1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: There Are No Girls on the Internet, as a production 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio and Unbossed Creative. I'm Bridget Todd 3 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: and this is there are No Girls on the Internet. 4 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: So this is gonna be a little bit of a 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: weird episode. Uh, just right off the bat, I should 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: say I have COVID, So if I don't sound like 7 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: my normal self, it's probably because I've spent the last 8 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: few days in bed with a fever and partly because 9 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: I have COVID. I am joined by my producer and 10 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 1: chief science officer, Michael to just make sure that I 11 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: don't say anything wildly out of pocket and what I'm 12 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: feeling so feverish. Michael, thank you so much for helping 13 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: me out here. Yeah, happy to be part of it. 14 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,159 Speaker 1: You know, just keep a watchful eye, make sure everything 15 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: stays on the right side of the science. I mean, 16 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: it's funny. We were talking earlier off Mike and I 17 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: was not planning on making an episode today. Um, I 18 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: partly because I am not feeling well, but also just 19 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: because like there has been so much going on, you know, 20 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: with Elon Musk buying Twitter, which I have really come 21 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:19,760 Speaker 1: to see as our largest and perhaps most influential digital 22 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: communication platform when it comes to getting real time news, 23 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: and so I guess I was just feeling a little 24 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: bit strange. Here we are on the eve of election night, 25 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 1: where you and I are recording this on Monday evening, 26 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: and I wasn't planning on doing an episode, and you know, 27 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: we were talking about the election and sort of how 28 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: we were thinking and where we were at, and I 29 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: realized that I was actually feeling quite anxious and that 30 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: I was feeling I don't know, just a lot of feelings. 31 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: And you know, one of the ways that I process 32 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: things is via podcasting, via having conversations with the listeners 33 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: and helping myself sort out how I'm feeling. And we 34 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: figured why not bring it to the pod. So it's 35 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: gonna be a little bit of a different episode, but 36 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: I did want to get on the mic on this 37 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: election day eve. Yeah, and thank you for having me here. 38 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: I'm excited to process it with you. I it's pretty 39 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: understandable to imagine that you would feel a little anxious, 40 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,959 Speaker 1: unsure about what's going to happen because it's a pretty 41 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: big election and also other things happening. Yeah, it's a 42 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: pretty big election, and I think I had a moment 43 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: of really thinking about what's at stake for so many 44 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:31,919 Speaker 1: of us, particularly marginalized people, And as someone who was 45 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: a background in things like disinformation, digital communication media, I 46 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: thought it might be a good opportunity to really have 47 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: a conversation about the kinds of miss and discs and 48 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 1: mal information that I am sure we are going to 49 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: be seeing tomorrow. We've already seen a lot of it 50 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: up until the elections, and what we're gonna see in 51 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:58,640 Speaker 1: the aftermath of the elections, And I thought that might 52 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: be a helpful just sort of level set for folks 53 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: and just generally talk through some of the ways that 54 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: we know inaccurate misleading content is going to be showing 55 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,079 Speaker 1: up in this election. And so before we start any 56 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: of that, I do just want to level set on terms. 57 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: I realized that I tend to throw around a lot 58 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 1: of terms that people maybe don't know. Maybe people do 59 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: know these terms, and this is like old news, But 60 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: so three kinds of inaccurate or misleading information we're gonna 61 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: be talking about today are misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. Mike, 62 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: I know that you know some of those terms from 63 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: your work producing our series on disinformation called Disinformed about 64 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: a year ago. Are you, like, do you do you 65 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: want me to to give you the definitions of those 66 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 1: terms just as we go forward in this episode. Yeah. Well, 67 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: I've been around for a little while while you've been, uh, 68 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: you know, producing these podcasts about these different types of 69 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: inaccurate information, and I feel like I've got a pretty 70 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: good handle on miss information being information that it's just 71 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: not true, but somebody really doesn't have any malicious intent 72 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: for spreading it. Uh. Disinformation, I've heard is a damn lie. 73 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: That's you. That's you. Okay, so you've been either popping 74 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: into trainings I've done, because that's that's my little line 75 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: about how to tell the difference between this and misinformation. Uh, 76 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: misinformation is misleading information. Disinformation that's a damn lie. Somebody 77 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: is trying to intentionally funk with you by lying. Yeah, right, 78 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,599 Speaker 1: So I've heard that a couple of times now from me, 79 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,240 Speaker 1: from you makes sense, nice and clear. Disinformation it's a 80 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: damn lie, got it. Malinformation is kind of a new 81 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:48,039 Speaker 1: one for me. Oh my god, I'm so glad you 82 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: asked so malan from I guess you didn't really ask, 83 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 1: but it was a question. Yeah, it was a statement masinformation. Yes, 84 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: malinformation is really important. It's one that we I guess 85 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 1: for myself. I do a lot of train things on misinformation, disinformation, 86 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: health books can combat it all of that. One that 87 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 1: I've I've only recently started adding more into the conversation 88 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: is a malinformation. Malinformation is information that is technically correct, 89 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: but it's taken out of context by somebody that probably 90 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:23,279 Speaker 1: has an agenda, right, And so it's videos where the 91 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,679 Speaker 1: videos are not doctored. The person in the video said 92 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,279 Speaker 1: that thing, but that thing is then taken out of 93 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:34,160 Speaker 1: context to make some larger point that is probably misleading. 94 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: And so you can really think of it as like 95 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,600 Speaker 1: misinformation is if there anything like me when your mom 96 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: sends you, you know, things she saw on Facebook about 97 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: how if you get into your car and somebody has 98 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 1: put a dollar bill under your under your wiper, don't 99 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 1: touch it because that's how sex traffickers get you. And 100 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: it's a new way that sex traffickers are trying to 101 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:57,839 Speaker 1: get you by putting a dollar bill on your windshield. 102 00:05:58,000 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: And it also probably has fencing all on it. And 103 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: if you talk to that, you're definitely gonna die. Uh 104 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: my mom, God, lover doesn't know if these things are 105 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: true or not. Necessarily, it just comes on her Facebook 106 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: page and she's sharing it just in case. She's not 107 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,159 Speaker 1: doing it out of malicious intent. She is doing it because, 108 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:18,360 Speaker 1: you know, let me just share this in case it's 109 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:21,280 Speaker 1: it's true, right, And so misinformation somebody is not trying 110 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:25,479 Speaker 1: to not necessarily trying to intentionally mislead you. Disinformation a 111 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: damn lie. They are trying to intentionally lie to you, knowingly, 112 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: to spread chaos or confusion or fear. And malinformation is 113 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: technically accurate content that is taken out of context or 114 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: misrepresented to make a larger point that is inaccurate or misleading. 