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Seen in Twitter (also posted in Reddit)

enter image description here

Gabriel
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    We require questions on this site to be about widely-believed ("[notable](http://meta.skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/882/what-are-the-attributes-of-a-good-question/883#883)") claims. Some users confuse that with claims coming from sources that they consider reliable. The source of this question's claim might not be considered reliable, but they are widely read. I have deleted comments that insist on reliable sources for this question. (Answers, of course, should use reliable sources.) – Oddthinking Jun 11 '21 at 15:33
  • @Oddthinking you're perfectly correct, but it is so obviously a meme-image (you wouldn't even call it a "fake") .. isn't there a category to delete as "trivial". Will we now have folks posting meme-images on here and asking "Is the cat REALLY saying OMG?!!?!?" – Fattie Jun 14 '21 at 14:37
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    @Fattie: The ultimate question is "Is it widely believed?" The Reddit link includes many people asking where the sign it; I think that's sufficient evidence that people believe it. – Oddthinking Jun 14 '21 at 15:42

1 Answers1

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This is most likely a photoshop.

The actual tweet can be found here.

In spite of his caption, Twitter user @patriach2051 did not find this in the wild. The picture appears to originate from the Instagram account 3ChordPolitics.

The post can be found here, posted 18 May 2021, 3 weeks before the tweet.

From comments on the post, it appears that 3ChordPolitics created this using either an image editor or a billboard generator.

antifa_superfrog Someone posted this on Twitter and everyone thinks it’s an earnest defense of billionaires hehe. 1d

3chordpolitics @antifa_superfrog That's hilarious. 1d

Considering the facts that:

  1. The Twitter poster lied about finding it in the wild.
  2. The picture comes from an Instagram account that regularly posts photoshopped photos.
  3. The original poster implicitly acknowledged that it was a fake by his comments saying that he found it hilarious that people thought it was real
  4. There is absolutely zero coverage of this billboard as far as I can tell.

It's probably safe to assume that this is fake.

DenisS
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    5. If you zoom in at the bottom of the pole (visible on Reddit but cropped here) there is an identifiable horizontal line remaining, where it was inexpertly blended into the grass. 6. Where is the power source for the lighting (switch box, conduit and lamps) in the middle of a field? 7. Why is it so far from the highway without being angled towards it? 8. The vertical strokes of the `D` and `b` on the left are angled a little, but the vertical strokes in `Elon Musk` on the right side (which slopes in more) are vertical. – Weather Vane Jun 11 '21 at 18:04
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    I didn't want to talk on the "it looks photoshopped to me" points but you raise valid points. There are a lot of digital artifacts in the picture and questions about placement/efficacy of the billboard. – DenisS Jun 12 '21 at 03:58
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    @WeatherVane you should post a question pointing out those digital artifacts. I don't think it would count as "original research" if you can clearly distinguish those. – DenisS Jun 12 '21 at 05:07
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    Because "it looks photoshopped to me" is an opinion, and I added those points in comment as "circumstantial evidence" to your more solid case. I had a browse on Google images to see if that exact billboard and viewing angle (sans field) could be found. If I *had* found it, that would then make an answer. – Weather Vane Jun 12 '21 at 15:08
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    @DenisS I wish to mention that there are _non-existent usual suspects_, mostly _targets of conspiracy theories_, who _are said to_ use exactly the same strategy: _watering down_ the real negative information about themselves or their interests with marginal fake news and nonsense (thus ridiculing realistic critics). – Victor - Reinstate Monica Jun 12 '21 at 16:41
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    Who and where did you get the block quotes from? – user56283 Jun 12 '21 at 20:21
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    @user56283 from the comment thread on the Instagram post ([permalink](https://www.instagram.com/p/CPCJ0hPB7Bi/c/18161763211153087/)). For posterity and archival, [here's the screenshot](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rSthV.jpg). – Andrew T. Jun 13 '21 at 13:09
  • I'd like to see a photoshopped sign alongside a highway that says WELCOME TO THIS STATE. One would see the road and some cars and truck going in both directions, and that sign beside the road. – Michael Hardy Jun 14 '21 at 06:26
  • A mildly interesting question might be, "which billboard generator was used?" (I glanced at a few, eg https://makesweet.com/billboard/ and couldn't immediately find the image) – Fattie Jun 14 '21 at 14:40