Rumors can fly fast. And the Internet not only aids in their spread, but can make even false rumors seem worthwhile.
The gas stove ban rumor, which spurred so many hilarious “memes,” is a case in point.
It appears to have started with a letter from Senator Corey Booker (D‑NJ) and Representative Donald S. Beyer, Jr., to the chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission about the risks associated with gas stoves per “indoor air pollution.” According to Rep. Beyer’s defensive tweet, which cleverly enough uses the buzzword “gaslighting,” such risks even include “childhood asthma,” though the word “asthma” does not appear in the politicians’ original letter.
What does appear is extra concern for the “cumulative burden to households that are already more likely to face higher exposure to both indoor and outdoor air pollution” — i.e., “Black, Latino, and low income households.”
Booker and Beyer did not quite suggest a ban; their concern was for more research and regulation. But on Monday, Bloomberg quoted the word “ban” from the lips of a government bureaucrat: “‘This is a hidden hazard,’ Richard Trumka Jr., an agency commissioner, said in an interview. ‘Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.’”
But that’s all very … iffy. More directly, and fueling the reaction, the Governor of the State of New York did propose a ban.
Which all goes to show that the “over” in over-reaction can deflate pretty fast, down to a perfectly apt response, at the speed of … memes.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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