MSNBC host Joy Reid repeated the unsubstantiated claim that Hong Kong protesters are mimicking Ferguson protesters by putting their hands up on her show today.
The claim, originally published by Vox, has no evidence to back it up and has been criticized by many, including the Free Beacon's own Sonny Bunch.
Think about that for a moment. Here’s a tweet with a photo that is targeted to really, really dumb and gullible people who are so horribly ignorant they don’t know that "hands up" is a universal gesture that signifies "I am not a threat." The post itself contains absolutely no proof for the contention made in that tweet. And yet, clickety click click click. I find it hard to believe that Max Fisher himself is so stupid as to realize that "hands up" must obviously signify a reference to Ferguson, Mo.
Bunch decried the sleight of hand involved in the fact that the reporting in the piece and its headline do not match.
We’ve gone from "it’s impossible to say" whether this thing is related to that other thing to "protesters are using." It’s a remarkable sleight of hand and certain to drive clicks from idiots on Twitter and on Facebook. Look at all those shares! Let’s not let little things like facts get in the way of this awesome bit of stupid-bait.
The headline has been changed to a less assertive claim since the publishing of Bunch's piece. However, MSNBC's Joy Reid repeated the original claim anyway.