115 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 1: So those are the sort of terms we're gonna be 116 00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:47,159 Speaker 1: throwing around in this episode where we talk about some 117 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: of the things that you should definitely be on the 118 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: lookout for as we go into election Stay tomorrow. Well, 119 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:54,920 Speaker 1: I appreciate that, and as the chief science officer, I 120 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: appreciate that we have gone from two different types of 121 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:03,279 Speaker 1: inaccurate information to three. That feels like increase in our 122 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: understanding of these lies. Yeah, I mean, I really got 123 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: a shout out. Dr Joan Danovan, friend of the show. 124 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: She uses the term medium manipulation, which I think is 125 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: a good one because I don't know, I feel like 126 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: disinformation is almost kind of become like a buzzword a 127 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,360 Speaker 1: little bit where people are just the definition of it 128 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: has become so watered down that it's become a little 129 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: bit of a cliche. And so she likes to use 130 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: the term medium manipulation um, which also counts for things 131 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: that you see on Twitter, just sort of get back 132 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 1: to the roots of the fact that we're talking about 133 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:40,679 Speaker 1: a citizenry being manipulated via what they see on digital 134 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 1: media and so whether you're talking about misinformation, malinformation, disinformation, 135 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: that is really at the heart of what we're talking about. 136 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: And so I really wanted to get into some of 137 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: the things to look out for as we go into 138 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:55,720 Speaker 1: our election day today. Um. And one, I guess the 139 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 1: first bucket it's just sort of general I guess I'm 140 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 1: calling it sort of the general isms racism, sexism, um, 141 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: you know, homophobia, massagyny. Essentially the idea that because of 142 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 1: someone's identity that is going to impact what kind of 143 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: leader they can be. That's something that we have seen 144 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: so much of in this election, I'm sorry to say, 145 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: and it can be kind of difficult to see. Some 146 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: of it is very blatant, but some of it is 147 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: like a little bit more difficult to see. Um. But 148 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: some things to look out for that I'm we've already 149 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:33,680 Speaker 1: seen in the midterms and we're definitely gonna be seeing 150 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 1: today on election Day. One, things like baselessly connecting black 151 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: candidates to crime or lawlessness. I saw a pretty, i guess, 152 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: i'll say, horrific example of this in the North Carolina, 153 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 1: a hotly contested race in North Carolina with a Ted 154 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:56,080 Speaker 1: Bud up against Sherry Beasley, and in an ad that 155 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:59,319 Speaker 1: Ted Bud put out, they I mean they basically all 156 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,440 Speaker 1: but call her at a file because Sherry Beasley struck 157 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: down a bipartisan law requiring GPS tracking for child predators, 158 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:09,840 Speaker 1: a monster. I was able to hear that at It's horrific. 159 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: She's she's a monster. She wants to like rape and 160 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: kill my child. I mean that ad definitely makes it 161 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: seem that way. I mean, how many people has she 162 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,520 Speaker 1: personally murdered? It must have been dozens of children, you 163 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:28,440 Speaker 1: would think, right, Okay, So essentially this ad kind of 164 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 1: blames Beasley for a decision from her time on the 165 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: North Carolina Supreme Court, and they blame this decision on 166 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:39,679 Speaker 1: the you know, horrific attack by a three time convicted 167 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 1: sex offender named Tory Grady. So what actually is going 168 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: on is that back in twenty nineteen, Beasley joined a 169 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:49,079 Speaker 1: four or two majority that struck down a law requiring 170 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: automatic lifetime monitoring for anyone convicted at least twice for 171 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 1: the same offense. That decision concluded that such tracking violated 172 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 1: the Fourth Amendment and emphasized that most states do not 173 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 1: have any sort of lifetime tracking or monitoring. And so essentially, 174 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:08,800 Speaker 1: you know, this is from the Carolina Journal. The case 175 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 1: was not whether or not Grady had committed the crime. 176 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: It was not whether or not he deserved forgiveness. The 177 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 1: case was about whether anyone who served his time and 178 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: it was no longer even on and it was no 179 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:22,160 Speaker 1: longer even on parole or probation, could have their every 180 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,960 Speaker 1: move tracked and monitored and recorded for the rest of 181 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:30,200 Speaker 1: their life, right. And so essentially Beasley joined a majority 182 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:32,719 Speaker 1: on this decision that no, it is it is not 183 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:37,199 Speaker 1: constitutional that somebody who is not on parole, not on probation, 184 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:39,559 Speaker 1: is not in the system in any way. At this point, 185 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: should have their their behavior monitored for the rest of 186 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 1: their life. And the AD really misleadingly claims that GPS 187 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 1: tracking was instituted under a bipartisan law quote until Cherry 188 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 1: Beasley struck it down, and that Beasley ruled that it 189 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:59,719 Speaker 1: violated the child predators privacy. But that's just not true, right, 190 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,640 Speaker 1: there is that decision made, did no such thing. If 191 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:07,080 Speaker 1: you are someone who is on parole, you absolutely can 192 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 1: be monitored and tracked by the state. Them saying that 193 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,959 Speaker 1: GPS tracking has been struck down, it's just not true. 194 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:17,199 Speaker 1: That's just a fabrication. And so it's one of the 195 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: it's one of those situations where it is a little 196 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 1: bit nuanced, right, I understand what they're doing. They're completely 197 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: flattening out what actually happened in this way to make 198 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: it sound very scary that, oh, Cherry Beasley decided that 199 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 1: a child predator should have their privacy protected, and that 200 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: child predator went on to attack a child in a 201 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 1: horrific way. And it's so savvy how they are able 202 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:47,679 Speaker 1: to reframe the facts and what actually happened in this 203 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 1: way that it's just misleading. It doesn't tell the whole truth. 204 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:55,079 Speaker 1: And I feel like it doesn't actually help North Carolina 205 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 1: voters get a better sense of what actually happened, just 206 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:03,560 Speaker 1: completely misrepresents what happened. Yeah, that's absolutely right. That ad 207 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:10,960 Speaker 1: is really it's like a great textbook example of logical 208 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: fallacies of uh, I guess, deductive reasoning. I don't know 209 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 1: where they Obviously she was weighing in on this case 210 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 1: that had to do with general North Carolina law and 211 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:32,120 Speaker 1: affected the entire population of North Carolina. And whoever created 212 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:38,839 Speaker 1: this ad has chosen the single one worst case scenario 213 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 1: of what happened as a result of that decision. And 214 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 1: that's just so disingenuous. And there's like, if that's the 215 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,560 Speaker 1: criteria by which any policy is going to be judged, 216 00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 1: they will all fail. Everything will be horrible. Absolutely, And 217 00:12:57,240 --> 00:12:59,520 Speaker 1: it's something that we've seen quite a bit of. I 218 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:04,320 Speaker 1: remember definitely saw this when Umtanti Brown Jackson was being 219 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 1: confirmed as the first black woman Supreme Court justice. But 220 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:11,320 Speaker 1: if you remember, I think it was Josh Paulie did 221 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:15,439 Speaker 1: almost the exact same thing where they were accusing Justice 222 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: Jackson of being like soft on pedophiles or soft on 223 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:24,080 Speaker 1: crime because of one decision that she had made in 224 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:26,319 Speaker 1: her career, and it was like, you know, there was 225 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: a whole thing where she was like, it's not my 226 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 1: job to you know, this is it's not my job 227 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 1: to interpret like sentencing. That's not what I do. But 228 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 1: the way that they're able to create I would argue 229 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: a really unfair playing field for women of color, people 230 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 1: who are originalized that they can't possibly live up to. 231 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:49,079 Speaker 1: And so this is like a very common tactic of 232 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: people who are interested in kind of doing these coded 233 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:56,680 Speaker 1: attacks on marginalized people who are running for public office. 