A Brief Explainer About The Nature Of Fraud

/2 Fraud is lying about the product to sell it, that’s not protected. If people want to tune in to Fishsticks Goebbels and the various versions of Wannsee Barbie and be congratulated for who they hate and fear, that’s not fraud, it’s selling shitty people what they want.

— LesserHat* (@Popehat) January 29, 2022

And no, this has nothing to do with the First Amendment.  This is just good ol' hornbook common law fraud.  Popehat is right: selling people what they want is perfectly legal, unless you are selling them something truly harmful to their health and outlawed by law, like moonshine instead of liquor from a liquor store.

Selling ideas that are disgusting, like, say, birtherism?  Well, can't do much about that; not at law, anyway.

I get “but Fox commits fraud because they call themselves Fox News and they’re really entertainment.”

How many people who enjoy Fox would stop watching if they stop calling themselves news?

“Oh, now that it’s Fox Commentary, I don’t WANT to watch that man be angry at candy.”

— LesserHat* (@Popehat) January 30, 2022

(because I never get tired of jokes about Tucker Carlson and M&Ms)