One tweet about a celebrity purchasing hundreds of acres across Maui over the past few years has received more than 12 million views on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Schools are teaching ChatGPT, so students aren't left behind “You’re telling me that these cheaper lower middle class houses burnt down directly across the street and all of the mansions are still standing?” one YouTube user posted, referencing aerial imagery taken of the destruction. Other social media users allege elite Maui residents were behind the fires so they could buy the destroyed land at a discounted price and rebuild potentially a “smart city.” Related far-fetched theories say the alleged “laser beams” were programmed not to hit anything blue, explaining why so many blue beach umbrellas were left unscathed by the fires. The video remains posted but now includes a label from Instagram listing it as “false information.” The imagery appears to be from a previous SpaceX launch in California. In one video, a user claims a friend sent him a video of a laser beam “coming out of the sky, directly targeting the city.” “This was a direct energy weapon assault,” he said. “The conspiracy theories that are the most effective and plausible are usually based on some grain of truth and connect to some existing set of beliefs about the world.”įor example, someone who distrusts the government may be more inclined to believe someone who posts negatively about a government agency.Ĭonspiracy theorists on varying platforms claim the fires, which killed at least 114 people earlier this month, were planned as part of a strategic effort to weed out less wealthy residents on Maui and make room for multi-million dollar developments. “Theories that attribute the cause of a crisis to a specific bad actor offer a villain to blame, someone to potentially hold responsible,” DiResta said. According to Renee DiResta, a research manager at Stanford University who studies misinformation, people often look for a way to make sense of the world when they are anxious or have a feeling of powerlessness. It’s not uncommon for conspiracy theories to make the rounds after a national crisis. Still, conspiracy theories continue to circulate as nearly 400 people are still unaccounted for. Wildfires across the region have long been a concern. Maui experienced high winds from Hurricane Dora in the south while it was also grappling with a drought. (Hawaiian Electric previously said both the company and the state are conducting investigations into what happened). While the cause of the fires hasn’t been determined, Hawaiian Electric - the major power company on Maui - is under scrutiny for not shutting down power lines when high winds created dangerous fire conditions. But real-estate billionaire Neil Bluhm, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and billionaire investor Peter Thiel-all who own property in Hawaii-have not come forward about any donations for wildfire relief.A slew of viral conspiracy videos on social media have made baseless claims that the Maui wildfires were started intentionally as part of a land grab, highlighting how quickly misinformation spreads after a disaster. Billionaire Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff told Yahoo Finance that the company donated $1 million to an organization that provides meals after natural disasters. Billionaire CEO of Nvidia Jensen Huang donated to local relief funds, according to The Verge. Workday co-founder and CEO emeritus David Duffield is reportedly working with the Maui Humane Society. Bob Parsons’ golf brand previously donated $1 million to a disaster relief organization when news about the wildfires spread. Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancee launched a $100 million fund in support of Maui residents. Meta billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan pledged a $400,000 donation to the Hawaii Community Foundation. Winfrey’s and Johnson’s fund launch comes after the billionaire media mogul and other billionaires who own land in Maui came under fire for their lack of response to the wildfires. wildfires in at least a century that has destroyed over 2,000 structures, killed over 100 people and left many more missing. The assistance is for residents of Maui whose homes and properties were destroyed in one of the worst U.S. All funds will be electronically disbursed, and people will be made aware of their application statuses by email. In the post shared on Instagram Johnson mentioned how he and Winfrey found potential donors were “having a hard time trusting where the money goes,” so the People’s Fund of Maui is modeled after singer Dolly Parton’s My People Fund, which Billboard reported provided $1,000 monthly payments for six months to families dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters, by giving money directly to Maui residents for as long as they need. Winfrey, who Forbes estimates is worth $2.5 billion, had reportedly been sending pillows and supplies to Maui residents.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |