The Obama "Death" Poll on Facebook

So the Secret Service has discovered that the person who put the "Should Obama be Killed?" poll on Facebook was only a kid, and they've shut the books on the case.

The choices on the poll were "No, Maybe, Yes, and Yes if he cuts my health care." And the final "Yes if...," to me, implies that the child was simply echoing the sentiments of his parents.

Why would I say this? Because of an experience I had back in 1996 on the Internet. At that time, I had co-founded the first electronic democracy website on the net, Votelink.com, with my friend, Colin Cantwell, and we had been asked to set up a mock election.

Congress-funded, the National Parent-Student Mock Election was hosted by Votelink, and it was linked to the Secretary of State's office in all 50 states. One week before the national elections, high school students across the country voted for president. Students participated in the vote in every state, except two: Texas and Florida.

Prior to voting, the students were asked to debate the choices for president at home with their parents. In the states of Texas and Florida, where George W. Bush and brother Jeb Bush were governors, the voting procedure was different.

We were required to set up a separate voting process for high school students in those two states. In Texas, the students could vote on the same day as the rest of the country, however, Votelink was required to hold onto the vote totals for release on Election Day. In Florida, high school students could only vote on Election Day.

The reason given by state officials for this change was that they didn't want the student vote to influence the general vote on Election Day. The vote, they argued, would show how the students' parents would vote.

And this is why I'm concerned about the poll placed by "only a kid" ... on Facebook.

 

 

Follow Alexia Parks on Twitter: www.twitter.com/alexiaparks

Comments

[Rick Kopp]

Art Linkletter proved the validity of Alexia's argument with his Kids Say the Darndest Things bit, particularly when he asked: "What did your Mommy tell you not to say?"

[Dan Montgomery]

I don't buy the "only a kid" argument either. I grew up in the sixties in a town with lively John Birch Society politics being played out in churches, schools, and political races, and have too many memories of myself and other kids parroting our parents' various opinions on the playground. Looking back, it's obvious we didn't make this stuff up ourselves. Hopefully, the Secret Service had a talk with the parents!

[WHATVOICE]

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your comment. For good or bad, parents are definitely role models for their children. Schools and teachers could play a role here in showing children how to discuss conflicting ideas with each other to help foster a society that focuses on solving problems. The parents, of course, could be required to take a "parenting class" to help understand and resolve their personal fears.

[jcapp1]

To my knowledge, children learn hate from their parents and other adults. I also know that people are just as dead whether they are shot, stabbed, etc. by an adult or a child. A child may be even more dangerous because they may not fully realize that there are consequences to their actions.
The child and the parents should at least be required to be involved in community service and counseling sessions. This country really NEEDS to unite for the good of the country and society.

[GreenDreams]

Frankly I hope it was extremely embarrassing and shocking to this kid's parents when they discovered how their hatred and partisan zeal drove their child to think this was OK.

[WHATVOICE]

Hi GreenDreams,

If this is true, I would love to see how the possible "embarrassment and shock" has caused them to change their behavior. Not just this time, but for all time. Parents have more power than they realize to shape the world of their children. ... Thanks for your comment.

Alexia