# Posted a Snopes link debunking a Facebook post - unfriended? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 14, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803 "2015-08-14T02:44:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/81 "2015-08-18T23:59:43Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That’s pretty much why I do it. It has little to do with being any sort of “police”, and more to do with counteracting, _just a bit_, the nastiness and bullshit that some people spread. On the other hand, I don’t feel obligated to do this sort of thing. An awful lot of bilge just washes down my news feed without comment from me. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/82 "2015-08-19T01:14:03Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That only answers half of my query, though. Since Facebook isn’t going to correct the misinformation he is spreading, who(if anyone) do you think should? I think that when it comes to Facebook, _we_ are the only “policemen” the place has got when it comes to pointing out what is hateful disinformation and what is reality. Actually Facebook kinda does police disinformation insofar as its related links often include the relevant Snopes page. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/83 "2015-08-19T11:19:40Z")
If I see bullshit posted, I call it out. People who are friends with me are friends either despite or because of this behaviour - it’s not like I hide it. Fortunately, because of this, I rarely see bullshit posted. ---
**Author:** ![Toy\_varen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Toy\_varen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toy_varen)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/84 "2015-08-19T11:52:50Z")
The way I learned it was: is your need to be right greater than keeping the relationship with that person, then you shouldn’t prove them wrong no matter how wrong they are. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/85 "2015-08-19T12:42:28Z")
> [@Toy\_varen](#): > > The way I learned it was: is your need to be right greater than keeping the relationship with that person, then you shouldn’t prove them wrong no matter how wrong they are. Sometimes people are being needlessly panicked about nothing. Sometimes the information seems potentially harmful. Sometimes it’s rampant misinformation being spread to stir up racism and bigotry. There are lots of times when it’s more than just the “need to be right”. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/86 "2015-08-19T16:38:33Z")
[http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/19/be364281394a64e562d7d7432225b3c5.jpg](http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/19/be364281394a64e562d7d7432225b3c5.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/87 "2015-08-20T21:33:48Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > “Well, Opinions are not facts, and only facts are true. Insisting the sun is blue because it’s your opinion doesn’t make it blue.” I don’t know if you’re quoting someone, but I would make this **^** my sig . . . if I had a sig. Since I don’t, I’m either going to tattoo it across my forehead or write it down on in black Sharpie on a neon index card and carry it in my wallet. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/88 "2015-08-21T14:42:37Z")
Recently, I had to figure out who was posting the “Man arrested with cow eyeballs in his anus” story just for fun or who really believed it. After the first day or two, all the further posts were for fun. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/89 "2015-08-21T16:18:13Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > That’s sort of right. They’re Canadian. 😃 [**Only Barbara Mikkelson**](http://www.snopes.com/info/aboutus.asp), according to themselves. 😃 > [@](#): > > Barbara Mikkelson is a Canadian citizen and as such cannot vote in U.S. elections, register an affiliation with a U.S. political party, or donate to any U.S. political campaign or candidate. David Mikkelson is an American citizen whose participation in U.S. politics has never extended beyond periodically exercising his civic duty at the ballot box. As FactCheck confirmed in April 2009, David is a registered independent who has never donated to, or worked on behalf of, any political campaign or party. The Mikkelsons are wholly apolitical, vastly preferring their quiet scholarly lives in the company of their cats to any political considerations. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/90 "2015-08-21T16:33:27Z")
I had a dean that would always sent out the latest inbox crap as “Holy Shit!!! Students are smoking grasshopper skin!!!” and copy/paste the story she was sent to all of the teachers. At first I was nice and emailed the Snopes link but after the first couple of times when she wouldn’t recant her email I would just “reply all” and send the link myself. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/91 "2015-08-22T13:12:17Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > [**Only Barbara Mikkelson**](http://www.snopes.com/info/aboutus.asp), according to themselves. 😃 Quote: Barbara Mikkelson is a Canadian citizen and as such cannot vote in U.S. elections, register an affiliation with a U.S. political party, or donate to any U.S. political campaign or candidate. David Mikkelson is an American citizen whose participation in U.S. politics has never extended beyond periodically exercising his civic duty at the ballot box. As FactCheck confirmed in April 2009, David is a registered independent who has never donated to, or worked on behalf of, any political campaign or party. The Mikkelsons are wholly apolitical, vastly preferring their quiet scholarly lives in the company of their cats to any political considerations. Well yeah, exactly what you’d expect wildly partisan hacks to say about themselves!😉 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2015, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/92 "2015-08-23T06:50:02Z")
With the exception of relatives, I will correct and unfriend people who post hateful bullshit (like about 3/4 of any meme having to do with Obama). I don’t keep real-life friends who are blatant bigots and haters, I’m not going to keep online friends who are blatant bigots and haters. Relatives I can’t do much about, but I do usually post a correction. My cousin’s husband has unfriended me once because of that, after I called him out on the usual “unamerican, muslim, socialist” Obama meme. He and my cousin share a Facebook account (WHY do people do that?! It’s a goddamn FREE account! Get your own!) and my cousin has since refriended me. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/93 "2015-08-23T14:16:41Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > One time an aunt reposted that “Money Bags” bullshit about a month with five Saturdays, five Sundays, and five Mondays, “a phenomenon that occurs only once every 823 years,” presented as some sort of “Ancient Chinese Secret!” This aunt worked 50+ years as a scientist (microbiology) so I was surprised she had clearly posted this without giving it much thought. > > I commented, as gently and clinically as I could, how: > #1) this was mathematically impossible, > #2) _any_ month with 31 days would have its first three days repeat 5 times, so any of the seven 31-day months of the year that happened to start on a Friday would have 5 Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and > #3) it didn’t really make any sense to begin with, as the Chinese didn’t officially adopt a 7-day week until the 20th century. > > She was actually grateful for me pointing it out. I’m surprised at how many people just don’t notice the way dates move around the week from year to year. Christmas will be on a Friday this year, and if next year weren’t a leap year, it would be on a Saturday next year, one day later in the week. But next year IS a leap year, so it’ll advance two days, and be on a Sunday in 2016. After not too long a time (11 years, max, actually) Christmas will fall on every day of the week. And it may be less noticeable with August 1, say, but it obviously has to follow the same rules. The last time before now that August started on a Saturday was…2009. > [@The\_Angry\_Badger](#): > > I think that’s a result of how easy it is to share stuff on FB, twitter etc. See something you like? A couple of clicks and it’s gone out to all your friends (well, the ones that haven’t blocked you, anyway 😉 ). It’s such an effortless thing that thought doesn’t really come into it. I guess we’re somewhat exceptional here, but I can’t imagine sharing something with my friends before at least doing a quick check to make sure it wasn’t bogus. _Especially_ if it confirms my prejudices, because you’ve got to be most on guard against the stuff that a part of you _wants_ to be true. > [@DCnDC](#): > > You should send him [this article](http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/no-it-s-not-your-opinion-you-re-just-wrong-updated-7611752). 😃 That was great! I loved the bit from John Oliver near the top: > [@](#): > > To quote John Oliver, who on his show Last Week Tonight referenced a Gallup poll showing one in four Americans believe climate change isn’t real: > > [QUOTE=John Oliver] > Who gives a shit? You don’t need people’s opinion on a fact. You might as well have a poll asking: “Which number is bigger, 15 or 5?” or “Do owls exist?” or “Are there hats?” [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803/94 "2015-08-25T17:01:57Z")
I’ve corrected, but never lost anyone for doing so. In fact, I’ve wound up defriending them when they wouldn’t stop. What was really fun are the times when I’m all geared up to do so, and then I go to their page and find the post is gone. Ever since that happened once, I always wait a bit and check. While I have some gullible friends, none are the stubborn ignorant type. I’ve kinda filtered them out at the same time I filtered out the ones who post political stuff all the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posted-a-snopes-link-debunking-a-facebook-post-unfriended/727803.md?page=4)