In the TV horror genre series Z-Nation, one of the protagonists announces the approach of marauding hordes of zombies with the proclamation, “Puppies and Kittens.” Of course this was intended as an anodyne euphemism for the horrifying vision of rampaging zombies coming to visit dismemberment and death on civilization’s few remaining humans. Susan and I really enjoyed that series – especially for its quirky humor/comedy.
It came to mind this morning as I sat in bed reading an email from Robert Reich. The email asked for a petition signature. The petition was directed at META – asking the company to deplatform Moms for Liberty – a right-wing extremist organization identified by the SPLC as a hate group. It is listed alongside the KKK and the Proud Boys. META has already deplatformed the KKK and Proud Boys removing their hateful rhetoric from Facebook for promoting hate and violence. Moms for Liberty is no different save for its sanitized puppies and kittens type name.
Needless to say, I added my name to the petition. Will META deplatform this hate group that has targeted school boards and librarians with threats of gun violence or will META fall for the puppies and kittens routine? We shall see.