This column, from the weekly opinion piece MATTER OF FACT, first appeared on BrooklynReporter.com, the Home Reporter and Spectator dated August 20, 2021
For many years, local conservatives unhappy with New York City policies, misrepresent facts pertaining to things like crime and quality of life, as they declare “That is why everybody is leaving the city.” The census data released August 12 reveals that their statements about people fleeing the five boroughs are also the farthest thing from the truth.
Surely, each year people leave New York City and others move here, but the notion that our population is waning is false. In fact, the opposite is true. 2020 census data shows that our city had the largest gain of all cities. Brooklyn, at 9.2 percent, had the biggest increase of all five boroughs and is now just 2,000 shy of its all-time population high from 1950.
New York City is not dying. Everybody is not leaving. Yet I am nearly certain those refrains will persist, as misinformation and disinformation that comports with what some want to be true so it fits a narrative, seems to trump actual facts nowadays.
Misinformation is false information that is not intended to deceive, while disinformation is purposely misleading. Regardless of the intent, both are extremely harmful and often promoted to incite fear and anger, as those are strong motivators and elicit passionate responses.
“…Malliotakis spoke against the indoor dining vaccination requirement on August 13… saying, “this is about government control.” However, the only thing the government is trying to control is a public health crisis.”
On August 8, Assemblyman Colton and Congresswoman Malliotakis stood side-by-side to protest a proposed homeless shelter in Bath Beach. Malliotakis said she “truly believe[s] Mayor de Blasio’s desire to build shelters in residential communities is extremely concerning.” The reality is that shelters are, by definition, residential.
Colton said that the homeless shelter “would not help solve the homeless crisis” and talked about it being detrimental to the quality of life, but their purpose is to provide temporary shelter, which improves the quality of life of both the housed and unhoused. The shameful reality is that even though the shelter system assists more than 300 individuals from Community Boards 10 and 11 – covering Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Gravesend, and Bath Beach – per year, those are the only two community districts in all of Brooklyn with no shelter facilities at all. Our neighborhoods are certainly not doing their fair share and disinformation is aiming to rally support to maintain the misinformed status quo.
There is no topic more rife with misinformation and disinformation than the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, a photo of an extremely large sign in the window of a local business garnered attention online. The sign indicated that the business would defy the city’s vaccination requirement for indoor dining because they “do not discriminate.” I had made the decision I would not name this establishment because, even if I strongly disagree with their stance and will not patronize them myself, I do not want to hurt a local business. Seeing now that they are strictly interested in making a scene, I also do not want to give them the attention they seek.
The shop owners publicized their oversized sign and did multiple media interviews about it. In one such video, you can see that all their tables are outdoors, with none inside, meaning that the indoor dining vaccination requirement would not apply to them. On August 17, they held a campaign event in front of their large sign, with Republican candidates for Mayor and City Council, who claimed that the vaccination requirement is unconstitutional and discrimination, which it is incorrect because vaccination status is not a protected class. All just performative outrage and more disinformation meant to rile up the base.
Congresswoman Malliotakis spoke against the indoor dining vaccination requirement on August 13 from a Staten Island restaurant, saying, “this is about government control.” However, the only thing the government is trying to control is a public health crisis. Enforcement of this new mandate will not begin until September 13, which is also the first day of school. As we near that date and COVID cases continue to increase, Mayor de Blasio still inexplicably refuses to provide a remote option for students and while most families are in support of there being one, some act as if that choice by others would infringe on their kids’ right to attend in-person, citing more disinformation and misinformation about COVID-19 to support their contentions.