234 00:13:56,760 --> 00:14:00,240 Speaker 1: You mentioned that, you know, this is particularly particular, really 235 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: weaponized against the marginalized people. Do you have other examples 236 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 1: beyond Cherry Beasley? Yeah, I mean, I think in the 237 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:11,439 Speaker 1: way that we've seen certain buzzwords be flung around to 238 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 1: specifically black candidates, black women in particular. You know, buzzwordsider 239 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 1: at this point essentially just dog whistles. Biden, Warnock and 240 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: Abram's are woke communists, leftists who hate this country. Okay, 241 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 1: So something that sticks out at me about this is 242 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 1: the use of the word the words communist and woke. 243 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: As far as I know, I don't believe that Warnock, 244 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: Stacy Abrams or Joe Biden have officially endorsed communism like 245 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 1: a very specific thing. And I also think it's interesting 246 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: how they say, like, oh, woke gone laws. What does 247 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 1: woke mean? Right? Like at this point when someone says, oh, 248 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: though they're woke agenda, basically what they're meaning is that, 249 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 1: like that person is black, they don't give you any 250 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: specific you know, the thing that they think is woke. 251 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: It's just the woke agenda. And so I've definitely seen 252 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:12,320 Speaker 1: an uptick in this when it comes to black candidates 253 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,640 Speaker 1: where just like, oh, if you want woke policies, that's 254 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:21,520 Speaker 1: what they give. Yet, yeah, it's It was an interesting 255 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 1: add because I feel like the actual descriptions of the 256 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 1: policies that Biden and Warnock and I guess they she abrams. 257 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 1: It's not really clear who the ad was against, but 258 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 1: like the policies they were describing actually sounded pretty good, 259 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: like banning Air fifteen. That kind of sounds like a 260 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: good idea to me. And there was one about like 261 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: red flag laws, like yeah, maybe some people, maybe there 262 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,960 Speaker 1: should be occasions where red flags disqualify someone from gun 263 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: ownership in an intensely concentrated, dense society. Mike it sounds 264 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: like you're endorsing what we know are bow gets mental 265 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:05,000 Speaker 1: health exams. Well, that's the thing. It's like, the actual 266 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 1: policies were totally reasonable sounding, and it was only like 267 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: they're woke, they're totally bogus, they're communists, they're far let 268 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 1: radical left. It's like they had to just layer on 269 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: these descriptors because the actual policies themselves, I believe are 270 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 1: actually popular among most of the American people. I guess 271 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: I can't speak to the Georgia electorate, but I suspect 272 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: most Georgians would be in favor of some sort of 273 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: reasonable gun restrictions. I don't know most people in most 274 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:44,280 Speaker 1: parts of the country are I don't know Georgia in particular. 275 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 1: I mean, anything sounds unreasonable if you say it like this, 276 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 1: if you say it's communist, okay. So I have one 277 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:56,720 Speaker 1: way example for you, and this is this is an 278 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: example that kind of paints me because it's an issue 279 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 1: that boy, I hate to see how it's taken off 280 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 1: under Gretchen Whitmer. The radicals who want a drag queen 281 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: in every classroom. So there's a lot going on in 282 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:14,320 Speaker 1: this ad One they say that Gretchen Whitmer, who is 283 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:18,160 Speaker 1: running in Michigan, wants to put quote a drag queen 284 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 1: in every classroom. First of all, I want to go 285 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: to that school queen in every classroom. So, first of all, 286 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: that's not even something that Gretchen Witmer said. Michigan Democratic 287 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:33,200 Speaker 1: Attorney General Dana Nestle said that in a speech, and 288 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 1: she was like, oh, and and she said this was 289 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,680 Speaker 1: in June. She said that she was joking, and it was. 290 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: It was a joke about her frustration with politicians who 291 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:44,239 Speaker 1: focus on these quote wedge issues that divide us, right, 292 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:48,360 Speaker 1: and a teacher in every classroom. You know, we don't 293 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 1: have the funding for drag queens in there. Have you 294 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,560 Speaker 1: seen the makeup the outfits that heals like, it's a 295 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 1: lot of money to put a directqueen in a classroom. Yeah, 296 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: we cannot afford that. Let's just focus on teachers. So 297 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:02,239 Speaker 1: this not even something that Gretchen Whitmer says. And and 298 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:06,280 Speaker 1: yet in this attack ad it attributes that quote that 299 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:08,640 Speaker 1: she never said to her, and even the person who 300 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 1: did say it says they were just joking and that 301 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:13,880 Speaker 1: line was taken out of context. But even beyond that, 302 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:18,400 Speaker 1: it's clear that this ad is really trafficking and identity 303 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: based attacks, right, that a vote for aggretgion wit Mere 304 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:25,119 Speaker 1: is a vote for someone who wants to quote indoctrinate 305 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 1: our kids with gender theory. And it's really just more 306 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: of what we've seen of attacks and further criminalization on 307 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 1: trans youth in schools. Um, which I you know, I 308 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 1: hate that it has become a winning strategy for extremists 309 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,800 Speaker 1: to further marginalize a group that is already so marginalized. 310 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:49,119 Speaker 1: Our fucking babies, our youth. Um. Yeah. And so not 311 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:53,399 Speaker 1: only does this ad include a completely incorrect attack on 312 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: Gretchen Whitmyer attributing something that she never said to her, 313 00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:59,919 Speaker 1: but it also is just a further attack on trans 314 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,880 Speaker 1: youth and anybody who would dare to support trans youth 315 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 1: or be an ally to trans use. And it's it's 316 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:07,959 Speaker 1: meant to it's not just an attack on them. I 317 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,800 Speaker 1: think it's meant to scare parents. It's meant to scare 318 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:17,320 Speaker 1: parents that people like Gretchen Whitmer, who sensibly want to 319 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: be allies to trans you trans youth or support trans 320 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:26,359 Speaker 1: youth in schools are coming to pervert and attack your 321 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: children and you parents should be afraid. And it's so 322 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:31,720 Speaker 1: clear to me who like what this ad is meant 323 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: to do. They certainly are not talking to the parents 324 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:39,440 Speaker 1: of trans youth, you know, they are trying to pit 325 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 1: parents of kids who are not trans against trans youth. 