This past week we learned about social media idiots!
In a world where facts and logic no longer matter, a train derailment on the first paying passenger run on a brand new, $181 million upgraded rail corridor, completed as part of an $800 million dollar infrastructure upgrade, is:

1. An example of America’s “crumbling infrastructure”
2. An example of America’s lack of investment in infrastructure
3. An example that future budgets (which might cut infrastructure spending) caused this crash, in the present
4. An example that Congress is stealing from the poor and giving to the wealthy
5. Caused by Antifa pouring concrete on the tracks

All of these “instant” explanations were shared on social media because never let an event go unused for political propaganda messaging! And never let facts or logic intervene either!
In the real world, the propagandists promoting these messages were idiots – all of them.
The Reality

Option 6. Social media is filled with idiots

The rail line is brand new and is owned by Sound Transit, a government agency; the train cars are owned by the State of Washington and the State of Oregon which subsidize 40% of the costs and hire Amtrak to run the train. This was the first paying passenger run on the new line.
A total of $800 million was spent on the PNW corridor as a just completed infrastructure upgrade. 
Washington State Department of Transportation explained that the track is new as is the lead locomotive. The system has an active train control system designed to prevent over speed accidents but it had not yet been activated.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, a data recorder on the train showed it traveling at 80 mph in a 30 mph speed zone. Physics – not infrastructure spending – caused the train to fly off the tracks (see also).
Social Media is Dominated by Idiots


The track and locomotive were BRAND NEW. You are an idiot.

Everything was BRAND NEW as a result of infrastructure investment. You are an idiot.

The track was BRAND NEW. Education investment and future tax breaks played a role? You are an idiot.


The track was BRAND NEW. You are an idiot.

 
 

 



Fake news sites InfoWars and GatewayPundit, spread rumors that Antifa caused the train wreck, spreading pointless speculation in the absence of evidence (but but but speculation is okay you know!). Idiots.

Right-wing hysteria web site DrudgeReport presented the story this way – not one bit of it was true – all false to the point of being fake news:

Newsweek
Newsweek has a long track record of misreporting and was the only news outlet to spin the story as in their headline. Idiots.

CNN
A day later, CNN jumped in with a pretend news report, rich in speculation, critical of not having enacted an infrastructure spending bill in 2017. All of which was irrelevant to the train crash but fit the fake news meme du jour popular on social media and in much of the media. This was a classic “never let a crisis go to waste” so CNN spun this into a fictional creative writing story having little to do with the train wreck.
We went down this path before

In July 2015, Occupy Democrats blamed Republican investment in wars – and not infrastructure – for the collapse of an old bridge that was intentionally being demolished by construction crews because a brand new bridge had just been completed. Their followers shared this item tens of thousands of times on social media.
Facts and Logic No Longer Matter
All that matters is your feelings. If you feel a brand new train, crossing a brand new rail line funded with $800 million of infrastructure improvements – is an example of not funding infrastructure then your feelings must be true. Or a sign that you are idiot.
Epilogue
When a social media platform becomes over run with idiots, the value of that platform to everyone else goes down. Why spend time reviewing posts or tweets when so much of it is not true, fake news, or just outrage?
S
ince the train crash, I’ve largely stopped using Twitter and deleted the Twitter app from my phone and tablet. The signal to noise ratio dropped too low this past week.
Update May 2019
In May 2019, the NTSB released their report on the crash. They found massive incompetence in the 7 agencies that were involved in running this rail line and said the train engineer had been set up by failed management, with inadequate training on the new train engine and on the track.