I thought it would be easy to find a claim to analyze on my Facebook newsfeed, but I was very happy to find that I seem to have finally created my “bubble”. That is, I’ve managed to curate my social media content in a way that has minimized the number of questionable posts I see each day. However, this isn’t to say that they are non-existent. I follow a couple of pages, who will regularly post humorous memes. Usually they are meant to incite laughter or nostalgia, often they are relatable and personal enough to forward to a friend without the concern of spreading misinformation–
However, a recent post, while funny, immediately brought up questions and I realized it was perfect for this assignment:
My first step in analyzing this piece was to do some lateral reading–I opened up a new browser tab and headed straight for the Google. I started by typing “September 25, 1926 Henry Ford” in the search bar and got a few results that shared the same information, in meme form, that my chosen piece does. However, the commentary tweet was not included. The sites that shared the information were unfamiliar news sources, so I decided to try a new search: “Henry Ford labor practices”. This search immediately brought up several sources that I did recognize–history.com, NPR, and even a research project from the University of Michigan. I learned that Henry Ford’s 8-hour, 5-day work week was actually a positive change to common labor practices in the United States. People flocked to his factories in hopes of employment because they were guaranteed consistent money and stability in their time commitment to work. Ford found that treating his employees well had positive effects on his business, and thus, his practices spread like viral meme.
So, should we be heckling Henry Ford, as the original poster jokingly suggests? Well, yes. But not because of his labor practices. He was publicly anti-Semitic and spread harmful rhetoric about Jews at the same time that Hitler was doing so in Germany. Ironically, I knew about Ford’s antisemitism because of misinformation I’ve been holding on to since I heard it in Hebrew school as a child–Henry Ford helped Hitler build the incinerators and gas chambers used in the Holocaust. While there have been questions about the connections between Ford and the Nazis, there doesn’t seem to be evidence of him constructing gas chambers. Regardless, it is pretty clear that he wasn’t exactly a kind-hearted fellow.
Even though the piece of media I found is spreading seemingly harmless misinformation, getting history wrong or retelling it incorrectly can have serious consequences. The current conversation of whether or not it is appropriate to teach children about the realities of slavery is concerning because we are at risk of ignoring a critical piece of United States history, and ignoring or forgetting history is a wonderful way to repeat it.
That being said: BOO, Henry Ford! But also, thank you for weekends.
Wandering Woman 