326 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 1: And I think it's just it's just disgusting. And so 327 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:49,880 Speaker 1: when we talk about sort of the kinds of isms 328 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 1: in the attacks that I know that we're going to 329 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 1: see more of on election date today that we've already 330 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:55,879 Speaker 1: seen in the lead up to the election, this is 331 00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:59,520 Speaker 1: exactly what I mean. Yeah, it's like an ignorance based 332 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:05,160 Speaker 1: tack right Like it it attacks Gretchen Whitmer for wanting 333 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:10,439 Speaker 1: to push sex and gender theory on children, uh, but 334 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:14,120 Speaker 1: then also says boys and girls are different, I know 335 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:16,679 Speaker 1: the difference. It's like, well, how do you know, like right, 336 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:19,600 Speaker 1: like maybe there's some theory behind the difference, Like why 337 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:26,240 Speaker 1: is it so taboo to even talk about gender If 338 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:30,720 Speaker 1: it's like so crucial to you that this dichotomous gender exists, 339 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:36,520 Speaker 1: Why is the very idea that somebody might like talk 340 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:40,479 Speaker 1: about it and you know, apply some evidence to inform 341 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,879 Speaker 1: theories of what it is. Why is that so deeply 342 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 1: threatening exactly, and I I mean, lady, maybe you're not 343 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 1: a doctor, and maybe you should shut the funk up. 344 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:54,600 Speaker 1: But that's like what I'm like whenever, whenever I hear that, 345 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 1: I'm just like, maybe you don't know anybody who is trans. 346 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: Maybe you don't have any kind of educational background or 347 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: expertise in this. Maybe you have no idea what you're 348 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:07,879 Speaker 1: talking about, and you should just stop talking about it. 349 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,240 Speaker 1: Like like, I'm to the point on this now where 350 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: I'm like, why are you positive? Like why are you 351 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:15,760 Speaker 1: one fucking television talking about trans youth? Like like, what 352 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,360 Speaker 1: do you even know about it? Right? Like why are 353 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:25,159 Speaker 1: you attacking the very idea of talking about it, investigating it, 354 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:32,600 Speaker 1: understanding what gender is? It's yeah, it's revealing. What's so funny? 355 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:34,639 Speaker 1: You're You're right on the money. What's so funny? Is it? 356 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:37,200 Speaker 1: It's like in that ad, she's like, I don't think 357 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,000 Speaker 1: that we should be talking to our kids about gender, 358 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:43,320 Speaker 1: but I do believe that that boys and girls are different, 359 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 1: and that's very important to me. Yeah. So that so, 360 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:50,159 Speaker 1: which is it? Which is it? Right? Either gender is 361 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:52,920 Speaker 1: this important thing or it's not an important thing. It's 362 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:56,399 Speaker 1: obviously an important thing. Maybe we should teach kids about 363 00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: it exactly. Yeah, But again, we we digress. Let's stay 364 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 1: focused on the election, what we're going to be seeing 365 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 1: on election day. Let's take a quick break at our back. 366 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: So another topic that frankly, I I guess I feel 367 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: comfortable saying should not be quote divisive. I don't think 368 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:35,800 Speaker 1: that just the existence of trans youth trying to live 369 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:38,879 Speaker 1: their lives should be divisive. But here we are. Another 370 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:41,000 Speaker 1: topic that I know that we're going to be seeing 371 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 1: a lot of disinformation and misinformation and our information around 372 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:48,679 Speaker 1: is abortion. We have already seen incumbents who are up 373 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:53,400 Speaker 1: for the election really backtracking on their records on abortion. 374 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: I can absolutely understand why they are very invested in 375 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: misrepresenting they actually stood when it comes to row and 376 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:07,560 Speaker 1: protecting abortion rights, because it's incredible, because it's incredibly their 377 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:11,520 Speaker 1: their stances are incredibly unpopular. Right, So, like we've seen 378 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 1: UM folks who are running for re election talk about 379 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: how like, oh, well, you know, it really just sent 380 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,320 Speaker 1: the issue back to the States. Things like that, trying 381 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:25,479 Speaker 1: to point people who are interested and invested in protecting 382 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:29,800 Speaker 1: abortion rights trying to paint us as the extremists. UM 383 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 1: we've seen candidates who are supportive of abortion access being 384 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 1: accused of quote partial birth abortions or quote late term abortions, 385 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:42,440 Speaker 1: which I always say this, those are not real terms. 386 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: They are not medical terms. They are terms that are 387 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 1: completely made up by anti abortion extremists. So in Oregon, 388 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,119 Speaker 1: Oregan Right to Life sent mailers making claims about what 389 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:56,199 Speaker 1: they call quote late term abortions. In Oregon, there are 390 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 1: a flyer that they sent out attacked Democratic candidate for 391 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:00,960 Speaker 1: the Senate, Mark Meek, who has been endorsed by a 392 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:02,960 Speaker 1: Planned Parenthood, And the flyer has a picture of a 393 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:06,200 Speaker 1: baby and it says babies have to watch their backs. 394 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 1: Radical Mark Meek wants to allow late term abortions right 395 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:14,600 Speaker 1: up until the moment of birth at taxpayer expense. Everything 396 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 1: about that isn't correct, Like nothing nothing in that statement 397 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 1: is true. Late term abortions isn't a thing that's that's 398 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,679 Speaker 1: not a real medical phrase. I feel like Pete Bouda 399 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,840 Speaker 1: Jag nailed this when he went on TV a while ago, 400 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 1: and he pointed out that like when you talk about 401 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:36,160 Speaker 1: somebody who's having an abortion at that period, it's because 402 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:41,360 Speaker 1: they intended to carry it to term and something terrible 403 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:49,200 Speaker 1: has happened. Nobody is choosing to terminate their pregnancy at 404 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: a late state like that, Yeah, you are a thousand 405 00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:55,960 Speaker 1: percent correct. And the fact that this mailer frames it 406 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,240 Speaker 1: as if Mark Meek endorses that, he's like, oh, I 407 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,760 Speaker 1: think that you know, you should be able to Yeah, 408 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:06,520 Speaker 1: it is like not happening, and I understand what they're doing. 409 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 1: It makes it makes someone who maybe doesn't know much 410 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:11,920 Speaker 1: about like like, if you're like a low information vote 411 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:14,240 Speaker 1: on the issue, you might not have thought about the 412 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:19,679 Speaker 1: fact that like somebody having to terminate a pregnancy at 413 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,639 Speaker 1: the moment of birth, like what that what the circumstances 414 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 1: would actually be around that, Maybe you haven't thought about it. 415 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:30,640 Speaker 1: They're making it seem as though doctors are essentially delivering 416 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,160 Speaker 1: babies and then killing them like out of the vagina 417 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:38,119 Speaker 1: into the garbage. Correct, So I think that you know, 418 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:40,440 Speaker 1: the organ Right to Life who put together these mailers 419 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:45,679 Speaker 1: are just banking on people not really thinking through what 420 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:49,200 Speaker 1: the circumstances would actually be for someone who would need 421 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: to terminate a pregnancy right up to the moment at birth, 422 00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:55,919 Speaker 1: and that they're banking on them thinking, oh, that person 423 00:25:56,080 --> 00:26:00,359 Speaker 1: is you know, they're banking on them having in consely 424 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:03,359 Speaker 1: negative reaction, and it just makes me sad because like, 425 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,120 Speaker 1: where is the empathy, Where is the empathy for someone 426 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 1: who would actually be in that situation when it comes 427 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 1: to abortion disinformation ahead of the midterms and in the midterms, 428 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 1: the thing that gets me is that we've allowed both 429 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: candidates electi officials and in some cases are media not 430 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: you know, fringe media, I mean like mainstream media outlets 431 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:28,720 Speaker 1: to frame abortion as this divisive issue where you know, 432 00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:32,399 Speaker 1: we have to do both sides because you know, people 433 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 1: disagree when the reality is that of Americans are supportive 434 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 1: of abortion access. There is not a pocket of America 435 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 1: anywhere where the majority of people are anti abortion, even 436 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: in deep red states. It is not a divisive issue. 