Baltimore bridge collapse was tragic enough. Then came the right-wing conspiracy theorists.
As news of the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore unfolded, I was on the road in the Midwest, getting information the old-fashioned way: via the radio.
Not from the viperous den of talk radio. Not from pruned-for-your-particular-ideology satellite radio stations. Just regular straight-news radio updates from normal sources like The Associated Press or CNN.
What I learned as the day rolled along was simple: A massive cargo ship lost power early Tuesday and issued a mayday call before hitting one of the bridge’s supports. The collision caused the bridge to collapse. The warning allowed authorities to shut down traffic on the bridge, likely saving many lives. Six construction workers who were filling potholes were missing and presumed dead at the time. Local, state and federal officials rightly praised the first responders and search-and-rescue crews.
There was no spin or speculative nonsense. Just vital information on a truly sad day.
Baltimore bridge collapse was tragic, but online it was nuts
The bridge collapse was an awful accident, one that will be further investigated. The loss of lives was heartbreaking. The government response, top to bottom, seemed focused and well-coordinated.
When I got home, I looked to see how the day’s news had unfolded on social media, particularly on the site formerly known as Twitter.
My immediate response was: WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY IS GOING ON HERE?!?
Was the Baltimore bridge an attack? Conspiracy theorists quickly took hold of the Key Bridge collapse.
A deadly accident with a simple explanation had, in the time it takes to say “unhinged kookery,” been grotesquely transformed into a conspiratorial weapon aimed at everything from the border crisis to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
What existed online regarding the Baltimore bridge collapse, stuff beamed into the brains of millions, bore no resemblance to what I had learned.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., posted ominously on social media: “Is this an intentional attack or an accident?”
Right-wing social media blamed bridge collapse on everything they hate
A widely circulated Fox News clip showed Maria Bartiromo noting that officials have said there was nothing “nefarious” behind the bridge collapse, then in the same breath talking about “the potential for wrongdoing or potential for foul play given the wide-open border.”
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A right-wing figure on Newsmax, in a clip shared widely on the site formerly known as Twitter, opined, ludicrously: “I’m no expert on what’s going on in the seas but all I would say is that if you talk to employers in America, they’ll tell you that filling slots with employees who aren’t drug-addled is a very huge problem.”
What that has to do with a ship crewed entirely by Indian nationals is beyond me, but OK.
Did DEI cause the Baltimore bridge collapse? No, you nincompoop.
A right-wing social media figure with nearly 140,000 followers claimed the company that operated the ship “promotes” diversity, equity and inclusion, then later posed the thoughtful question: “Did DEI cause this collapse?”
No, but that is the dumbest question anyone has ever asked, so congratulations on that.
Another right-wing X user, this one with more than a quarter-million followers, posted a clip of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who is Black, speaking about the tragedy, identifying him as “Baltimore’s DEI mayor.”
Rabidly pro-Donald-Trump far-right conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec posted a picture of the collapsed bridge with this comment: “At least your grandchildren will know you fought racism.”
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There is real life, and then there is life online
The juxtaposition between the opportunistic hot-gas bubbles emitted from the fetid swamps of social media and the normal-American-human-being news I listened to while driving was, to put it lightly, staggering.
As someone who often follows the news as it breaks on social media, I was reminded that things look different up here in the air most people breathe. Eighteenth century English poet Thomas Gray wrote of being “far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife.” That’s where I was – a place where things make more sense, where facts matter, where there can be a simple explanation to a horrific happening and people don’t pounce on every tragedy to make a buck or raise their profile.
May we all stay far from the madding crowd of conspiracy hurlers
There’s a longstanding saying on what used to be Twitter: “Twitter isn’t real life.”
Under Elon Musk’s radical, pro-conspiracy ownership, that has become truer than ever. It’s a cesspool. It’s a den of racism and bigotry and xenophobia that has become virtually fact-resistant.
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The Baltimore bridge collapse demonstrated that in no uncertain terms. What happened far from the madding crowd – what happened in real life – was wholly different from what the cranks and hatred addicts chirped about online.
My hope, as this election year plods on, is that more people are living a real life than one of ignoble strife. And that the clowns and dirtbags trumpeting conspiracies to the masses on X are left to reckon with their own sad impotence.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on X, formerly Twitter, @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Baltimore bridge collapse was awful enough. Right wing X went too far
