Did a Panel of Scientists Admit Women are
Officially Mammals?
According to World News Daily
Report (WNDR), they did. The article stated that in an unprecedented ruling, a
panel of Saudi Arabian scientists concluded that women are more than simply “objects”, they are now confirmed to be mammals. This grants them the same rights as other mammals
such as goats and camels, but still does not grant them rights as humans. The article
then continues to quote Jane Austin, a supposed spokeswoman for the Women’s
Liberation Action Network, saying “This is a great leap forward for women’s
rights in Saudi Arabia. It may seem too little, too late, but it is truly a
milestone event for all women in the region”.
This unreliable website posted this
fake news story May 7th, 2016. The photograph of the supposed “panel
of Saudi scientists” (shown below) clearly displayed a logo representing the World Government
Summit which was an event in Dubai regarding shaping the future of worldwide government.
This event did not include any scientists nor presented any reports relating to
the biological classification of women.
Additionally, the website this
article was posted on is well-known for its fake news in the science community.
They have a well-hidden disclaimer stating that they are not responsible for
the truth behind the news they post, yet the home page states "News You Can Trust". Regardless of their disclaimer, any site
posting untruthful articles should be taken offline. Many Americans tend to
believe whatever they read online and will not do the proper background checks
that are required to prove if what they are reading is factual.
Posted by Caitlin Lohr (2)
It's hard to respond to this without the following requisite platitudes: 1). It's a disgusting premise, whether satire or not (it's not, though many believe it to be) 2). the proliferation of fake news is so dangerously pervasive that satirists have to be more vigilant now than ever. Satire has to be clear in its goal, or else it risks being confused with and thus contributing to that which it intends to criticize. The fact that people cannot determine whether this article is satire or not - gleaned from its comments section - is evidence of that.
ReplyDeleteAside from being obvious sensationalist click-bait, the article further stokes the already roaring flames of Islamophobia (let alone misogyny; those flames have been eternally roaring), which, as far as I'm concerned, is a criminal move considering our current political climate. Implicit bias favors those harboring this irrational anti-Islamic sentiment and that's exactly what this schlock is playing to, all for the sake of ad-revenue.
I wholeheartedly agree that sites like this must be stopped, because whether they're aware of it or not (they definitely are), the rhetoric they push stirs hateful discourse that makes them complicit in the increase in hate crimes we've been witnessing. Reportedly, Google and Facebook are taking initiatives to flag fake news and have it removed. Too little, too late if you asked me, but it's better than nothing I guess.
One of many sources on hate crime spikes:
*CAIR itself isn't free from controversy (with *alleged* ties to Hamas), but they are the most prominent American-Islamic relations group and provide good sources in this article.
https://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/13890-cair-says-fbi-report-of-sharp-jump-in-anti-muslim-hate-crimes-should-push-nation-s-leaders-to-reject-islamophobia.html
Fake news crackdown source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/technology/google-will-ban-websites-that-host-fake-news-from-using-its-ad-service.html
Wow! I really appreciate all the additional information you provided! I'm also glad to see their are sites that crackdown on fake news. I just hope people know about these sites and USE THEM! It's such a shame to fall victim to false news stories.
DeletePosted by Caitlin Lohr
This article completely shocked me! How could someone create such a ridiculous story?! Just from simple common sense, women are human and should not be compared to a goat or a camel. The biggest red flag would be the lack of evidence or research to support it (which would be absolutely crazy to find because this idea is just beyond inaccurate!) They even included a FAKE picture to go along with their fake news story! I agree with you on the idea that fake news like this should be completely removed from the internet! What a shame....
ReplyDeletePosted by Angela Driscoll (group A)
I agree! To most people this would seem like common sense. But it's really sad to think that people are out there BELIEVING this and other horrible articles that are posted! They need more websites that expose the false news!
DeletePosted by Caitlin Lohr
Wow, there are not many words that can accurately describe this atrocity. This seems like a news story that some jealous boyfriend or angry husband created in order to get back at his girlfriend and to make himself feel better. Regardless, although completely unfactual, I do have to commend their effort with obtaining a photo to go along with the story. Certainly there are people out there who believe women are not as good as men, but this is too far. I am willing to bet that the people that do think that way know that women are at least more than a goat or camel. Nevertheless, this story is another addition to the ever increasing fad that is, science fake news.
ReplyDeletePosted by Nicolas Baltayan (Group A)
I agree! This was definitely published by someone who is just trying to undermine women as a whole. Absolutely ridiculous and I hope people know this is entirely fake when they see it!
DeletePosted by Caitlin Lohr
I can't believe that this is how some women are treated in other countries! I think that in America we can be sheltered to the horrors that go on in other countries every single day. I think that it's horrifying that women are now "granted" to be on the same level as "goats". I think that the way women are treated in the middle east should be more publicized and talked about so that change can be brought upon their societal ways. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteWait, no. This is a fake news story. So it is not actually true haha. Women are deemed human, someone just made up this fake news story to spread a false rumor. Still terrible that anyone would post this!
DeletePosted by Caitlin Lohr
Things like this make me really angry when I read them because, as Owen said above, it fuels Islamaphobia. I have a friend who is Muslim and she has to put up with so much ignorance on a daily basis, and sites like this are just making it worse for Muslims because people will read this and actually believe it. Muslim countries are a lot more feminist than we give them credit for. I am truly disgusted that anyone would lie about something like this to make a country seem worse than they actually are.
ReplyDeletePosted by Jordan Milone (3)
I agree. This article seems to be degrading women, but in fact it is degrading a whole race. It's terrible that someone would go through the time and effort to incite hatred and disrespect. So shameful.
DeletePosted by Caitlin Lohr
I agree with Jordan. It is upsetting to see articles like this because their sole purpose is to negatively influence the reader's views about a certain group or topic. It's especially dangerous when the article is about a topic as debated as views on feminism, because many readers become incensed so quickly that they don't bother to check for another reporter's views or as you said, to do background checks to see if the information is factual. And like Angela asked, how does someone even come up with a story as ridiculous as this?
ReplyDeletePosted by Haley Huang, Group A
Yes, I agree with you Haley. It is horrible that people post articles just to incite negativity and hatred. I really wish the internet was better monitored and filtered so fake news stories couldn't do damage to our society!
DeletePosted by Caitlin Lohr
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