Hi there! Welcome to Easy A–Your go-to source for quick and easy actions you can take in five minutes or less about the issues you care about.
Are you a busy mom? Or maybe your work is so hectic you can’t think about anything else during the day? A lot of us are also taking care of parents or other loved ones too, leaving little time for anything else.
The good news is that these are things you can do while you’re waiting in the school pick up line, on your lunch break, or even at your kid’s soccer practice – anywhere you happen to be! And you can easily share Easy A with your friends so they can be in the know, too! We’ll send you a new action to take every week–just one, we promise –and it will always be something you can do in five minutes or less. Ready to get started? Let’s go!
Read This: Spotting and Stopping Disinformation
Whether we prefer Facebook or Instagram, TikTok or Substack, we’re all scrolling our feeds regularly (maybe more often than we should!). Social media has become a big part of our lives. It has immense power for good, like exposing us to new points of view and connecting us with our community. But social media also gives bad actors an opportunity to take advantage of us by spreading disinformation.
A healthy democracy needs us, its citizens, to be accurately informed, so let’s learn more about disinformation and how we can fight it.
What is disinformation and why is it dangerous?
Disinformation is false information that is being spread on purpose in order to mislead people. It’s different from misinformation, which is inaccurate information being spread without the awareness that it’s not true. But since we can’t always tell if the intent is there or not, we can tackle both in the same way.
First, it’s important to recognize that disinformation is spread by bad actors. These can be foreign adversaries or domestic agitators. They can be governments, organizations or groups, or individuals. They all have the same goal: To mislead and manipulate us in order to divide us. They want to sow distrust among us so that we don’t trust each other, our institutions like schools and courts, and our professionals like teachers, lawyers, doctors, and scientists. While uniting us against common enemies, they promote their points of view and interests, often for political power and financial gain.
We know that bad actors are using disinformation to influence our elections. And Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are making it easier for anyone to create disinformational content. Unfortunately, social media companies are reducing their fact-checking efforts, and the Trump administration is ending federal efforts to fight disinformation online. So it’s increasingly up to us to keep disinformation from spreading.
How Disinformation works (because we can all fall for it)
Spotting disinformation can be tough because it comes in many of the same forms as legitimate information or entertainment. Disinformation can be delivered through:
- Memes or other social media graphics.
- Content disguised as a news article.
- Real news articles (even journalists might include disinformation in their work!).
- Editorials, opinion pieces, and blogs (they have less stringent standards for fact-checking and data-sourcing than journalism does).
- Manipulated or AI generated photos or videos.
- Selected edits of photos, screenshots, or videos removed from their original context.
- Satire presented as fact.
Disinformation thrives in places where people are either too naive or overly confident about our abilities to spot it, but we’re all susceptible! It’s designed to tap into our “fast brain,” the part of our brain that runs on autopilot and emotions, not rationality. Disinformation is designed to elicit an emotional response — shock, anger, fear, horror, joy, or amusement — so that we react and share it quickly without thinking critically about it.
Disinformation is bolstered by the fact that social media is designed to make spreading information impulsive and easy. The algorithms boost content that has lots of reactions and clicks, and those are all driven by that same emotional response.
We also all have confirmation bias — the tendency to believe something if it reinforces or aligns with our current beliefs and values. So if we see something that supports our beliefs, we’re more likely to share it without fact-checking first. Disinformation is designed to work faster than our ability to spot and analyze it, so that’s exactly what we have to do to fight it.
How to stop disinformation from spreading.
It takes work and some reconditioning of our habits, but we can train ourselves to recognize disinformation. Now that we understand that it taps into our “fast brain,” we can be intentional about scrolling social media with our “slow brain” instead, using our reasoning and critical thinking skills. Here are some standards we can use:
- Remember that everything online can be false or manipulated.
- Be aware of our biases.
- Pause and investigate further when something quickly elicits an emotional response.
- Assess who is sharing the information. Are they a real person? Are they reliable? Could they be a bot or fake account?
- Fact-check everything — especially if it elicited strong emotions or seems sensational — using sites like factcheck.org or snopes.com.
- Assess the source of information. Is there a source? Is it a primary source? Is it reliable?
- Check a few reputable sources to see if they have the same information.
