"Kill Obama" Facebook Poll Highlights Inconsistencies, Hostility On Facebook

Earlier this week, the Huffington Post reported that a poll had been posted on Facebook asking users to vote, "Should President Obama be killed?" The poll was taken down by Facebook, prompted the Secret Service to investigate, and attracted considerable attention and controversy from the public.

Yet as the Washington Examiner and many HuffPostTech readers have observed, this type of hostile content is not new to Facebook, limited to polls, or even unique to President Obama. The offensive content -- and Facebook's reaction -- has brought fresh scrutiny to the content posted on the 300 million-member social networking site, as well as the uncertainties and irregularities that arise in monitoring (and censoring) Facebook's content.

Take, for example, the Facebook group "How Many People Wanna Kill Obama!" [sic] Although it has only one member, the group lists as its mission statement, "If you hate obama and u want him assainated join! [sic]"

If Facebook sees fit to remove a poll asking whether Obama should be killed, why would it condone a group that advocates and states explicitly the belief that indeed, Obama should be killed? Doesn't this group merit investigation -- and even removal -- as well?

In the midst of all the controversy surrounding the Obama poll, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the hostile content aimed at George W. Bush. The former president has no shortage of threatening, and oftentimes popular, Facebook groups dedicated to his demise, including, "LETS KILL BUSH WITH SHOES" (which has 482 members) and "We All Want To Kill George Bush" (which has 426 members)

Although no longer in office, should Facebook extend the same "courtesy" to Bush as it did to Obama, and remove the menacing content? And what about other politicians? Hillary Clinton has been targeted in groups such as "If Hillary Clinton is Elected I'm Shooting Her" and "Kill Hillary."

Facebook spokesperson Barry Schnitt admitted to the San Jose Mercury News that Facebook will oftentimes disable content that violates its taste standards, and that, "There is a lot of gray area." Given that it's still online, are we to understand that the content above does not violate those "taste standards?"

In all of this, however, we must remember that Facebook has so far been the messenger: the medium through which people broadcast their opinions and beliefs. Read more about this in Jose Antonio Vargas' response to the controversial Obama poll, "It's Not Facebook, It's The People Who Use Facebook."

Comments

[All in All]

I agree; there is a gray area when it comes to the above matter. In the Facebook matter, I will just say that I applude them for removing said poll; however, I will also add that any content that implies the intent (thought) of killing a living person should be deemed "tasteless", and also removed too, no-matter whom the content is referring to!

Do You Hate, or want to smack Pres.Obama or former Pres.Bush (or any other person) is/should be allowed, unlike the above content though.

Just My useless opinion..

[1dogs2]

I was unaware of the "hate Bush" Facebook posts, and so, apparently, were the media. Presumably that can be explained by the difference in the tenor and tone of public discourse during the Bush years. As appalling as the Bush policies were and as much opposition as they garnered, the cable demagogues and irresponsible elected officials who have kept up an increasingly hateful drumbeat of lies, smears and off-the-wall fantasies about President Obama did not behave that way toward Bush.

The only group of comparable crazies during those years were those espousing conspiracy theories about 9/11, and they had no relationship to the Democratic party. Indeed, leading Dems, like Bill Clinton, harshly denounced such craziness publicly any time it was raised in his presence. Insofar as those nut jobs had any political alliance, they appeared to be LaRouchies. Consequently, they had little to no effect on the overall political climate. What's going on today is very different and very dangerous.

[Flavor]

I don't think none of the hate messages should be posted, I don't care who it is. For someone to want to take out the President Obama and then post it as a poll is too strong whether President Bush or Hillary Clinton it is wrong and they need to get the guilty parties. These are some dangerous times and we need to get these dangerous deranged people off of the streets who knows what that person is capable of doing.

[Siara]

I absolutely think the "kill Bush" references should be eliminated too. I can't believe that they weren't eliminated at the time they were posted. The Hate-fest is disgusting, no matter which side it comes from.

[rockymthi]

The Sarah Palin facebook page is full of some of the most hatefull, vile , way out fringe God talkers. I hope in their everyday lives they are just normal folks. Because,when they turn on the computer, Jeckyl becomes Hyde.