437 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:53,959 Speaker 1: And the people who are against a protecting abortion access, 438 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:57,000 Speaker 1: they are the extremists. They're the ones who are widely 439 00:26:57,040 --> 00:26:59,439 Speaker 1: out of step with the will of the majority of 440 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:03,280 Speaker 1: the people. And that's why you see elected officials having 441 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,840 Speaker 1: to really lie about their stances on this because they 442 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,840 Speaker 1: know that those dances are are wildly unpopular. They know 443 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: that most people do not agree with those stances, and 444 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 1: that the only way that they can even talk about 445 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,120 Speaker 1: them in a way that would not have them like 446 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:20,639 Speaker 1: run out of office is to lie and the misrepresent them. 447 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,240 Speaker 1: And so I can understand why we see these folks 448 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:26,200 Speaker 1: backtracking on their records saying like, oh, we're just leaving 449 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:28,359 Speaker 1: after the States, because if they were to say the truth, 450 00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:30,960 Speaker 1: which is that like we're attacking abortion access, they know 451 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:33,119 Speaker 1: that that's not what people want. That is not what 452 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:37,159 Speaker 1: Americans want. It is non divisive issue. Whoever decided to 453 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 1: frame it that way really pulled a snow job on 454 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,320 Speaker 1: all of us because it's just not it's just not true. Yeah, 455 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 1: I think that's absolutely right, and I think the math 456 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 1: changed underneath them in a really big way where it's 457 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,399 Speaker 1: their position has always been unpopular, right like most Americans, 458 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:59,240 Speaker 1: I believe, since the beginning of America until now, have 459 00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:03,720 Speaker 1: been support of abortion rights and access to abortion. Most 460 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:08,800 Speaker 1: people support it, and so like people who starting in 461 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:10,879 Speaker 1: the seventies decided that it was going to be a 462 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 1: winning wedge issue for them, they've always had that difficult 463 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:19,960 Speaker 1: challenge of trying to sell an unpopular opinion, and it 464 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:24,640 Speaker 1: worked for them because it was intensely motivating to the 465 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:29,880 Speaker 1: subset of the population who like really intensely cared, and 466 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:36,040 Speaker 1: the majority of the voting populace UH did not have 467 00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 1: the same intense feelings. And now, following the Dobbs decision, UH, 468 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: they suddenly realized that they can't just continue to speak 469 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:52,400 Speaker 1: to this small group in these impassioned, over the top 470 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:56,160 Speaker 1: ways to like rile them up, because they realized that 471 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:59,320 Speaker 1: a much wider segment of the population is now listening, 472 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 1: and that wider signment of the population wants abortion access. 473 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:10,320 Speaker 1: That's something that it's just always been a given in 474 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:16,560 Speaker 1: society for like thousands of years, and it's just this 475 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:21,680 Speaker 1: recent cadre of right wing assholes who realized that they 476 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:27,040 Speaker 1: could like win some elections by pretending like it's some 477 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: radical position, which it obviously isn't. Yeah, people need to 478 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 1: have abortions. It's just just, yeah, we live in a society. 479 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:38,480 Speaker 1: People need to have abortions. I'm sorry that people don't 480 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:40,920 Speaker 1: like it, but like that's what it is. People need 481 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:44,160 Speaker 1: to have abortions. People are gonna have abortions. People been 482 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:51,040 Speaker 1: having abortions. Just let people sort out their own ship more. 483 00:29:51,080 --> 00:30:05,320 Speaker 1: After a quick break, let's get right back into it. 484 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:09,600 Speaker 1: So let's talk more about some of the miss and disinformation. 485 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: I know we're going to be seeing today on election 486 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 1: day about voting more generally. Um one, it's just sort 487 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:20,400 Speaker 1: of spreading fear, particularly fear to black and brown folks 488 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:24,880 Speaker 1: and marginalized voters. You know, every election year we see 489 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:29,360 Speaker 1: you know, oh, people are being arrested at the polls. Oh, 490 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:33,600 Speaker 1: a picture that purports to show ICE agents doing arrests 491 00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:37,840 Speaker 1: of undocumented folks at the polls. Oh. I always see 492 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 1: the little thing that's like, oh, they're checking for outstanding 493 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 1: warrants or child unpaid child support payments at the polls. Clearly, 494 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 1: these are tactics meant to scare black and brown voters. 495 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 1: And they're so savvy because they're clearly tactics that play 496 00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: into the very like rightful fear and baggage and trauma 497 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:05,840 Speaker 1: that black and brown folks have around being criminalized in 498 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 1: the United States. And so what's so fucked up is 499 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:15,080 Speaker 1: that oftentimes with disinformation and misinformation, it's it is the 500 00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:17,920 Speaker 1: reason why it works is because there's a grain of 501 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:20,000 Speaker 1: truth to it. There is one aspect to it that 502 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:24,120 Speaker 1: is accurate, and that one aspect is sort of blow 503 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 1: out of proportion or like misrepresented. And so it makes 504 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:31,040 Speaker 1: me so sad because in reality, we know there are 505 00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:34,840 Speaker 1: states where black and brown voters are being criminalized. Right 506 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:38,400 Speaker 1: in Florida, Folks with felonies on their records who were 507 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 1: told that who thought that they could vote, went to 508 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 1: register to vote and then the police showed up at 509 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: their door for voter fraud, right, And so we know 510 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,600 Speaker 1: that that happened, and we know that that is clearly 511 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:57,040 Speaker 1: meant to create a climate where folks who might have 512 00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 1: felonies on their records, folks who have so there there, 513 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:03,760 Speaker 1: you know, served their time, paid their death society are 514 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,160 Speaker 1: unclear on what's happening and are maybe just afraid. And 515 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 1: so I have to give it to the santists that 516 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 1: it is such a savvy move to put fear in 517 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:15,160 Speaker 1: the heart of people who are just trying to exercise 518 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: their civic duty of voting. And I mean, if you 519 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 1: were someone who had a felony on your record and 520 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,320 Speaker 1: you weren't sure whether or not you could vote, you 521 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:27,800 Speaker 1: feed these viral videos of folks, black and brown folks 522 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:31,520 Speaker 1: who thought they could vote. We're told they could vote, 523 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:35,120 Speaker 1: We're given the paperwork to vote, and then we're arrested. 524 00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:38,120 Speaker 1: I could understand why that would keep you from voting. 525 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:40,120 Speaker 1: I could understand why that would keep you from the polls. 526 00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: And it's sad to me that when I talk about 527 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:47,600 Speaker 1: sort of the lies around black voters being criminalized, that 528 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,200 Speaker 1: folks like the Santists have gone out of their way 529 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:54,760 Speaker 1: to make sure that that continues to be based in reality, 530 00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:57,080 Speaker 1: to make sure that that that that continues to have 531 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:01,440 Speaker 1: that bit of truth. And we they deserve so much 532 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:08,720 Speaker 1: better than leaders who are going to exploit our traumas 533 00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:12,680 Speaker 1: and baggage and anxieties as marginalized people living in this 534 00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: country that are so real for us. But this is 535 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:22,880 Speaker 1: what we have. Yeah, it's so disgusting and and sad 536 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:31,120 Speaker 1: to see people's right to vote attacked. And like you said, 537 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:39,040 Speaker 1: there's like a germ of truth in all successful disinformation campaigns, 538 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:43,400 Speaker 1: and there's more than a germ of truth in the 539 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 1: idea that like black and brown people have not had 540 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:48,240 Speaker 1: the easiest time voting in the United States, right, Like, 541 00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:54,720 Speaker 1: there's definitely like the right to vote was just categorically 542 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:58,400 Speaker 1: denied to black people for the first hundreds so years 543 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 1: of the United States, and ever since then, it's been 544 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: a fight. It's a constant fight. It's a fight in 545 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:13,360 Speaker 1: this election, and it's just so dispiriting, uh to me, 546 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:16,040 Speaker 1: and I can only imagine it's even more dispiriting to others. 