- Don’t share if you can’t verify or if it isn’t from a trusted source.
- Don’t repeat disinformation, even if you are trying to debunk it. You don’t want to spread it further, and it’s better to just share the facts!
Our democracy depends on us being informed with accurate information. In this era where real news is being called “fake news” and actual fake news is spreading like wildfire, we can all use these tips to spot and stop disinformation.
Watch This: School Shooting Survivor Talks About Gun Violence
Now that you know the true cost of active shooter drills, you’re probably wondering – why are 95% of school districts still participating in these drills? You’re not alone. Mainstream moms are fed up with a culture that values gun ownership over the lives of our children. Why are our children paying the cost of mass shootings while our legislators continue to ignore the problem?
That’s a question Ashbey Beasley wants answered. Ashbey was not involved in any gun violence prevention work, until she survived a mass shooting with her young son, at a Fourth of July parade. Now she speaks out about gun violence and the unexpected costs of active shooter drills. Ashbey is not willing to accept that we have normalized mass shootings with active shooter drills. And neither are we.
Watch this short clip to hear more of our interview with Ashbey Beasley:
To listen to the full podcast episode that explores the true cost and impact of active shooter drills, click here.
Read This: The Impact of Active Shooter Drills
Did you know 95% of school districts conduct active shooter drills? Some fast facts:
- There is NO research that backs up the value of active shooter drills.
- There’s significant evidence that these drills actually have a negative impact on the mental health of students, teachers, and school staff.
And here’s the kicker:
- The push for active shooter drills has created a $2.7 billion industry that feeds off the fear of school shootings. That’s right…companies are profiting off our kids’ fear. And these drills are just a bandaid on the problem that elected officials refuse to take action on.
Research conducted by Everytown for Gun Safety and Georgia Tech found that active shooter drills in schools are associated with a 39% increase in depression, a 42% increase in stress and anxiety, and a 23% increase in mental health problems. There was also a 22% increase in concerns over death in students, some as young as five years old. These fears of death also affect teachers and parents. So while active shooter drills are continuously being pushed instead of passing gun safety regulations, the long term impact on schools and the wider community is being ignored. And our children are paying the price.
Victims of gun violence often talk about a tipping point, when enough Americans will demand action on gun violence in this country. We know it is past time that our elected leaders take action on gun violence prevention. Children should not be the ones paying the price for this extremism.
Thanks for taking your easy action for this week. See you next Thursday!
We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programming: Are You Registered to Vote?
Feeling a little busy? We get it. Summer vacation plans are in the rearview mirror. It’s back to school season, and fall sports are picking up. And the holidays are right around the corner – but do you know what else is coming up? Election Day! And because it’s an “off-year election” voter turnout is usually pretty low. So that means your vote is even more important! That’s right…You have the power to influence the outcome of this election! This week’s Easy A action is simple, just check to make sure you are registered to vote and that all of your information is up to date. Head to www.vote.gov to check your voter registration. It’s that easy! Thanks for taking your Easy A for this week.
Take it One Step Further: Decoding Parents’ Rights
Sign this petition right now to tell mainstream media like ABC, NBC, and Fox News that extremist groups like Moms for Liberty do not speak for you. Remind them that regular American parents like you and me don’t support banning books, eliminating sex education, or whitewashing American history. We want our public school teachers to have the resources they need to make sure our kids are learning what they need to know to prepare them for the future.
Share This: Decoding ‘Parents’ Rights’
Now that you know the truth about the misleading “Parents’ Rights” movement, you can help us get the word out about it! We tend to underestimate the influence we have, but you, my friend, are an influencer! When it comes to your friends and family, you are a trusted source of information. The people you know are more likely to believe you over a complete stranger. Are you ready to use that power?
Click below to share this post online to spread the word about extremists trying to take away our freedom to parent our kids.
Listen to This: Decoding Parents’ Rights
Mainstream parents have had enough of the “parents’ rights” crowd telling them how to parent their children. We all want to be able to make parenting decisions that are right for our family. Listen to a short clip of our conversation with Red Wine & Blue founder, Katie Paris on The Suburban Women Problem podcast. Katie declares that we all have the freedom to parent our 21st century kids and we couldn’t agree more. Our kids need to be ready for the modern world.
