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The Springfield Cat-Eating Hoax Is Debunked Racist Bullshit: How Disinformation Fuels Fear and Division

Sep 12, 2024

Last week, a baseless rumor about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, spread like wildfire across social media platforms. This unfounded claim stoked fears among local residents and became a tool for political manipulation on a national scale. Let’s examine how this hoax originated, spread, and was ultimately debunked.

The Birth of a Baseless Claim

The rumor seems to have originated from multiple unrelated incidents that were conflated and distorted. It began with:

  1. A resident’s tirade at a Springfield city commission meeting on August 27, making unsubstantiated claims about Haitian immigrants killing park ducks for food.
  2. A Facebook post in a Springfield crime discussion group alleging a friend’s neighbor’s daughter’s cat was killed by Haitian immigrants.

  1. A photo on Reddit shows a man carrying what appeared to be a dead goose in Columbus, Ohio. Not Springfield and the man wasn’t Haitian.
  2. An unrelated news report about a woman arrested for killing and eating a cat in Canton, Ohio – over 170 miles away from Springfield. Here are both the video of the non-Haitian who killed and ate a cat in Canton and the pic of the non-Haitian Carrying a goose. In Columbus.

The Spread of Misinformation Needs Celebrity Endorsements

The baseless claim gained traction when prominent figures and social media accounts began amplifying it:

  • JD Vance, Republican vice presidential candidate, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country”. His post garnered over 9 million views before trying to walk it back, drowning in community notes. LOL.

  • Elon Musk, owner of X, shared memes related to the unfounded claims. Poorly. Again. Then threatened to impregnate Taylor Swift against her will while protecting her cats. Her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, didn’t like that.

  • Charlie Kirk, head of Turning Point USA, claimed that “Residents of Springfield, OH, are reporting that Haitians are eating their family pets.” Charlie and his business partner, Jack Posbiec, helped start this racist rumor on their “End Wokeness Twitter feed.

  • Official Republican party social media accounts, including the House Judiciary GOP, alluded to these claims.

The Role of Political Figures In Blasting Propaganda is Key

JD Vance and former President Donald Trump played significant roles in amplifying this hoax. And they are both being mocked mercilessly for it.

  • Vance initially claimed that illegal immigrants from Haiti were “causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio” and eating pets.
  • Trump repeated the baseless claim during a televised debate, stating that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating stolen cats and dogs, and holy fuck was it funny. He sounded like such a fucking braindead conspiracy ninny that the clip from the debate has turned into a collection of viral memes because, well, it’s bullshit. And he repeated it like he was REALLY on to something.

LOLOLOL.

…of the people that live there…

These actions by prominent political figures lent unwarranted credibility to the hoax, causing it to spread even further.

Debunking the Hoax

Local and national officials quickly moved to debunk the false claims:

  • Karen Graves, strategic engagement manager for Springfield, stated, “There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community”.
  • The White House denounced the claims as “dangerous” and a form of conspiracy theory rooted in racism.
  • John Kirby, National Security Council spokesperson, emphasized the potential for such misinformation to incite violence against immigrants.
  • Springfield, Ohio, police also confirmed the cat hoax was pure bullshit.

The Impact of Disinformation

This hoax demonstrates how easily misinformation can spread and the real-world consequences it can have:

  1. It fueled fear and division within the Springfield community.
  2. It perpetuated harmful stereotypes about Haitian immigrants.
  3. It diverted attention from real issues facing both immigrants and long-term residents.
  4. Now, the Ohio Governor has called in the National Guard to protect pets AND protect people of color being harassed as cat-eating Haitians. Dozens of black and Latino families in Springfield have reported random acts of violence and intimidation by white residents who bought MAGA’s “Haitian Cat Eating Hoax.”

It worked. The Haitian-eating immigrant’s psyop worked. Based on a video and a picture wholly divorced from the claim. It served a purpose. To create chaos and paranoia around the security of white Americans who think their country is going to shit based on Russian goals for destabilizing America to sew racial and cultural division. It fucking works.

Alignment with Russian Disinformation Tactics

The Springfield hoax bears striking similarities to known Russian disinformation strategies:

  1. It exploits existing social tensions, particularly around immigration.
  2. It uses a mix of true and false information to create a believable narrative.
  3. It relies on amplification by influential figures to reach a wider audience.
  4. Paints America as an immigrant-infested shithole.
  5. It makes white Americans fearful of black people and immigrants in general.
  6. Creates questions of safety in America under a progressive government.

While there’s no direct evidence linking this specific hoax to Russian interference, it’s worth noting that U.S. intelligence agencies have warned about ongoing Russian efforts to influence American elections and public opinion. This hoax was chock full of Russian easter eggs.

DB

Dean Blundell

Dean Blundell is a Canadian radio personality. Best known as a longtime morning host on CFNY-FM (The Edge) in Toronto, Ontario. In 2015 he was named the new morning host on sports radio station CJCL (Sportsnet 590 The Fan). Dean started his career in radio in 2001 and for nearly 20 years been entertaining the radio audience. Dean’s newest venture is the launch of his site and podcast which is gaining tremendous momentum across North America.

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