547 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 1: But it's like, this is the core part of what 548 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:23,200 Speaker 1: it means to be like a participating citizen in republic 549 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:25,799 Speaker 1: is like you get to vote, You get to have 550 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:32,759 Speaker 1: a say in who leads the the county Highway Department 551 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:35,799 Speaker 1: or like the state dot or like whatever, or like 552 00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:38,560 Speaker 1: the governorship or the presidency or like passes the laws 553 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:40,440 Speaker 1: in Congress. You get to have a say. All the 554 00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:44,359 Speaker 1: citizens get to have a vote, and to attack that 555 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:52,360 Speaker 1: and undermine it is so antithetical to the whole enterprise. 556 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:54,640 Speaker 1: And it's I guess it's like not surprising because they're 557 00:34:54,680 --> 00:35:01,560 Speaker 1: so disingenuous and so hypocritical, but it and it's almost 558 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:05,839 Speaker 1: like it feels expected at this point, like, oh, well, 559 00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:09,799 Speaker 1: of course Republicans are going to try to suppress the 560 00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:13,000 Speaker 1: vote of like black and brown people and young people, 561 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:16,760 Speaker 1: like that's just like what they do. But like it's 562 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:22,640 Speaker 1: really like cuts to the core of American democracy being 563 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:30,880 Speaker 1: at risk. Well, that's I that's one of the reasons 564 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:33,600 Speaker 1: why I even wanted to have to do this episode tonight, 565 00:35:33,719 --> 00:35:37,640 Speaker 1: because I think I was just coming to terms with 566 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:44,279 Speaker 1: the weight of that feeling of that it feels I 567 00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:49,840 Speaker 1: didn't Maybe this is gonna sound pollyanna ish. Only in 568 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:53,520 Speaker 1: the last few years have I come to realize how 569 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:59,400 Speaker 1: tenuous and fragile democracy is. And you know, seeing these 570 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:03,720 Speaker 1: these poll les about how little and who knows about polls, 571 00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:05,600 Speaker 1: But I saw a couple of polls that were, like, 572 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 1: people are interested in economic issues and they're not interested 573 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:13,880 Speaker 1: in like protecting our democracy and speaking just for myself. 574 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:16,160 Speaker 1: I don't know how anybody doesn't see those two things 575 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:19,680 Speaker 1: as linked. I don't know how anybody doesn't see like 576 00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:25,880 Speaker 1: just the ability to be a person who is free 577 00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:28,439 Speaker 1: to try to make a better life for themselves, free 578 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:32,479 Speaker 1: to try to start a family on their terms. When 579 00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:37,040 Speaker 1: they say how they say, free to raise that family 580 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:40,960 Speaker 1: safely in a safe community, with access to you know, 581 00:36:41,040 --> 00:36:44,680 Speaker 1: accessible health care and food. Like, I don't see how 582 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,480 Speaker 1: like to me those things are the then diorhem as 583 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:50,600 Speaker 1: a circle that democracy in living in a living in 584 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:54,960 Speaker 1: a democratic state also means it is also connected to 585 00:36:56,280 --> 00:37:01,399 Speaker 1: being able to be free to exercise your democratic will 586 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:08,040 Speaker 1: and fucking raise your family without without fear of Yeah, 587 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:10,439 Speaker 1: just being able to raise your family. I see those things. 588 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:13,879 Speaker 1: I mean, like I feel like I'm like spinning out 589 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:16,279 Speaker 1: talking about it, but reading polls that are like, oh, 590 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:18,839 Speaker 1: people don't care about abortion, they care about putting food 591 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:21,320 Speaker 1: on the table. And economic issues. People don't care about democracy, 592 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:23,600 Speaker 1: they care about putting guests in their car. I see 593 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:26,200 Speaker 1: those things as all the same to me. If I 594 00:37:26,239 --> 00:37:29,600 Speaker 1: don't have body autonomy and people don't see that as 595 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:33,240 Speaker 1: part and parcel to economic freedom, what are we doing? 596 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:40,680 Speaker 1: If I'm not able to go vote free of lies 597 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:45,520 Speaker 1: and legit violence, political violence, what are we doing? And 598 00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:49,120 Speaker 1: so I see that, like all these ways, that the 599 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:52,200 Speaker 1: fabric of what it means to live in a healthy 600 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:55,960 Speaker 1: functioning democracy is being so pulled apart, and I see 601 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:59,520 Speaker 1: all the little threads and it scares me. I'm scared. 602 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:01,480 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm usually I usually try to be like 603 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:05,040 Speaker 1: optimistic and hopeful on the show, and generally I am. 604 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:10,560 Speaker 1: But I am scared and I hate that. I mean, 605 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:13,080 Speaker 1: I I'm you know, me, I'm not someone who is 606 00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:18,279 Speaker 1: like very interested in electoral politics as the end all 607 00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:21,160 Speaker 1: be y'all. But how the fund did we get here 608 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:28,280 Speaker 1: where the only path to liberation is like at this point, 609 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:31,520 Speaker 1: all we can do is fucking vote, Like if it's 610 00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:33,880 Speaker 1: voting for the lesser of two evils, do what you 611 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:37,200 Speaker 1: gotta do. I want so much better for us, But 612 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:39,399 Speaker 1: it's it's do you know what I'm saying? Like it 613 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:42,799 Speaker 1: feels scary. It feels like we are It feels like 614 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:44,880 Speaker 1: something has been pulled apart and we are trying to 615 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:49,319 Speaker 1: scotch tape it back together. It is scary times. I 616 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:53,680 Speaker 1: wish I had some nice words to make it less scary. Uh. Yeah, 617 00:38:53,760 --> 00:39:00,160 Speaker 1: it's tenuous, it's weird. Make it all better, Mike, No. 618 00:39:01,520 --> 00:39:04,960 Speaker 1: And on the eve of this election, you know, I 619 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:08,719 Speaker 1: just like there's a Winston Churchill quote that I think 620 00:39:08,719 --> 00:39:13,440 Speaker 1: about all the time about how democracy is the absolute 621 00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:17,319 Speaker 1: worst form of government except for all the others, and 622 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:22,520 Speaker 1: actually pretty good. It's pretty good, and I think it's accurate. 623 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:28,040 Speaker 1: Like it, it's so stupid. We're stuck in this union 624 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:34,040 Speaker 1: with all these imbeciles who hate the idea of unionism, 625 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:37,520 Speaker 1: and yet here we are. It's difficult. I don't know 626 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:39,319 Speaker 1: that there's an answer. I think we're all just like 627 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:44,920 Speaker 1: trying to get through it. It's best we can. People 628 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:46,920 Speaker 1: listening or like, why did I tune into this. Now, 629 00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:52,160 Speaker 1: I'm bummed out you asked me to be on this episode. 630 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:55,239 Speaker 1: I know, I know, I know. If I want to 631 00:39:55,239 --> 00:40:01,000 Speaker 1: bump everybody out, let's bring Michael Lamotto on the podcast. Yeah, all, 632 00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:03,640 Speaker 1: I see your risks. No, it'll be fine. Everything is 633 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:06,400 Speaker 1: going to be fine. Well, let's I do want to 634 00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:10,520 Speaker 1: talk about So it's election day. I do want to 635 00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:12,920 Speaker 1: just sort of talk about what we are likely to 636 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,479 Speaker 1: see on election day and beyond. That's why people tuned 637 00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:18,560 Speaker 1: into this episode. Let's get to that. I know, I'm yeah, 638 00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:26,720 Speaker 1: I have COVID. I'm sorry. Let's take a quick break. 639 00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:36,120 Speaker 1: So if you've been listening to their No Girls on 640 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:38,520 Speaker 1: the Internet for a while, you probably know that I 641 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:41,640 Speaker 1: was lucky enough to work with the amazing team at Mozilla, 642 00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:44,960 Speaker 1: the makers of Firefox, to host a podcast called I 643 00:40:45,239 --> 00:40:48,440 Speaker 1: r L, where we explored the promise and perils of 644 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:52,360 Speaker 1: artificial intelligence. It was a dream for me. And guess what, 645 00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:56,200 Speaker 1: It's been nominated for a Shorty Award and I really 646 00:40:56,200 --> 00:40:58,600 Speaker 1: need your help. Can you take a minute and vote 647 00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:01,440 Speaker 1: for I r L to win Best Use of a Podcast. 