How an urban myth about litter boxes in schools became a GOP talking point

[GMDino]

TL;DR  It is not only not true, it is provably not true.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/urban-myth-litter-boxes-schools-became-gop-talking-point-rcna51439

It shouldn't, but it still amazes me how people can force themselves to believe something with zero facts.

[Belsnickel]

They're the people of alternative facts, it should not surprise anyone when they fall prey to stupidity like this.

[*Nately120*]

I remember being a kid and hearing rumors about the house down the road being haunted and so and so's cousin going in there and seeing a bunch of dead bodies, or hearing that if you won 1000 matches in a row in Mortal Kombat II without getting hit that it would unlock the NUDALITY code and you'd get to see Kitana's hot tits, and other utter bullshit that even as a kid I was humiliated to admit I considered to possibly be true for a split second.

The idea that this addiction to bullshit has carried over into both adulthood and mainstream politics is awesomely absurd.

[CKwi88]

(10-14-2022, 03:11 PM)Nately120 Wrote: I remember being a kid and hearing rumors about the house down the road being haunted and so and so's cousin going in there and seeing a bunch of dead bodies, or hearing that if you won 1000 matches in a row in Mortal Kombat II without getting hit that it would unlock the NUDALITY code and you'd get to see Kitana's hot tits, and other utter bullshit that even as a kid I was humiliated to admit I considered to possibly be true for a split second.

The idea that this addiction to bullshit has carried over into both adulthood and mainstream politics is awesomely absurd.

The idea?
It's the reality.

[StoneTheCrow]

Funny, I work with a guy who is on the school board in his town and just yesterday he was telling me about having to discuss how to handle a kid who identifies as a cat. I identified as not a little bit surprised.

[BFritz21]

I was presenting at a high school this week that had a few students that identify as cats and the teachers had to go along with it, so is the litter boxes that big of a talking point?

It's absurd either way and arguing over litter boxes is trying to shift attention away from how ridiculous the entire movement is.

[*pally*]

People with logic, common sense, and intelligence don't call these idiots out because they don't believe that anyone is that stupid. By the time they do realize a large number of people really are that stupid it is too late, it has become part of the MAGA conspiracy talking points

[NUGDUKWE]

(10-14-2022, 10:18 PM)pally Wrote: People with logic, common sense, and intelligence don't call these idiots out because they don't believe that anyone is that stupid.  By the time they do realize a large number of people really are that stupid it is too late, it has become part of the MAGA conspiracy talking points

The Internet in some aspects is such an endless well of lies. You can ignore it but the problem is a lot of people put a lot of weight into these stories and if you do manage to discredit a story there are 10 more ready to take its place. This is a problem that seems to affect people all across the intelligence spectrum. I think as a society we need to focus on our commonalities rather than our differences and become skeptical of stories on the Internet. Specifically stories that try and magnify our differences. 

[BigPapaKain]

(10-15-2022, 11:11 AM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: The Internet in some aspects is such an endless well of lies. You can ignore it but the problem is a lot of people put a lot of weight into these stories and if you do manage to discredit a story there are 10 more ready to take its place. This is a problem that seems to affect people all across the intelligence spectrum. I think as a society we need to focus on our commonalities rather than our differences and become skeptical of stories on the Internet. Specifically stories that try and magnify our differences. 

In my experience - people want to be outraged. Finding common ground is the opposite of what some want. There's a reason things like Fox News dominate ratings; people don't want facts - they want to be angry.

[*Nately120*]

If a kid identifies as a cat and you pick him/her up and give ample kisses and mandatory cuddles is that legal or is that going into sex offender territory? Asking for a friend.

[StoneTheCrow]

(10-15-2022, 11:55 AM)Nately120 Wrote: If a kid identifies as a cat and you pick him/her up and give ample kisses and mandatory cuddles is that legal or is that going into sex offender territory? Asking for a friend.

Identify as a kid before hand and you’re good to go!

Edit: I mean, ahem, your friend is good to go.

[*Nately120*]

(10-15-2022, 11:57 AM)StoneTheCrow Wrote: Identify as a kid before hand and you’re good to go!

Edit: I mean, ahem, your friend is good to go.

I have a safer plan, when im on trial I simply identify as the person who appointed the presiding judge. 


