 1: and will also be looking at the wider impact that 645 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:10,239 Speaker 1: the normalization of attacks on election workers like Luby and 646 00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:16,160 Speaker 1: Shay have for all of us. Internet Hate Machine is 647 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:18,880 Speaker 1: a production of cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from 648 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:21,439 Speaker 1: cool Zone Media, check out our website cool zone media 649 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:23,839 Speaker 1: dot com, or find us on the I Heart Radio app, 650 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:26,520 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.