About one month ago, I wrote a satirical piece, “Trump Pardons Charles Manson.” I also reposted the article on Dailykos.com.
What was intended as a lighthearted jab at Trump’s expansive, and seemingly indiscriminate, use of his pardoning power has morphed into a major brouhaha and latest embarrassment for presidential candidate Marianne Williamson.
Not realizing the story was satire, Williamson tweeted:
“There is something deeply sinister about Trump pardoning Charles Manson, even posthumously. Dog whistles of the very worst possible kind…”
Williamson later apologized for the mistake and said that she was “glad to have been wrong,” but then deleted both the original tweet and the apology.
If only the self-help guru had done a simple Google search she would have discovered the story was in jest. Scopes.com correctly labeled the article as “satire.”
Williamson should have read the disclaimer on moronmajority.com, which reads, “This site is devoted to satire. If you believe any of the stuff you read here, don’t look now, but you probably belong to the group this site is named for.”
Let this be a teachable moment for one and all. If a story sounds preposterous … totally batsh*t crazy … it is probably fake news or well done satire.
Then again, in the age of Trump, where windmills cause cancer, can we say anything is utterly ludicrous?
Photo | sarah silbiger/reuters
