My aunt in Florida sent me a video of a 'zombie deer' that turned out to be a raccoon with mange

It was a shaky clip from her backyard last fall, and she was convinced a new disease was spreading. I spent about two hours digging through wildlife agency reports and local news from her county. Found the real story: a known mange outbreak in the local raccoon population, confirmed by a vet's statement from six months prior. I sent her the links and she just texted back 'Well, it looked scary on my phone.' Now I always check the date and source on any 'breaking' animal video before I even think about sharing it. Anyone else have a family member who sends them the weirdest 'news' clips?

4 comments

4 Comments

colethomas1mo ago

The "looked scary on my phone" line is the whole problem in a nutshell. My mom sends me stuff where the headline is just a question mark and the video is clearly from 2012. I've started sending back Snopes links before she even asks. It's like a weird game of fact-checking whack-a-mole now.

derek_hill1mo ago

Oh man, the question mark headline is the universal sign for "I didn't check this at all." My aunt does the same thing, and now I just have a folder of saved fact checks ready to go. It feels less like helping and more like being a full time librarian for the world's most gullible book club.

samrodriguez1mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, I've gotten so good at this I should put it on my resume. My fact-check folder is basically a second job at this point. I'll see a headline with a question mark and just sigh because I know what's coming next. It's like being a free, 24/7 news detective for people who refuse to google. Tbh, I'm starting to think my real calling is just managing other people's panic.

wesleyflores3d ago

Lmao best comment I've seen all day.