Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
@upine.bsky.social
Analysis of effects of disinfo on social systems, writer http://Medium.com/@upine "All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do bothsidesism."
Pinned
How People Try to Solve Problems in a Libertarian Culture
There once was a land without environmental regulations. So various companies routinely poisoned the air, the water and the land. Everyone…
upine.medium.com
Right Wing Domination of Media & Politics Keeps Us Stuck in Disinformation and Right Wing Government
(I found a better named for this article later, after I first wrote it, and so I retitled it, which is why the title now comes out wrong when I type in the url.)
upine.medium.com/how-people-t...
(I found a better named for this article later, after I first wrote it, and so I retitled it, which is why the title now comes out wrong when I type in the url.)
upine.medium.com/how-people-t...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Sarcasm
As a proud American patriot, I am rooting against the US Olympic team because too many of them don't like Trump.
February 11, 2026 at 5:09 AM
Sarcasm
Sarcasm
The Ethicist | I missed Bad Bunny's halftime show because I was on the phone yelling at an immigrant plumber who wouldn't make a Sunday night house call during the game. Can I still tweet some general takes about his performance?
February 11, 2026 at 5:08 AM
Sarcasm
Sarcasm
RFK, Jr. says a Harvard researcher cured schizophrenia by feeding his patient a meat-heavy keto diet. The Harvard researcher says he did not. For busy schizophrenic lovers of beef tallow, it can be hard to know who to trust.
February 11, 2026 at 5:08 AM
Sarcasm
Sarcasm about mainstream media interviewing MAGAs in diners and reporting their parroting of Right Wing media lies as if these are opinions they thought up by themselves.
In this Ohio diner, taking the fifth still means running off with your host's Jim Beam at the end of the party. But they do know this: Ghislaine Maxwell's refusal to answer questions proves that Donald Trump is innocent and that the Clintons belong behind bars.
February 11, 2026 at 5:08 AM
Sarcasm about mainstream media interviewing MAGAs in diners and reporting their parroting of Right Wing media lies as if these are opinions they thought up by themselves.
Sarcasm
My three-year-old was reading ProPublica when she turned to me gravely and asked "Daddy, why is the nice orange man keeping little children in detention camps?" And when I told her "Because those dark little children were sent by the Jews to replace white children like you," she started crying.
February 11, 2026 at 5:07 AM
Sarcasm
Sarcasm about bothsiderism
President Trump has denied sending drawings of nude girls to his pedophile best friend. Why haven't Obama and Biden?
by Hugh Hewitt
by Hugh Hewitt
February 11, 2026 at 5:06 AM
Sarcasm about bothsiderism
Dark sarcasm about mainstream media's both sides reporting
Whether it's Bad Bunny giving his Grammy to a child or Kid Rock singing "I like ’em underage, see, some say that’s statutory but I say it’s mandatory," both artists have reached out to your nation's young people.
February 11, 2026 at 5:05 AM
Dark sarcasm about mainstream media's both sides reporting
Sarcasm
My kids have measles, I lost my job, and ICE just smashed the windows of all the cars on my street. But at least now I can watch Kid Rock perform at halftime of a game that I don’t watch.
February 11, 2026 at 5:05 AM
Sarcasm
Sarcasm
Kid Rock to join Harvard’s Institute of Politics
February 11, 2026 at 5:04 AM
Sarcasm
A real article on Axios
February 11, 2026 at 5:04 AM
A real article on Axios
Sarcasm about bothsides reporting in media
Whether it's Oberlin students asking for trigger warnings or ICE agents gunning down Americans, both sides have a trigger problem.
February 11, 2026 at 5:03 AM
Sarcasm about bothsides reporting in media
Sarcasm about ppl who think the pro-democracy party needs to do a long list of things they want, in order to get them to vote against authoritarian government.
Donald Trump and the Republicans are threatening to destroy representative democracy while killing civilians, taking massive bribes, destroying alliances, and exploding costs. That's why it's so critical that the Democrats find candidates who are inspiring enough to get me to vote.
February 11, 2026 at 5:03 AM
Sarcasm about ppl who think the pro-democracy party needs to do a long list of things they want, in order to get them to vote against authoritarian government.
Sarcasm about ppl mainstream media and pundits choose to interview and the crazy things they say
On this Caribbean Island, Kid Rock still means the title of a playlist made by Jeffrey Epstein. But they do know this: Your past support of statutory rape is erased when you accept Jesus and Charlie Kirk into your heart.
February 11, 2026 at 5:00 AM
Sarcasm about ppl mainstream media and pundits choose to interview and the crazy things they say
Sarcasm
Yes, Trump has turned the United States into a kleptocratic police state. But lib wine moms sound so cringe when they point this out. I have never felt more politically homeless.
February 11, 2026 at 4:59 AM
Sarcasm
Sarcasm about mainstream media focus on what's working for T no matter how authoritarian or horrendous it is
Bashar al-Assad maintained control of Syria by having secret police abduct his critics and send them to secret prisons where they were tortured to death. Could the same thing work here for Trump?
