Boomers to me in my teens: "Don't believe anything on the internet, find actual trust worthy verifiable sources."
Boomers to me in my 30's: "Don't trust the LameStream media! I found this guy on Facebook who made a real compelling video about how all Hollywood stars are transgender!"
A real compelling video about how all Hollywood stars are transgender!
Well, that's news to me.
I know this is probably exaggerated for comedic purposes, but I'd like to see a video that actually argues that because it sounds really funny. In a completely unhinged way, of course.
I actually used that example because some old guy at a thrift store said it to me. There are actually videos of people comparing unflattering photos of celebrities saying they have an Adam's apple, or "too broad of shoulders to be a woman". I didn't believe it either, but it was a big thing in small circles called transvestigation. I don't know if it's still being spread anymore though.
Yeah there was a whole movement back in 2008 that tried really hard to prove that Michelle Obama is a man. It's really weird even by conspiracy standards.
It's not so weird, it's just that right-wingers have no imagination, and so many of their smears are of the I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I variety. (ETA: See also, the "Joe Biden has dementia" thing.) The "Michelle Obama is a man" thing came about because a lot of people used to joke that Ann Coulter is a trans-woman because of her prominent Adam's apple. (Which she really does have.)
They certainly were, and it's possible the Michelle Obama thing came from nowhere, but it came about so soon after the Ann Coulter thing, I think it was reaction. Especially since right-wing talking points have so often echoed criticism and jokes about them.
People who know the truth already know that Hollywood stars can't be trans, because they're not real. Hollywood stars don't exist, they're actually all just crises actors pretending to be Hollywood stars.
It's because they don't have the skills to assess content critically enough to avoid being taken in by nonsense and projected that onto younger people. From their perspective somehow it's just ok now to expose yourself to media you can't safely navigate. From the younger perspective we were being told we mustn't consume media we had the skillset to safely navigate.