Tag: social media

Michelle Obama Provokes Backlash With Social Media Post: ‘I Know it’s Been a Difficult Few Months for So Many of Us’

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is getting an earful over a video message she recently posted on the social media site Instagram.

In her message, Mrs. Obama uses the expression ‘Happy Holidays’ instead of Merry Christmas, then goes on to suggest that things have been ‘difficult’ for many people over the last few months, a clear reference to the election of Donald Trump.

She then goes on to push various programs offered by the Obama Foundation.

Many people were unimpressed.

FOX News reports:

Michelle Obama provoked a wave of online criticism Friday after she shared a New Year’s message with her followers on Instagram.

The former first lady posted a video wishing her followers “Happy Holidays” and highlighting the work of the Obama Presidential Center as 2024 comes to a close. But critics noted with disapproval that her video begins on a sour note.

“Happy holidays, everyone. I know it’s been a difficult few months for so many of us, and that folks are feeling a little bit anxious and uncertain,” Obama says in the video.

Hundreds of Instagram users commented on Obama’s video within hours after it went live.

Here are some examples of the pushback she received:

“A difficult few years from the damage the Biden administration has caused!” wrote another commenter. “Things have never looked better since Trum won the election! The people have the power! Not even all those celebrities could change that!”

“We are certain it won’t be worse than your husband’s administration or the Biden administration,” said a third. “That we are CERTAIN.”

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Freedom Is the Only Way to Beat Authoritarianism

Andy Kessler writes in his latest Wall Street Journal column that the U.S. “is strong precisely because we don’t all think the same way. New ideas come from new ways of thinking.” Kessler puts it so well. We individuals generally see the present and future very differently, and it’s this very division praised by Kessler that powers so much advance.

The entertainment industry explains the business meaning of Kessler’s thinking well. Chevy Chase was offered the role of Otter in Animal House, but chose Foul Play instead. Donald Sutherland was offered $20,000 plus gross points in Animal House, but instead held out for $35,000 minus the points given his deep belief that the small movie wouldn’t generate much box office.

Chase and Sutherland’s errant business choices remind us that the good and great decisions are rarely obvious at the time. The previous truth would in a better world awaken the political class to how wrongheaded its actions vis-à-vis TikTok are. Implicit in their attacks and their legislative role in a TikTok ban is that TikTok’s alleged CCP-generated popularity will be used to spy on Americans with an eye on bringing the CCP’s authoritarian ways to the United States.

More realistically, data on Americans is the most valuable in the world, and it’s already sold around the world for exactly that reason. Which is a reminder that data on the American people already existed (and will exist) in abundance with or without TikTok, and it will be sold around the world (including to producers, politicians, or both in China) with or without TikTok.

At the same time, the desire among the world’s producers to know about us Americans is something to celebrate, not legislate against: they want to know about us because we’re the most productive people on earth. The better they understand us, the better their ability to meet and lead our needs.

What’s important is that the prosperity of the American people is, per Kessler, borne of freedom; of Americans disagreeing about everything and getting to vivify their discordant viewpoints in the marketplace. Economic progress is the happy end result of disagreements expressed. We generally describe those who express disagreements via the profit motive as entrepreneurs.

Bringing the genius of disagreement back to TikTok, protectionist U.S. politicians shouldn’t seek a ban, rather they should allow commerce in the U.S. to freely run its course. And they should do so confidently based on what happens every day in the United States.

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60 Minutes Gets Dragged on Twitter/X Over Story Praising Gun Control Policies in Mexico

Over the weekend, 60 Minutes did a story about gun control in Mexico, pointing out that the country has only one gun store and that it’s located on a military base.

Twitter/X users were quick to point out that Mexico is basically run by violent, murderous drug cartels which are armed to the teeth.

60 Minutes went out of their way to push a narrative about illegal guns in Mexico coming from the U.S., as if the violence south of the border is somehow America’s fault. Have they heard of a program called Fast and Furious that happened under Obama?

From CBS News:

Like the U.S., Mexico’s constitution grants citizens the right to bear arms…. but unlike the U.S., that right comes with a long list of restrictions.

There’s only one gun store in Mexico…in the middle of a heavily guarded military base in Mexico City…we were allowed in.

But before customers can enter, they have to show proof they’ve passed psychological tests, drug screens and extensive background checks.

The store sells about a thousand guns a month. Mostly, shotguns, small caliber rifles, and handguns… what civilians can’t buy here are the weapons the cartel favors. Those are not legally sold anywhere in Mexico.

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Elon Musk’s AfD Endorsement Triggers EU Push for Stricter Censorship Under Digital Services Act

Elon Musk’s endorsement of Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has sparked significant controversy, particularly among European political figures concerned about the potential for what they call “foreign interference” in Germany’s upcoming elections.

Musk, the CEO of X, voiced his support for some of AfD’s policies following a deadly terror attack in Germany. His comments have raised alarm among EU officials, prompting calls for increased scrutiny of the X app and its compliance with the EU’s stringent censorship laws.

Thierry Breton, the European Union’s former Commissioner, took to X to express his outrage over Musk’s support for AfD. In a tweet posted on December 21, Breton accused Musk of being involved in “foreign interference” in Germany’s electoral process, especially given the timing of his comments around the tragic attack in Magdeburg.

Breton, who has been an advocate for strict censorship of social media platforms, and even threatened Elon Musk for over his interview with President Donald Trump, also called for the immediate application of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) to combat what he described as “double standards” when it comes to regulating speech online.

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Police Arrest TikTok ‘Prankster’ For Spraying Poison All Over Food in Walmart, Causing $1 Million in Damage, and Posting Video of Crime to Social Media

A so-called TikTok ‘prankster’ known for wreaking havoc on the public for social media views, was arrested for spraying poison all over food in a Mesa, Arizona, Walmart.