February 11, 2026 at 4:59 AM
Sarcasm about mainstream media focus on what's working for T no matter how authoritarian or horrendous it is
Yes. Lots of no-info voters, voting e.g. for lower grocery prices, deportation of rapists & murderers etc.
www.dataforprogress.org/insights/202...
www.dataforprogress.org/insights/202...
What Political News Engagement Tells Us About Donald Trump’s Victory
Harris won with voters who pay serious attention to political news, while Trump solidified much of his support from voters who don’t.
www.dataforprogress.org
February 10, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Yes. Lots of no-info voters, voting e.g. for lower grocery prices, deportation of rapists & murderers etc.
www.dataforprogress.org/insights/202...
www.dataforprogress.org/insights/202...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
one thing that will always be a mystery to me is the number of trump voters who basically thought they were electing george bush again reut.rs/3Mc4h4H
As Trump presidency enters second year, his voters share hopes – and concerns
Trump voters urge him to tone down the rhetoric and focus more on domestic issues, especially clearer pathways to legal status for law-abiding immigrants, healthcare reform, curbing waste and fraud, a...
reut.rs
February 10, 2026 at 3:50 AM
one thing that will always be a mystery to me is the number of trump voters who basically thought they were electing george bush again reut.rs/3Mc4h4H
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Textbook. If you are surprised, it is because this shit usually, at least not in the last 150 years, does not happen in the US. And the past is mild in comparison
February 10, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Textbook. If you are surprised, it is because this shit usually, at least not in the last 150 years, does not happen in the US. And the past is mild in comparison
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Seems like I've heard this somewhere before...
#Walz #Srsly? #ICEOUT #FDT #PedoProtectionForce #CBP #GTFO
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
#Walz #Srsly? #ICEOUT #FDT #PedoProtectionForce #CBP #GTFO
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Walz expects big drawdown in federal agents within days
At an event Tuesday to highlight business hardships, Walz said he believes a bigger drawdown could be just days away. He said it shouldn't be weeks or months. "We're very much in a trust but verify mo...
www.mprnews.org
February 10, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Seems like I've heard this somewhere before...
#Walz #Srsly? #ICEOUT #FDT #PedoProtectionForce #CBP #GTFO
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
#Walz #Srsly? #ICEOUT #FDT #PedoProtectionForce #CBP #GTFO
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
It isn't an empty gesture, it may not do anything now, but it's a signal to history, and to the world and to ourselves, that this is not ok.
February 10, 2026 at 6:45 PM
It isn't an empty gesture, it may not do anything now, but it's a signal to history, and to the world and to ourselves, that this is not ok.
Humans believe what's repeated. Research:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusor...
Most media/soc media consumed in U.S. are Rght Wng. Sinclair alone covers 40% of households.
So most ppl get RWng media repeating pretty lies re: GOP & ugly lies re: Dems/minorities, til lies wear a groove into ppl's brains
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusor...
Most media/soc media consumed in U.S. are Rght Wng. Sinclair alone covers 40% of households.
So most ppl get RWng media repeating pretty lies re: GOP & ugly lies re: Dems/minorities, til lies wear a groove into ppl's brains
The Vast Reach of Right Wing Disinformation
In one of my previous essays, I explained how very much in denial most Americans are about the extent to which our nation is immersed in…
upine.medium.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Humans believe what's repeated. Research:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusor...
Most media/soc media consumed in U.S. are Rght Wng. Sinclair alone covers 40% of households.
So most ppl get RWng media repeating pretty lies re: GOP & ugly lies re: Dems/minorities, til lies wear a groove into ppl's brains
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusor...
Most media/soc media consumed in U.S. are Rght Wng. Sinclair alone covers 40% of households.
So most ppl get RWng media repeating pretty lies re: GOP & ugly lies re: Dems/minorities, til lies wear a groove into ppl's brains
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
#rockintuesday A #friendly #reminder to #move #around & use your #perspective! #front & #side #composition #variations #theme! #geology #nature #rocks #rockformations #sky #rockformation #polarizer #filter #lensfilter #vibrant #colorpop #landscape #landscapephotography #westcoastkin #eastcoastkin
February 10, 2026 at 4:28 AM
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
February 10, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Local citizens aren't happy with what the government is doing. It is legal to follow and record federal agents in a public space.
Over 655 people have been charged with "interfering". That's twice the rate of the previous administration. These arrests are illegal.
www.reuters.com/world/us/ice...
Over 655 people have been charged with "interfering". That's twice the rate of the previous administration. These arrests are illegal.
www.reuters.com/world/us/ice...
ICE is cracking down on people who follow them in their cars
Becky Ringstrom was heading home after following federal immigration officers in her gray Kia SUV in suburban Minneapolis when she was suddenly boxed in by unmarked vehicles.
www.reuters.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Local citizens aren't happy with what the government is doing. It is legal to follow and record federal agents in a public space.
Over 655 people have been charged with "interfering". That's twice the rate of the previous administration. These arrests are illegal.
www.reuters.com/world/us/ice...
Over 655 people have been charged with "interfering". That's twice the rate of the previous administration. These arrests are illegal.
www.reuters.com/world/us/ice...