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, claimed that some schools stockpiled bags of litter for students who “identify as animals,” according to a compilation of public statements by NBC News.



“zombie disinformation”

It's what some observers call "zombie misinformation" -- lies that continue to circulate even though they've 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", educating students about the transgender identity -- issues to which the conservative electorate is very sensitive.

"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," said Joshua Tucker, professor of political science and co-director of the Center for Social. New York University Media and Politics.

"And as long as we live in an era where identity and culture are at the root of the main political divides in American society," he explains, "we will continue to see political figures clinging to claims far-fetched to demonstrate which side they are on in the culture war".

Rumors relayed by political calculation?

Conservative politicians are thus pushed to insinuate that they believe this disinformation, Matthew Motta, an assistant professor at Boston University, told AFP.

"Political science research suggests that culture war issues like these (LGBT rights, 'woke' issues, etc.) are relatively easy for voters to integrate," the scholar explains, adding that "elected Republican may circulate misinformation in an attempt to improve their electoral standing."

Conservative politicians have long been accused of amplifying false narratives -- from former President Donald Trump's claim that the 2020 election was stolen to misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic. to 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 elected 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 told AFP, pointing out everything just as this phenomenon remained in the minority.

Failure to stop the spread of the 'litter hoax' could nevertheless have real consequences, with activists warning that misinformation could lead to more stigma, violence and discrimination against sexual minorities, particularly regarding women. transgender and non-binary people.


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