So “X,” formerly Twitter, finally implemented a “country of origin” that shows up on people’s profiles. They’ve been debating it for a while but it looks like it got off the ground this week. Y’all will be happy to know I still seem to be an American, posting from inside America, just as I’ve always said.

This policy was so needed! It has been almost comical to watch several big accounts exposed for what they really are. Some pretty insidious stuff has been going on. That really nasty guy who says he’s from Texas, a proud MAGA, and pours out some really racist crap? Not an American in Texas at all. I have no idea what his game was, if he was just getting his personal kicks, or if someone was paying him to make Trump supporters look bad? My eyebrows raise, my suspicions kick in when someone like that has a large following. Somebody helped make that happen…

Another one, dozens of them actually, claiming to be patriotic Americans while trying to recruit people into antisemitism (and tragically having some success at it) all seem to be based in a certain corner of the world that has a vested interest in cultivating hatred towards Jews.

Sigh.

I’ve been able to spot a handful of these poes over the years without any country of origin markers. Usually their English is a bit clumsy and their cultural references don’t ring true. Ha! That’s extra challenging on account of the fact that Americans often have clumsy English, too!

And tragically some absolute horse’s behinds have turned out to be actual Americans posting from within America! Blech. Let me be absolutely clear, this is not a xenophobic thing at all. I love to chat with people from all over the world! Many of us do, that’s one of the blessings of the internet. There is nothing wrong with posting from Germany or India or Russia. And some people are US expats or working in other countries.

The problem arises when you deliberately deceive people about who you are, what you are up to, and what part of the world you reside in. Really awful when people do this for the sole purpose of stirring up trouble, promoting extremism, or interfering in US politics. Psy/ops. If you are lying about who you are, what else are you lying about and for what purpose?

People have a right to defend themselves, such as it is. I mean, there are VPNs and other ways of concealing your location. It’s just that knowledge is power and the more you know, the more equipped you are to protect yourself.

So, I approve this measure. It’s about time.