Litter boxes installed in American schools for students identifying as cats? Several candidates in the midterm elections have taken up this myth which has gone viral. They have drawn ridicule, but analysts see it as a calculated, serious and effective strategy.
At least 20 conservative candidates, many of them Republicans already in office, have claimed that some schools stockpile bags of litter for students who ‘identify as animals’, according to a compilation of public statements made by NBC News.
“zombie misinformation”
This is what some observers call “zombie misinformation”, lies that continue to circulate even if they have been repeatedly refuted by “fact-checkers”. In this case, the information was even denied by schools but also by an elected Republican who had himself relayed the information before apologizing in March.
The wave of misinformation during the midterm election campaign echoes a broader culture war taking place in the United States over the rights of transgender people and schools labeled as “woke”, raising awareness among students about the transgender identity, issues to which the conservative electorate is very sensitive.
“The elected officials who continue to relay these stories, however denied, do so because they find it politically appropriate, whether they adhere to them or not”, estimates Joshua Tucker, professor of political science and co-director of the New York University Center for Social Media and Politics. “And as long as we live in an age where identity and culture are at the root of major political divides in American society, we will continue to see political figures clinging to outlandish claims to demonstrate whose side they are on. in the culture war,” he explains.
Rumors relayed by political calculation?
Conservative politicians are thus pushed to insinuate that they believe this disinformation, continues Matthew Motta, an assistant professor at Boston University.
“Political science research suggests that culture war issues like these (LGBT rights, ‘woke’ issues, etc.) are relatively easy for voters to integrate,” the academic analyzes, adding that “elected Republican may circulate misinformation in an attempt to improve their electoral position. »
Conservative politicians have long been accused of amplifying false narratives, from the claim relayed by former President Donald Trump that the 2020 election was stolen to misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic in going through the QAnon conspiracy theory.
An analysis by New York University’s Center for Social Media and Politics of congressional candidates’ Facebook posts found that Republican candidates for these midterm elections shared more links to sources. unreliable information than in 2020.
The report finds that “Republican candidates who are not incumbents consistently share more unreliable sources than incumbent Republicans. »
“Need” confusion?
Hemant Kakkar, an assistant professor at Duke University, however, warns against the risk of accentuating the already existing divide around disinformation by equating all conservatives with promoters of false information.
“In our research, we have noticed that some unscrupulous curators need to create division, disorder and confusion when it comes to relaying false information,” he says, stressing all the same that this phenomenon remained in the minority.
Failure to stop the spread of the ‘litter hoax’ could nevertheless have real consequences, with activists warning misinformation could lead to more stigma, violence and discrimination against sexual minorities.