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The rumor about Mayor Wu having panic attacks is false — here’s why it matters
Experts say this type of misinformation is often used against women and people of color to make them seem unfit for office.
Many readers might have heard a rumor that’s been circling around the last few months about Mayor Michelle Wu.
It purports that under the stress of the job of being mayor, Mayor Wu has been having panic attacks, and was even hospitalized.
The Boston Globe investigated the claim and found it to be entirely false.
According to the Globe, the rumor typically follows this narrative: Burnt out by her new job and the protesters outside her home most mornings, Mayor Wu had at least one panic attack, maybe several, and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, possibly Brigham and Women’s or the Faulkner in Jamaica Plain.
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In fact, the Globe reported, Wu has not been taken to either hospital. Records of January and February emergency calls show no ambulance was dispatched to her home to pick her up.
The mayor also told the Globe that she has never been hospitalized for a panic attack, nor has she had one while in office. Additionally, she said, if she were in distress, she would not hide it or hesitate to get help.
While it may seem a simple and straightforward task to correct the record, experts told the Globe that this type of misinformation is a political tactic often used by opponents against women and people of color to make them seem unfit for office.
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“Questioning Mayor Wu’s mental health is a direct attack on her strength as a leader,” Amanda Hunter, executive director of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, which studies and works to advance women in politics, told the Globe.
“Attacking a woman’s wellness really plays into an age-old sexist trope that women are too weak or generally unfit to serve in office.”
It’s a trope so old that this tactic made an appearance in British popular culture over 15 years ago.
For any Doctor Who fans out there, you might remember 2005’s “The Christmas Invasion,” an episode at the end of which the Doctor forces the fictional female prime minister of Britain out of office simply by whispering to just one person, “Don’t you think she looks tired?,” effectively starting a rumor that she is physically unfit for office.
The episode ends with BBC footage of the prime minister being asked to resign for her health while she desperately tells the media, “I’m fine!”
Experts also told the Globe that falsehoods like this can have a real impact on how a politician is perceived, even if the rumor isn’t fully believed. They also said rumors like this work because they appeal to one’s worldview or preconceived notions.
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“Misinformation is kind of a societal mirror,” Rachel Moran, a researcher at the University of Washington, told the Globe. She said effective misinformation “appeals to a worldview that a portion of society already holds. So a lot of misinformation becomes sticky because it reifies a lot of the problematic narratives that already exist.”
Moran also told the Globe her research has found that many local officials have had this type of misinformation lodged against them because of their COVID-related mask or vaccine mandates.
Kristina Wilfore, a George Washington University professor and co-founder of the Women’s Disinformation Defense Project, told the Globe that female politicians who lead in policy areas such as climate change, migration, and women’s issues are more likely to be targeted with this type of attack.
The Globe reported that it’s unknown where the rumor about Mayor Wu started. Some theorize the rumor started online, while others believe Boston city employees disgruntled by her mask and vaccine mandates may have started it.
Wu told the Globe she first heard of it on Jan. 9 on Twitter when someone asked her about going to the hospital for a panic attack. Six days later, the Globe published a story on her that included an anecdote about having a panic attack over a decade ago, which may have helped fuel rumors.
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Despite the lack of any major news outlet publishing a story on it, the Globe reported, the rumor kept circulating online, and made it’s way to municipal employees, political operatives, state lawmakers, city councilors, and union leaders.
The Globe reported that many people dismissed it outright, but others wondered if Wu needed help.
“Their first reaction was also, ‘Well, that’s so silly.’ But they kept hearing it, and so finally at some point decided just to check in to make sure,” Wu told the Globe.
In January, a Boston Herald columnist mentioned the rumor when criticizing Wu for not knowing how to deal with being mayor, and then in March, it came up on the sports radio show the “Greg Hill show” when they began to talk about Wu for a short time.
To be clear, the Globe reported, according to doctors, panic attacks, or episodes of acute anxiety, are not something to be ashamed about, are common and short lasting, and shouldn’t disqualify anyone from a high stress job.
The Globe reported that some experts think talking about a false rumor worsens the problem by giving it more attention, but the Globe pointed out that the rumor was already widespread, and said Wu was happy for a chance to correct the record.
“I want to be transparent about the presence of these tactics, even today, because we need to acknowledge it to be able to change it,” Wu said in an interview with the Globe.
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“It does feel connected to larger trends in politics and international politics: If you just repeat something that’s false enough times, at least you can sow a little doubt in the broader public’s mind. And that’s a really dangerous place to be.”
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