If you want to hear more of our conversation with Katie Paris, you can listen to the full interview on The Suburban Women Problem podcast, season 3, episode 13 – Mainstream Parents are Calling BS with Chastain Buttigieg and Katie Paris. Also available anywhere you get your podcasts.
Read This: Decoding ‘Parents’ Rights’
Have you noticed everyone seems to be talking about “parents’ rights”? Lately, it’s been all over the news and even in our local chat groups. On the surface, it sounds like a good thing, right? I mean, we probably all agree that parents should have certain rights when it comes to parenting our kids. But don’t we already? What exactly are they talking about?
Here’s the thing. Extremists are using the term “parents’ rights” to confuse and mislead us. They want to control how ALL parents raise their kids and they want to pass laws to do it. According to them,there’s only one “right” way to raise kids, and it’s their way.
So what are these extremists really after? They are trying to destroy public education by taking out our trust in our public school teachers, administrators, and librarians. Public education is the great equalizer. Access to free public education is key to our democracy. But these folks don’t want every American kid to be prepared for living in the 21st century – they just want that for a select few.
Parents should be free to make their own parenting decisions – about their own kids. For example, if a parent doesn’t want their kid reading a certain book, they can make that decision and let the teacher know, and the teacher can give that student a different book. But that one parent shouldn’t get to decide whether all the other kids in that class can read that book. That is NOT their right as a parent. But that’s exactly what this very loud, but very tiny group is trying to do.
And even scarier, here are some other things they are trying to sneak in under the guise of the “parents’ rights” agenda:
- Tracking kids’ periods
- Requiring genital inspections for kids to participate in school sports
- Suing teachers who wear “I’m here” badges in support of LGBTQ+ students
- Banning books about the Holocaust, civil rights, climate change, and accurate American history, even books about historical figures like Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, MLK Jr., or that contain LGBTQ+ characters.
- Erasing history of racism from textbooks
- Completely defunding public schools in a move to privatize education
None of these restrictions actually protect individual freedom. Instead, they’re about controlling what students and families believe, do, read, and learn. These bans and laws take away our rights and the rights of our kids.
It’s important to understand that his whole “parents’ rights” campaign isn’t even a real movement. It’s driven by national extremist groups with big outside funding. In many cases, the people yelling at school board meetings don’t even have kids in the school district. Even worse, they’ve become known for using harassment and intimidation to silence librarians, teachers, parents, students and community leaders. Moms for Liberty members have threatened people with gun violence, accused parents of child abuse and grooming, and even tried to have children removed from healthy family homes.
The chaos is causing real harm in our communities, and it’s getting expensive. One school district has racked up $1 million in PR and legal fees as a result of its discriminatory policies. Those are taxpayer dollars that could have gone to improving our public schools. And that’s really the whole point. The extremists causing this chaos are intentionally undermining our public schools, which eight in ten children in America rely on for their education.
Mainstream parents like you and me don’t want to be told how to raise our kids. Parenting is hard enough – we’re done letting extremists who want to ban books, censor school curriculums, whitewash history, and target families of transgender children control the conversation. We want the freedom to raise our kids and prepare them for the real world.
Take it One Step Further: Book Bans
Still feeling curious about book bans and want to learn more? Are you a bookworm who just loves reading books? We’ve got just the thing!
Join our Banned Book Club Every 6 weeks or so, we pick a new book to read, then we get together online, learn a little from a guest speaker, and then break up into small groups for the discussion questions. It’s a really wonderful way to make friends and stand up to book banners at the same time! We’d love to see you there.
Do This: Help Warn Your Friends about the Dangers of Book Bans
Did you know that one of the most effective things you can do is talk to your friends and family about issues affecting our communities? That’s because people trust their friends and family and are more open to learning from them than from strangers. For this week’s action, take a minute to share this post on social. We’ve made it super easy – just click!
Watch This: Author Jodi Picoult Talks about the Problem with Book Bans.
Some of our favorite authors are getting banned, and it’s usually for very questionable reasons. Check out our conversation with best selling author, Jodi Picoult as she shares how one parent had 20 of her books banned in one county.
If you want to hear more of our conversation with Jodi, listen to her full interview on our podcast, The Suburban Women Problem. You can also listen anywhere you get your podcasts.