We are all responsible for making sure the things we share are accurate. If not, we become part of the problem in spreading misinformation. But it’s understandable why we often don’t double check our information. We expect others to be truthful.
But there is something more as well. When we find information that fits our worldview, we are more inclined to believe it. That is most likely the biggest factor as to why this particular meme has spread so widely.
Kelcy Warren can be criticized for a number of things. However, the quote attributed to him is unsubstantiated. It really amounts to a rumor, as there are no sources that confirm this is a quote from him. There simply is no evidence he said what’s in this quote.
If one takes a step back, the likely hood of Warren saying something like this, at least publicly, appears to be incredibly unlikely. This statement reportedly was said while the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline was still underway. For Warren to have said this at that time would have gravely hurt what he was attempting to do. It would have been a public relations nightmare.
Say what you will about Warren, but he is a savvy businessman. Making such a fundamental mistake is incredibly unlikely.
So why is it shared, and defended so vigorously years later? It’s because the quote fits the worldview of those sharing it. For them, Warren is a racist monster who is fueled by greed. Essentially, they have dehumanized Warren, and by doing so, it becomes easy to accept any negative thing said about him.
The bigger problem though is the ramifications of spreading such misinformation. Besides dehumanizing someone seen as an enemy, it also begins to strip away any credibility the group or person has who is sharing this misinformation.
In this case, by sharing something that is easily fact checked and shown to be inaccurate, the group opens itself up to further criticism. It can be used to completely dismiss the group because if they believe such easily shown lies, how can they be credible? (that argument isn’t accurate anyway, but it’s the sort of argument that is used quite often). If they support something clearly false, can they be believed?
This sort of argument isn’t new. In fact, it is a common tactic used in propaganda. The tactic is feeding information to the opposition’s group, and then debunking it, in order to discredit the opposition. It’s a tactic that has been used throughout history. And the reason they do that is because it is so effective.
I’m not saying that supporters of DAPL or Warren made this meme and fed it to their opposition. It could have been created by someone who opposes DAPL or Warren. But the effect is the same either way, the opposition group is discredited because they aren’t fact checking.