648 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:04,719 Speaker 1: It's super quick, I promised. Just go to Tangoti dot 649 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:08,160 Speaker 1: com slash I R L. You can vote every day, 650 00:41:08,239 --> 00:41:10,399 Speaker 1: and y'all, I don't know if this sounds bad to say, 651 00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:13,960 Speaker 1: but I kind of really want to win, So please vote. 652 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:17,200 Speaker 1: That's tango D T A n G O T I 653 00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:20,640 Speaker 1: dot com slash I r L and thank you. It 654 00:41:20,680 --> 00:41:28,319 Speaker 1: means so much to me. And we are back just 655 00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:30,759 Speaker 1: talking about some things to look out for in terms 656 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:34,919 Speaker 1: of this and miss and malinformation on and after election day. 657 00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:37,520 Speaker 1: And a big thing that we really have to talk 658 00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:41,600 Speaker 1: about on election day and after election day is people 659 00:41:41,719 --> 00:41:44,560 Speaker 1: saying that because it's taking a long time to count votes, 660 00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:48,080 Speaker 1: that that is somehow evidence of voter fraud or a 661 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:50,920 Speaker 1: stolen election. Now, I've already seen a lot of this 662 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:53,680 Speaker 1: happening so far, and I need to be really clear. 663 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,919 Speaker 1: It has always taken a long time to clount votes 664 00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:00,400 Speaker 1: in elections because of things like the increased use of 665 00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:04,360 Speaker 1: mail in ballots and early voting. In some places, counting 666 00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:09,360 Speaker 1: votes cannot even start before polls closed thanks to Republican legislation. 667 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:12,520 Speaker 1: So in a lot of legislatures, it is very much 668 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:14,879 Speaker 1: by design that it takes a little bit of time 669 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:17,440 Speaker 1: to count the votes. And people who say this, I 670 00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:21,480 Speaker 1: would argue that they're actually just lying, because anybody who 671 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:24,920 Speaker 1: has worked in politics, political media, news media for a 672 00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:27,880 Speaker 1: few years, they know that it is totally normal for 673 00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:30,279 Speaker 1: it to take a while for all the ballots to 674 00:42:30,280 --> 00:42:33,080 Speaker 1: be counted and to have a definitive winner. That is 675 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:35,320 Speaker 1: not a surprise. If you're somebody who hasn't followed a 676 00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:37,840 Speaker 1: lot of elections or hasn't followed a lot of this 677 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:41,360 Speaker 1: very closely, that's completely fine. You might not know. But 678 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:44,719 Speaker 1: the people who go on Fox News and say that 679 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:46,879 Speaker 1: it's out of the ordinary that it takes a little 680 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:49,200 Speaker 1: while to account votes, they know that's not true, and 681 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:54,359 Speaker 1: they're deliberately lying. In this election, we already know that 682 00:42:54,400 --> 00:43:00,200 Speaker 1: we're going to see contested elections and contested races. You're 683 00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:03,000 Speaker 1: going to see it taking a little bit of time 684 00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:06,439 Speaker 1: to count votes in certain places, in certain races because 685 00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:09,560 Speaker 1: of things like mail in ballots. Because of that like weird, 686 00:43:09,719 --> 00:43:12,120 Speaker 1: nebulous time. That is the kind of time where like 687 00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:15,520 Speaker 1: bad actors can really run wild. You're gonna see a 688 00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:19,960 Speaker 1: lot of claims about voter fraud or election fraud, and 689 00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:22,600 Speaker 1: and they seem to be like super clear, there is 690 00:43:22,760 --> 00:43:28,880 Speaker 1: no widespread voter fraud in the United States. End of sentence. 691 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:35,440 Speaker 1: There might be voting irregularities, sure, perhaps those are never 692 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:38,440 Speaker 1: to the scale to actually impact an election. It just 693 00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:43,400 Speaker 1: does not happen. And so I hate, as much as 694 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:49,120 Speaker 1: I hate Trump and his presidency, something that I cannot 695 00:43:49,200 --> 00:43:52,640 Speaker 1: believe that he actually got into the lexicon that stuck 696 00:43:52,640 --> 00:43:55,920 Speaker 1: with this idea of like, oh, count every legal vote. 697 00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:58,600 Speaker 1: Like I remember when Ivanka Trump tweeted that, like this 698 00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:03,160 Speaker 1: shouldn't be controversial, count every legal vote. It's so insidious 699 00:44:03,239 --> 00:44:06,120 Speaker 1: how it makes it seem as though there are lots 700 00:44:06,120 --> 00:44:08,839 Speaker 1: of So if you're saying count every legal vote, yeah, 701 00:44:08,840 --> 00:44:13,120 Speaker 1: it sounds totally reasonable when you first say it or 702 00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:15,640 Speaker 1: when you first hear it, but you're making it seem 703 00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:20,760 Speaker 1: like there are lots of illegal votes, and that's not true. 704 00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:24,520 Speaker 1: So it's it's already kind of grounded in a situation 705 00:44:24,560 --> 00:44:27,040 Speaker 1: that is not happening. And so I know that we're 706 00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:32,480 Speaker 1: going to see We've already seen so many claims about like, oh, 707 00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:35,319 Speaker 1: it doesn't take a long time to count votes, like 708 00:44:35,360 --> 00:44:38,799 Speaker 1: there are something funny is going around. Don't I know 709 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:41,359 Speaker 1: that you're gonna see it. I've already seen some of it. 710 00:44:41,840 --> 00:44:45,680 Speaker 1: I hate that this has become part of our national 711 00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:48,600 Speaker 1: understanding of the voting process because it's just not it's 712 00:44:48,600 --> 00:44:52,239 Speaker 1: just not reflective of reality. There is no widespread voter 713 00:44:52,360 --> 00:44:55,359 Speaker 1: fraud in the United States. If anybody was gonna find 714 00:44:55,360 --> 00:44:57,839 Speaker 1: it, it it would have been Trump in and he didn't 715 00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:02,040 Speaker 1: find it, So there's not any there. Yeah, I think 716 00:45:02,080 --> 00:45:09,520 Speaker 1: you're absolutely right. We're going to see so many claims 717 00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:18,640 Speaker 1: about voter fraud, uh, people like making cases to various courts. 718 00:45:18,400 --> 00:45:23,799 Speaker 1: It's just these people have had the past two years 719 00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:26,800 Speaker 1: to just be like stroking their heart ons and thinking 720 00:45:26,840 --> 00:45:30,160 Speaker 1: about how they're going to like yell voter fraud this 721 00:45:30,200 --> 00:45:33,200 Speaker 1: time around, and so they're gonna be out there. They're 722 00:45:33,239 --> 00:45:36,600 Speaker 1: gonna be doing it. Yeah, They're gonna be doing it 723 00:45:36,719 --> 00:45:41,239 Speaker 1: everywhere that they possibly can. They're probably gonna burn Arizona 724 00:45:41,280 --> 00:45:43,719 Speaker 1: to the ground and immediately burned because they have no 725 00:45:43,800 --> 00:45:51,160 Speaker 1: water anymore. It's gonna be everywhere, though. It's gonna be everywhere. 726 00:45:51,280 --> 00:45:53,520 Speaker 1: And that's kind of my point of making this episode 727 00:45:53,560 --> 00:45:57,880 Speaker 1: is that you were talking about burning Arizona to the ground, 728 00:45:57,920 --> 00:46:00,680 Speaker 1: and I know you're kidding, but well, to be clear, 729 00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:04,319 Speaker 1: I suggested that they were the Arizonans were going to 730 00:46:04,360 --> 00:46:06,520 Speaker 1: burn in the ground. I was not suggesting that anyone 731 00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:08,560 Speaker 1: else go there and burn it to the ground. It 732 00:46:08,680 --> 00:46:11,680 Speaker 1: was a lament, not a threat. Oh, I shouldn't go 733 00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:13,799 Speaker 1: to Arizona and burn of town. You should not know. 734 00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:17,000 Speaker 1: There are no threats. I'm not making any threats to Terris. 735 00:46:17,239 --> 00:46:19,800 Speaker 1: Let me cancel my flight here. You know, I'm kidding. 736 00:46:20,239 --> 00:46:22,600 Speaker 1: I'm just concerned for their well being based on some 737 00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:25,239 Speaker 1: of the people inside the house. Well, so you know 738 00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:30,840 Speaker 1: we're kidding. But we are in this very weird time 739 00:46:30,960 --> 00:46:36,319 Speaker 1: where ship is just weird. You know. Election officials have 740 00:46:36,440 --> 00:46:39,920 Speaker 1: been warning for the last few days of election related 741 00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:45,080 Speaker 1: violence on election day and after um, which is scary 742 00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:48,200 Speaker 1: and makes me so sad that that's just where we're at. 743 00:46:48,880 --> 00:46:52,960 Speaker 1: Conspiracy theories about stolen elections and voter fraud have translated 744 00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:57,320 Speaker 1: to extremist groups getting trained to become quote pole watchers, 745 00:46:57,520 --> 00:47:00,680 Speaker 1: which basically means they just harassed and intimidate voters and 746 00:47:00,760 --> 00:47:05,200 Speaker 1: poll workers at the polls. Elon Musk owns Twitter they've 747 00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:10,719 Speaker 1: got a new pay eight dollars to get verified verification 748 00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:14,520 Speaker 1: process rolling out stuff is just weird, And so I 749 00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:22,239 Speaker 1: think in this moment where things feel weird, tenuous, scary, 750 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:26,279 Speaker 1: like all of the things. The question is like, what 751 00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:30,399 Speaker 1: can we do? And I would say this, I mean, 752 00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:35,000 Speaker 1: this is the spiel I always give. But one, whatever 753 00:47:35,080 --> 00:47:40,399 Speaker 1: you do, don't share or amplify misinformation, even if