[TFlint]

Andyet Huffington Post forces us to link our posts to Facebook. Every time I tell Huffington Post to cancel the link, it automatically links me up again within one minute.

[Lendall]

"Think of all the hate
There is in Red China.
Then take a look around
At Selma, Alabama."

Barry McGuire
"The Eve of Destruction"
(circa 1966)

Hate and fear, Ladies and Gentlemen. Hate and fear. They are everywhere.

[beckpod1]

Just a reflection of the leaders in Washington­...sorry bunch of role models....­.

[curiousasheck]

I'm surprised people haven't figured out they are no more relevant shouting into the air hoping someone is listening on the internet then they were before it.

[Pyrate]

We don't really have to worry about anyone hurting Barry because he set himself up well, Joe Biden as second in command and Nancy "the CIA lied" Pelosi third. Thats right out of a bad novel.

[Julia Bailey]

Please learn some grammar if you're going to talk with adults. Sentences need to stand on their own and make sense.

[Pyrate]

I notice you don't grade any of your liberal cohorts. I apologize if I have offended any DULTS out there.

[DavidDial]

If I had the power to make a new rule I would completely outlaw anonymous posts on the internet.

[hopefull2008]

This story is so ground breaking and earth shattering that I think you need a bigger headline. Stop the presses.

[Elder Jimmy Biggs]

If President Carter wasn't right on the race issue How did this Facebook issue come up with that disgusting Poll about President Obama? Go President Carter you are the Man on this one for sure!
Race isn't a factor behind the force trying to stop The president Mr Obama? I think that it is also just a another tool to be used if it can help stop him as the Republicans and Rush and all of the others have so flamboyantly stated through the past few months of President Obama election. They wish that Obama fails?
Then they want America to fail, because for right now President Obama is American to the world.
It is a shame and a disgrace the level of debasement thinking that some within our United States House of Representatives have reached, reprobated mentality is what it is called.
They can from now on greet their friends by smelling their rear ends first as others do that live on that level.

[Tyler-Durden]

most of this crap is created by kids who really think they're being funny, and don't truly grasp the impact of their actions. it's a way to get attention, and they're getting it.

the problem is, because the majority of the nation is full of anxiety after 8 years of "terror levels" and similar fear mongering, people are over reacting to this stuff. it's NOT the same as saying you have a bomb at an airport. but people are responding like it is.

this is what happens when right wingnuts constantly push their agenda of keeping the public in fear.

[newleaf]

most of the comments and light confrontations I've had on FB were because of conservatives' hate, their belief in every pseudo-fact spouted by Fox news, and of course by the pure greed of those who want to pay less in taxes than the poverty-level folks. I totally agree, they use fear as a weapon and a motivator, but in my eyes a lot of it boils down to pure hate.

[ParacelsusTheophrastus]

I too have had that experience on Facebook.

[Peter Noble 2]

Facebook, which I use is great for contacting lost friends. It's also a good site to make a profile and then vent. I do not see anything wrong with having a kill the president poll. Is it not better for the Secret Service to have all this easy to track? Would it not be better for Hillary if the nuts who want her dead can be tracked?
Pushing this underground might sound sexy when it comes to trial but killing Obama poll is not anywhere near as dreadful as pedophiles posting their horrific photos and having a poll about what kind of sex or death they'd like to do to little boys or girls.
We should worry more about the perverts as they act on their desires most people clicking a poll wishing for Obama to be killed is not speical as is pointed out and perfectly healthy. I voted for Obama and he's now someone i really hate but now never listen to: he's a joke the worst 800 day president America has ever had. A gift to crooks or I mean Bankers.
The poll was a bit of fun. Nothing to get worked up about unless it's fine except for Obama the gifted one. He's just a president who deserves nothing but our contempt.

[TFlint]

I don't wee anything wrong with Facebook having a Kill You Poll. You are sick.

[1dogs2]

You obviously have no knowledge of the history and consequences of political assassinations in this country. I guess they don't teach that in naturalization classes. Your ignorance is appalling.

[CitizenKane16]

You really could have just stopped at "you obviously have no knowledge".

[billysometimes]

Dude, go dry out . You should learn to post before you indulge.