About half a day ago, Twitter user @paulythegun had a brilliant idea. He took an excerpt from Trump’s inaugural address, and passed in on as an almost word-by-word copy from the 2007 animated film, Bee Movie.

https://twitter.com/paulythegun/status/822580209601970176

If the image embedded with the tweet isn’t visible, click the pic.twitter.com link. As of right now, the tweet has been retweeted over sixty three five seven thousand times. I’ve seen it posted multiple times both in my Twitter feed and on Facebook. And of course this spreads like a wildfire. The 45th president is stealing his speech material from a children’s movie! It’s both hilarious and outrageous at the same time. This is exactly what we on the center-left in politics expected from the talking carrot.

But there’s a problem. The tweet is not true.

Fake news & friends

What Donald Trump said in his speech is nowhere to be found in the Bee Movie script. Which makes the tweet is a lie, a well-fabricated work of fiction. Unfortunately, a lot of people believe everything they read. Particularly if it’s something they find in their Twitter and Facebook filter bubbles.

I’m not trying to come to the defense of the Donald. He doesn’t need anyone to come to his defense. What the current President of the United States of America needs is protection. From himself. What I do want is that we don’t stoop to the level of many of his supporters, who swallow - hook, line and sinker - whatever fictitious drivel the neo-nazis at Breitbart¹ and similar outlets conjure. When you see something that’s obviously fake news, don’t spread it. Call it out. Or at least ignore it.

Just don’t be a damn tool by passing it on.