you're 754 00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:42,719 Speaker 1: trying to like debunk it, make a joke of it, 755 00:47:43,080 --> 00:47:46,279 Speaker 1: point out like, look at this incorrect information. If you're 756 00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:48,359 Speaker 1: on a platform where you can report it, report it. 757 00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:51,080 Speaker 1: But nine times out of ten, if you engage with 758 00:47:51,200 --> 00:47:54,319 Speaker 1: incorrect information, you're just gonna help it spread. That's true 759 00:47:54,320 --> 00:47:56,200 Speaker 1: for pretty much anything. And so if you see something 760 00:47:56,239 --> 00:47:59,919 Speaker 1: that is extremist or like a really bad tweet, don't 761 00:48:00,040 --> 00:48:03,400 Speaker 1: engaged with it. Um, don't share things just in case. 762 00:48:03,640 --> 00:48:07,560 Speaker 1: We had an interesting situation during early vote where somebody 763 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:11,520 Speaker 1: shared that like, oh I heard from a friend that 764 00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:14,640 Speaker 1: if your ballot has writing on it, then like a 765 00:48:14,680 --> 00:48:17,239 Speaker 1: signature on it, that it's going to be avoided, and 766 00:48:17,520 --> 00:48:21,240 Speaker 1: the election that the county election official had to post 767 00:48:21,239 --> 00:48:25,160 Speaker 1: on Facebook saying, actually, we are legally required to sign 768 00:48:25,239 --> 00:48:27,640 Speaker 1: each ballot, and so like if we sign it, that's 769 00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:31,640 Speaker 1: like that's actually required of us. And so don't share things, 770 00:48:31,760 --> 00:48:34,040 Speaker 1: even if you're sharing them, just in case that you 771 00:48:34,120 --> 00:48:39,920 Speaker 1: cannot verify that they're correct, and instead focus on sharing positive, 772 00:48:40,080 --> 00:48:44,920 Speaker 1: accurate content about the election, the candidates, the the the 773 00:48:45,280 --> 00:48:48,480 Speaker 1: you know, issues and the causes that you're that are 774 00:48:48,520 --> 00:48:51,000 Speaker 1: motivating you to vote you It is going to be 775 00:48:51,560 --> 00:48:54,320 Speaker 1: so much better if you focus your time on spreading 776 00:48:54,560 --> 00:48:57,040 Speaker 1: that kind of information that is accurate and timely and 777 00:48:57,080 --> 00:49:00,680 Speaker 1: positive and helpful, rather than engaging with information it's not true. 778 00:49:01,120 --> 00:49:03,520 Speaker 1: And also if you want a little extra, you can 779 00:49:03,560 --> 00:49:06,319 Speaker 1: come to a training that I am doing with the 780 00:49:06,400 --> 00:49:10,160 Speaker 1: organization Women's March. It is virtual, it is on zoom. 781 00:49:10,200 --> 00:49:13,880 Speaker 1: It is the Wednesday after election day. It is free. 782 00:49:14,560 --> 00:49:17,040 Speaker 1: I would love to hang out with y'all there and 783 00:49:17,080 --> 00:49:20,600 Speaker 1: talk disinformation and the election. I will put the information 784 00:49:20,640 --> 00:49:23,200 Speaker 1: to join in the show notes. But yeah, you want 785 00:49:23,200 --> 00:49:27,000 Speaker 1: a little if you're gonna be like me on Wednesday, 786 00:49:27,120 --> 00:49:31,040 Speaker 1: probably feeling a little anxious, come hang out with me 787 00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:36,320 Speaker 1: on Zoom on Wednesday evening. Hopefully wed I mean hopefully 788 00:49:36,320 --> 00:49:39,120 Speaker 1: I won't be feeling like feverish with COVID, but also 789 00:49:39,160 --> 00:49:42,520 Speaker 1: hopefully I'll be feeling better. And then just a couple 790 00:49:42,600 --> 00:49:45,520 Speaker 1: of like random things I want to throw out there. 791 00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:52,239 Speaker 1: As our digital communications platforms like Twitter become more and 792 00:49:52,280 --> 00:49:58,480 Speaker 1: more interesting, will say now and given that like all 793 00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:02,040 Speaker 1: the stuff is happening with Twitter while an election is happening, 794 00:50:02,719 --> 00:50:05,759 Speaker 1: digital hygiene is going to be more important than ever. 795 00:50:05,880 --> 00:50:09,879 Speaker 1: So if you're listening to this, please please please turn 796 00:50:09,920 --> 00:50:12,640 Speaker 1: on two factory identification. It is a small step that 797 00:50:12,680 --> 00:50:16,120 Speaker 1: you can take to protect yourself as this like verification 798 00:50:16,160 --> 00:50:18,120 Speaker 1: stuff rolls out. We don't know how it's gonna be. 799 00:50:18,239 --> 00:50:20,200 Speaker 1: I don't really have any insight on how it's gonna work. 800 00:50:20,440 --> 00:50:22,719 Speaker 1: All I know is I would not be tweeting if 801 00:50:22,719 --> 00:50:26,440 Speaker 1: I did not have two factor authentication. So please enable it. 802 00:50:26,640 --> 00:50:27,880 Speaker 1: I mean, it's such a weird. It's a weird to 803 00:50:27,880 --> 00:50:30,160 Speaker 1: even talk about it, because this is such untrited territory. 804 00:50:30,520 --> 00:50:32,880 Speaker 1: Usually I would say, like, oh, check to see if 805 00:50:32,920 --> 00:50:35,440 Speaker 1: there's a verified check mark, But I don't know if 806 00:50:35,440 --> 00:50:38,080 Speaker 1: that's great advice anymore for Twitter. So just do. If 807 00:50:38,080 --> 00:50:40,680 Speaker 1: you're gonna be sharing stuff on social media about the 808 00:50:40,719 --> 00:50:43,920 Speaker 1: election in terms of results and races, just check before 809 00:50:43,960 --> 00:50:47,080 Speaker 1: you share. I have been fooled before, and I do 810 00:50:47,160 --> 00:50:49,399 Speaker 1: this for a living. They get the best of us. 811 00:50:49,440 --> 00:50:54,480 Speaker 1: Just make sure that you're checking, and just generally stay calm, 812 00:50:54,560 --> 00:50:58,399 Speaker 1: you know, like, let's take comfort in each other. Right, 813 00:50:58,400 --> 00:51:01,120 Speaker 1: No things are weird right now you might be feeling 814 00:51:01,200 --> 00:51:06,600 Speaker 1: and I'm definitely feeling it. You know, rushing to share 815 00:51:06,640 --> 00:51:10,480 Speaker 1: things on social media doesn't help anybody. Take a minute, 816 00:51:10,520 --> 00:51:15,360 Speaker 1: take a beat, check your sources. Let's just try to 817 00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:18,640 Speaker 1: lean into the comfort of the collective that we all 818 00:51:18,680 --> 00:51:21,560 Speaker 1: have together. And I guess that would end by saying like, 819 00:51:22,520 --> 00:51:26,520 Speaker 1: this episode is weird. I feel weird. I have COVID also, 820 00:51:27,239 --> 00:51:30,440 Speaker 1: But you know, I just want to say, like, we 821 00:51:30,560 --> 00:51:37,960 Speaker 1: deserve a functioning, healthy democracy. We deserve a healthy media ecosystem. 822 00:51:38,040 --> 00:51:43,120 Speaker 1: We deserve to have platforms that are that amplify accurate, honest, 823 00:51:43,400 --> 00:51:47,680 Speaker 1: timely helpful information and not extremism and lies. We deserve 824 00:51:47,760 --> 00:51:52,800 Speaker 1: to have leaders running those platforms who are not complete 825 00:51:52,920 --> 00:51:59,799 Speaker 1: man children, who are transparently looking for sycophants and adoration 826 00:52:00,080 --> 00:52:04,160 Speaker 1: and lashing out at any criticism they get, even though 827 00:52:04,160 --> 00:52:06,879 Speaker 1: they're really embarrassing and super easy to make fun of. 828 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:08,799 Speaker 1: And they let Azelia Banks live in their house for 829 00:52:08,840 --> 00:52:10,719 Speaker 1: a while and that didn't turn out well because they're 830 00:52:10,719 --> 00:52:13,319 Speaker 1: not smart people, and they are really invested in people 831 00:52:13,320 --> 00:52:15,479 Speaker 1: thinking they're really smart, even though they're not talking about 832 00:52:15,480 --> 00:52:20,359 Speaker 1: Elon musk Um. We deserve better, We deserve better that's 833 00:52:20,400 --> 00:52:22,759 Speaker 1: all I'm saying. It's like, I hate that we're in 834 00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:26,080 Speaker 1: a situation where we have to like be working so 835 00:52:26,160 --> 00:52:31,960 Speaker 1: hard at creating the creating things that we deserve for ourselves. Frankly, 836 00:52:32,480 --> 00:52:35,080 Speaker 1: you know we don't. We we deserve better, and I 837 00:52:35,120 --> 00:52:38,400 Speaker 1: want better for us. But I guess this is my 838 00:52:38,480 --> 00:52:43,280 Speaker 1: plea for voting. You know, please vote? Why would people 839 00:52:43,320 --> 00:52:46,680 Speaker 1: not vote? Like? Why why would somebody not vote? Because 840 00:52:46,680 --> 00:52:54,319 Speaker 1: there is an entire well moneyed, effective machine invested in 841 00:52:54,360 --> 00:52:57,240 Speaker 1: telling people that both can't all parties are the same. 842 00:52:57,280 --> 00:53:00,480 Speaker 1: Your vote doesn't matter. No party is looking out for you. 843 00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:06,040 Speaker 1: They are invested in in having everybody just check out 844 00:53:06,080 --> 00:53:08,840 Speaker 1: of the of the democratic system, just check out of voting. 845 00:53:08,880 --> 00:53:11,279 Speaker 1: And so I don't shame people who don't vote, because 846 00:53:11,280 --> 00:53:15,160 Speaker 1: I know there is like an entire well moneyed system 847 00:53:15,360 --> 00:53:18,560 Speaker 1: invested in you being like it doesn't matter both parties 848 00:53:18,560 --> 00:53:21,359 Speaker 1: are the same. It's so much noise, I say, out 849 00:53:21,360 --> 00:53:23,960 Speaker 1: of politics, who gives a ship? But there's so much 850 00:53:23,960 --> 00:53:27,239 Speaker 1: at stake that even if you feel that way, just 851 00:53:27,280 --> 00:53:29,440 Speaker 1: do it as a personal favor for me, please at 852 00:53:29,480 --> 00:53:33,520 Speaker 1: this point fair, All right, Well, thank you Bridget for 853 00:53:34,320 --> 00:53:37,760 Speaker 1: taking the time to take us all through this little 854 00:53:37,840 --> 00:53:43,440 Speaker 1: list of what to expect from the election returns tomorrow. 855 00:53:43,680 --> 00:53:47,319 Speaker 1: I know you've got COVID. I hope you rest up 856 00:53:47,400 --> 00:53:51,120 Speaker 1: after recording this. Um. I know that I fought tooth 857 00:53:51,160 --> 00:53:53,719 Speaker 1: and nail to prevent you from having to record this. 858 00:53:53,840 --> 00:53:57,240 Speaker 1: But the executives that my heart were like, we need Bridget, 859 00:53:57,680 --> 00:54:02,600 Speaker 1: don't say that episode for the election, So thank you 860 00:54:02,640 --> 00:54:05,880 Speaker 1: for doing it. No, this was all volunt terry, and 861 00:54:05,880 --> 00:54:07,360 Speaker 1: we're gonna have to do a heavy edit on this 862 00:54:07,400 --> 00:54:13,879 Speaker 1: because I feel like I sound ridiculous. No, well, thanks 863 00:54:13,880 --> 00:54:20,080 Speaker 1: for fting me on. Thank you listeners for listening. Uh yeah, Bridget, 864 00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:23,920 Speaker 1: thanks for for doing the thing take us out. Thanks 865 00:54:23,960 --> 00:54:25,799 Speaker 1: thanks for being her Mike, and thanks to all of 866 00:54:25,840 --> 00:54:28,960 Speaker 1: you for listening. Oh. I hope this episode doesn't sound awful. 867 00:54:29,040 --> 00:54:31,759 Speaker 1: I'm sorry in advance. Sorry, sorry for making you listen 868 00:54:31,800 --> 00:54:38,319 Speaker 1: to this. I got a story about an interesting thing 869 00:54:38,360 --> 00:54:40,359 Speaker 1: in tech. I just want to say hi. You can 870 00:54:40,480 --> 00:54:42,680 Speaker 1: be just at Hello at tangodi dot com. You can 871 00:54:42,680 --> 00:54:45,719 Speaker 1: also find transcripts for today's episode at tangodi dot com. 872 00:54:45,760 --> 00:54:47,400 Speaker 1: There Are No Girls on the Internet was created by 873 00:54:47,440 --> 00:54:49,919 Speaker 1: me Bridget tod It's a production of I Heeart Radio 874 00:54:49,960 --> 00:54:53,560 Speaker 1: and Unboss creative Jonathan Strictland as our executive producer. Tara 875 00:54:53,600 --> 00:54:56,680 Speaker 1: Harrison is our producer and sound engineer. Michael Almato is 876 00:54:56,719 --> 00:55:00,279 Speaker 1: our contributing producer. I'm your host, Bridget Todd. If you 877 00:55:00,280 --> 00:55:02,000 Speaker 1: want to help us grow, rate and review us on 878 00:55:02,040 --> 00:55:05,560 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, check out 879 00:55:05,600 --> 00:55:07,799 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get 880 00:55:07,840 --> 00:55:12,360 Speaker 1: your podcasts. H