The chief executive of a Michigan bank has lost her job after facing backlash for a social media photo of her family in sweatshirts that read “Lake America,” referencing Donald Trump’s relabeling of Lake Ontario.

Jane Smith from Family First Credit Union recently went viral after sharing the photo of her and three relatives wearing navy blue crewnecks with the words “Lake America” scrawled in white. The picture was snapped as her family left on September 11 for a 10-day trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but Smith says the sweatshirts were edited onto their bodies using AI.

“We weren’t trying to make a political statement,” Smith told Michigan outlet WJRT. “However, we were kind of poking fun at the fact that one of the Great Lakes’ names were getting changed.”

Family First Credit Union announced Wednesday that Smith was no longer with the company and that Jason Acosta, the chief operations officer, would serve as interim CEO.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    215
    ·
    3 days ago

    These boomer’s brains have been fundamentally broken by the internet…

    Smith said that her family took the photo and then put it through ChatGPT to add the “Lake America” sweatshirts. “We never had actual sweatshirts. We never wore sweatshirts,” she told WJRT.

    "I understand if I was someone in Halifax and I thought a poor group of people walked in wearing those sweatshirts, it is highly offensive and I would understand why they would be so angry,” Smith reflected.

    They legitimately think that the Internet isn’t real.

    If they understand that the actual sweatshirts would piss people off, then the only reason they think it’s ok to do it with AI, is they don’t want the real life consequences of everyone knowing they support trump.

    Like “the picture is AI” only works as an excuse, if you’re not the one who added it with AI…

    The only thing this excuse proves, is they really support him and likely have even more extremists views they’re hiding.

    I’ve noticed this with other right wingers too, they see trump and his admin “trolling” in real life, and think it’s acceptable for them to do it. They never understand that “just a prank bro” hasn’t worked in over a decade, and that when/if they say it, no one gives a fuck.

    Whether or not it’s a joke, doesn’t matter.

    • JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      64
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      3 days ago

      “I understand if I was someone in Halifax and I thought a poor group of people walked in wearing those sweatshirts, it is highly offensive and I would understand why they would be so angry,” Smith reflected.

      Very telling comment.

      The reality is that the wealthier and more powerful you are, the more you can get away with, but she simply wasn’t at the level to pull this off. She understands the whole principle based on her comments, but she simply miscalculated her value. Badly.

      • atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        41
        ·
        3 days ago

        She is from Michigan, I read it as “unfortunate group, to be pitied” not “unwealthy group”. I think she was trying to paint herself as a form of victim of the situation. But I could be wrong.

        • 🌞 Alexander Daychilde 🌞@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          26
          ·
          3 days ago

          She definitely was:

          Her family decided to return from their trip early because Smith said she was getting death threats.

          Bullshit.

          Or: Why were Canadians of all people threatening you? What the fuck did you do to spark that?

    • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      edit-2
      3 days ago

      If edited pictures of sweatshirts posted online aren’t real, then neither are death threats made online.

    • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      3 days ago

      These boomer’s brains have been fundamentally broken by the internet…

      It started with AM radio and moved on to cable television. The internet was just the coup de grâce.

      Source: Watched it happen to my dad.