In all honesty I find all this a bit liberating.  When i was in school if you did anything to draw attention to yourself the kids would set out to destroy you.  The idea that kids can openly act like cats and shit in boxes without being completely destroyed for it is oddly inspiring.

America was built upon the notions of freedom and tolerance. 

[Dill]

(10-14-2022, 10:05 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: I was presenting at a high school this week that had a few students that identify as cats and the teachers had to go along with it, so is the litter boxes that big of a talking point?

It's absurd either way and arguing over litter boxes is trying to shift attention away from how ridiculous the entire movement is.

Wait--you were told that HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS think they are cats and the teachers had to "go along"? 

What would that mean. Were they fed Kittles at lunch? Allowed to catch and eat birds? Teachers had to "go along" or what? 

This cat smells a rat.

[Vas Deferens]

(10-15-2022, 08:34 PM)Dill Wrote: Wait--you were told that HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS think they are cats and the teachers had to "go along"? 

What  that would mean. Were they fed Kittles at lunch? Allowed to catch and birds? Teachers had to "go along" or what? 

This cat smells a rat.

He presented there dude. He’s the expert.

[*Nately120*]

(10-15-2022, 09:14 PM)Vas Deferens Wrote: He presented there dude.  He’s the expert.

I was there the week before and gave a presentation about how awesome it is to identify as a cat and use a litter box. 

[*pally*]

(10-14-2022, 10:05 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: I was presenting at a high school this week that had a few students that identify as cats and the teachers had to go along with it, so is the litter boxes that big of a talking point?

It's absurd either way and arguing over litter boxes is trying to shift attention away from how ridiculous the entire movement is.

what school?

[BigPapaKain]

(10-15-2022, 11:36 PM)pally Wrote: what school?

It's in Canada - you've never heard of it.

[*Nately120*]

I like how the political response to this is "I hear on the internet that kids are using litterboxes at school, and I don't know if it's true but you should vote for me because I brought it up and indicated that it might be true and might be a problem."

It reminds me again of idiot kid logic being spouted by adults because we used to try to have debates in school, like 5th and 6th grade, that quickly turned into yelling matches where people spouted total non arguments at each other. Cue trip down memory lane....

One was a debate about if fires that don't threaten life or property should be allowed to burn in order to conserve resources. I was on the YES side to that and within a minutes the other side was arguing that "We have to put out fires because they're going to kill people and burn down houses" and I tried to point out that that wasn't the point of the debate, to no avail. My argument was now apparently that we need to ignore fires and let them kill people and destroy the country, which I have to admit is a great strategy because that seems easier to debate than the initial argument. I had been labeled as pro fire killing people, and it rightly sunk my argument. I learned a lot that day, though I assume the teacher didn't intend for that to be the lesson.

In 6th grade the teacher made the mistake of trying to have a debate on animal testing which turned into a shouting match wherein arguments that animal testing wasn't what Jesus would want (I went to a catholic school) and also that people were testing on cows by giving them cancer and then making hamburgers out of them that gave people cancer. Was that part true? Who knows, who cares, it sounded compelling. I mean, who the hell wants cancer AND to piss off Jesus? Seems like a one-two punch of trouble to allow animal testing now that we've conveniently defined it in that manner.

Side note, I heard that a lot of people like when I ramble on about my weird past and that a lot of people love reading my posts about it.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(10-14-2022, 03:11 PM)Nately120 Wrote: I remember being a kid and hearing rumors about the house down the road being haunted and so and so's cousin going in there and seeing a bunch of dead bodies, or hearing that if you won 1000 matches in a row in Mortal Kombat II without getting hit that it would unlock the NUDALITY code and you'd get to see Kitana's hot tits, and other utter bullshit that even as a kid I was humiliated to admit I considered to possibly be true for a split second.

The idea that this addiction to bullshit has carried over into both adulthood and mainstream politics is awesomely absurd.

[*Nately120*]

(10-16-2022, 05:21 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote:

Oh it works, you should try it.  Smoke's penis looks like a lit cigarette, by the way.  That's what my cousin's neighbor who got the code to work told me right after he crapped in a litter box because he identifies as a cat and then he illegally voted for Biden 10,000 times.