The suspect, 27-year-old Charles Smith, was stupid enough to video his face while committing the crime. He then uploaded the video of himself committing the felony to social media.

According to court documents, Smith went back inside Walmart 10 minutes after he committed the crime and “attempted to collect the items he sprayed.”

Smith wheeled some of the poisoned items to the back of Walmart.

Walmart was forced to remove nearly $1 million in damaged food/suspected damaged food after Charles Smith ran through the store and sprayed poison all over the place.

Mesa police arrested Charles Smith on Saturday and charged him with Introducing Poison (felony), Criminal Damage (misdemeanor), Endangerment (misdemeanor), Theft (misdemeanor).

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WHO Expands “Misinformation Management” Efforts with “Social Listening”

The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) is not the only entity engaging globally (the Gates Foundation comes to mind as another) that likes to turn to developing, or small and often functionally dependent states to “test” or “check” some of the key elements of its policies.

The pandemic put the WHO center-stage, and in many ways influenced the UN’s clear change of trajectory from its true purpose to assisting governments globally in policing speech and surveilling their populations.

The WHO is comfortable in conflating health-focused issues (its actual mandate), with what it presents as threats linked to “disinformation” and “AI.”

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Parade Of Leftist Influencers Meet And Fangirl Over Hunter Biden

A parade of pathetic paid lefty influencers were invited to the White House Tuesday for a Christmas gathering featuring the grinch that some say helped steal the 2020 election, none other than freshly pardoned reformed drug addict turned part time artist Hunter Biden.

This line up of losers all launched themselves at Hunter for pictures to share with their Facebook friends, fangirling out about what a “great guy” he is.

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CPS Is Investigating an Influencer Because Her Son Flinched in a Video

Social media influencers who post their children online often face their share of criticism. But now, if their audience disapproves of their parenting decisions, they could also find themselves being investigated by child protective services (CPS).

The latest parent to face a CPS investigation for showing innocuous footage of her children is Hannah Hiatt, an influencer who has built an audience of half a million followers for videos detailing her life as a nurse with two young children. Last month, Hiatt posted a video in which her toddler-aged son appeared to flinch slightly as his father walked toward him to hand him a box of ice cream mochi. While most wouldn’t think much of the clip, many viewers seized on the moment, arguing that it was proof that Hiatt and her husband were abusing their children.

The now-deleted video went viral, with many users making videos of their own debating the meaning of the clip. Angry internet users also found another video of Hiatt, in which her husband flicked her son’s hand away from some french fries, again claiming that this too was evidence of physical abuse. 

“The flinch breaks my heart,” one TikTok user commented.

“Why are people like this allowed to procreate,” posted another.

An Ogden, Utah Police Department spokesperson told People that an investigation had been opened against Hiatt and her family following “numerous reports through Child Protective Service and police.”

While the investigation is ongoing, and it remains unclear whether Hiatt will be found guilty of any wrongdoing, she is far from the first person to face a CPS investigation after upsetting an internet mob. In April, influencers J.D. and Britney Lott faced a child welfare investigation after Reddit users became convinced that the newborn was being medically neglected—though a medical examination confirmed that the child was healthy. And in 2021, a father who tweeted jokes about his daughter’s struggles to use a can opener ended up getting a visit from CPS after an enraged internet mob reported him for alleged child abuse.

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TikTok Battles Canada’s Crackdown, Pitching Itself as a “Misinformation” Censorship Ally

In Canada, TikTok is attempting to get the authorities to reverse the decision to shut down its business operations by going to court – but also by recommending itself as a proven and reliable ally in combating “harmful content” and “misinformation.”

Canada last month moved to shut down TikTok’s operations, without banning the app itself. All this is happening ahead of federal elections amid the government’s efforts to control social media narratives, always citing fears of “misinformation” and “foreign interference” as the reasons.

TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, was accused of – via its parent company – representing “specific national security risks” when the decision regarding its corporate presence was made in November; no details have been made public regarding those alleged risks, however.

Now the TikTok Canada director of public policy and government affairs, Steve de Eyre, is telling the local press that the newly created circumstances are making it difficult for the company to work with election regulators and “civil society” to ensure election integrity – something Eyre said was previously successfully done.

In 2021, he noted, TikTok initiated collaboration with Elections Canada (the agency that organizes elections and has the power to flag social media content) which included TikTok adding links to all election-related videos that directed users toward “verified information.”

And the following year, TikTok was invested in monitoring its platform for “potentially violent” content, during the Freedom Convoy protests against Covid mandates.

More recently, TikTok was also on its toes for “foreign interference and hateful content” related to Brampton clashes between Sikhs and Hindus.

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Meta’s Re-Education Era Begins

Like law enforcement in some repressive virtual regimes, Meta is introducing the concept of re-education of “citizens” (users), as an alternative to eventually sending them to “jail” (imposing account restrictions).

But this only applies to “first-time offenders,” that is, those who have violated Meta’s community standards for the first time, and if that violation is not considered to be “most severe.”

The community standards now apply across Meta’s platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads – while the new rule means that instead of collecting a strike for a first policy violation, users who go through “an educational program” can have it deleted.

There’s also “probation” – those who receive no strike for a year after that will again be eligible to participate in the “remove your warning” course. This applies to Facebook profiles, pages, and Instagram profiles.

Meta first introduced the option for creators last summer and is now expanding it to everyone. In announcing the change of the policy, the tech giant refers to “research” that showed most of those violating its rules for the first time “may not be aware they are doing so.”

This is where the “short educational program” comes in, as a way to reduce the risk of receiving that first strike, and Meta says the program is designed to help “better explain” its policies.

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