Shooting Down the Rumors

 

I was talking with someone yesterday who spoke of “stories” as the best way to convince people to believe a certain way. We can provide facts, numbers, graphs, testimony, whatever, but people who know nothing about a subject except a story they heard will often reject the truth and cling to the narrative. As a former English teacher, I understand the power of the story to hold the listener's heart, even when the story’s proven wrong.

Stories are fun to tell and way more exciting than, “I moved the lawn yesterday.” When people pass shocking tales along, their listeners react with wide eyes and surprised exclamations. For some folks, “I heard that—” seems to excuse the most malicious gossip, no matter how outlandish it might be. An engaging story beats court documents, police reports, and scholarly research, because those things lack the story-telling spirit we enjoy.

I love stories. I read stories. I write stories. But I also understand that we need to apply logic to the stories we hear. Entertainment is one thing. We know that Star Wars isn't real. That car thieves aren't usually heroes. That farm boys don't often win the hearts of successful female corporate lawyers. That's fiction, and it's fun. But when we hear a story in real life, we need to ask questions, like “Does this make sense?” and “Is there proof this happened?”

For example, there has NEVER been a documented case of kitty litter boxes in a school bathroom for use as a toilet. Not in Michigan, not anywhere in the United States.

Never.

The rumor was hyperbole that started in Canada when someone said something like, "Next thing you know, we'll be..." That was taken as reality and picked up by a candidate for public office in the U.S. who wanted to prove we’d gone too far in accepting diversity. The rumor's reach extended when politicians and activists like Lauren Bobert and Joe Rogan made reference to it. (Rogan later admitted it was false.) The rumor has been researched. The verdict is in. Wagner, Bayliss; Mendoza, Jordan (January 30, 2022). "Fact check: No, a Michigan public school did not provide litter boxes for students identifying as cats". USA Today.

IT DIDN’T HAPPEN BEFORE.

IT DOESN’T HAPPEN NOW.

When you hear a rumor like this about your local school, ask yourself, “Would the people I know who work there participate in such silliness?”

Then look at the sad reason buckets of kitty litter are actually placed in some schools. They're there to provide toilet facilities in case the school has an active shooter and the students are forced to stay locked in for a long time. I don't even want to imagine that story, but If it happens, those buckets won’t just be for the furbies. Garcia, Nelson (October 5, 2017). "Jeff Co schools have emergency buckets where people can pee during lockdowns". KUSA (TV)