OPINION Meme (noun): a postulated unit of cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmit- ted from one mind to another through speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. Following the election of President Obama, several conspiracy theories have been inter- laced into the fabric of the American conscious- ness through vari- ous communicative extensions: “Obama wasn’t born in America,” “Health reformers want to kill the elderly,” “The New World Order is en route,” “H1N1 vaccines will steril- ize people,” and so on and so on. Infor- mation circulated on t h e Internet a n d through e-mail on face value can be compelling. Rich colors, capti- vating animations, and persuasive pros combine to create a reality that many embrace as truth, in turn the narratives (stories) gain forward momentum, eventually developing a meme. As consumers of informa- tion, we must ask ourselves where the roots of these grossly distorted realities come from. We should also check people when they jump to conclusions that cannot be backed up. Before the age of the mass ac- cess to the Internet and prior to cable news outlets gaining popularity over the net- works, journalism played a significant role in keeping the people of our country informed with an allegiance to digging for the truth. Cable tele- vision news has turned into a deluge of opinion- ated banter which Stephen Colbert so poignantly dubbed “truthiness.” It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to recognize that when an anchor per- son uses the phrase “some people say...” there is no way on earth there is any factual validity to their offerings. The more shocking, the larger the response. The more sensational, the stron- ger the advertising segments. This is not what the forefathers intended when they conceptu- alized freedom of press. These forces of nonsense and misinforma- tion will always exist in a democratic society. The freedom we enjoy gives breath to all ideas no matter how disturbing or farfetched. But be- fore I get to the point I am going to make, be conscious of the media you consume, and don’t take these carefully crafted doomsday memes to heart. They are the voices of a dying breed of thought, craftily polluting the brains of many of those who are in the generations of our parents and grandparents. Help your relatives see the light; progressive change is cultural and it in- volves educating our community. So help that uncle or aunt that listens to Rush Limbaugh or The 700 Club, because after the earthquake in Haiti, those right-wing polluters wore their warped hearts on their sleeves. There was an earthquake in Haiti. Tens of thou- sands of people are dead. Pat Robertson went on the air and said, “Haitians made a pact with the devil,” and that God was punishing them. Limbaugh did say that the earthquake will give Obama political momentum. These people al- lude to all the other distortions that stand in the way of progress. Cut the reach of their tongues by exposing their maniacal lunacy, and do what you can to help the people of Haiti by visiting www.redcross.org. After a year-long hiatus, Benjamin Hunter is back at the chalkboard with his monthly break- down. He is an Adjunct Professor of Communi- cations at GVSU and plays in the Grand Rap- ids rock band Head. Memes & poisonous narratives: the Neo-Right and Haiti recoilmag.com volume 10 issue 2 february 18 Pat Robertson went on the air and said, “Haitians made a pact with the devil,” and that God was punishing them. by Benjamin Hunter Radio personality Rush Limbaugh, who seized the Haitian crisis as an opportunity to act extra-crazy.