User-produced and uploaded video commentary on YouTube has become a popular method for distributing personal opinion on many topics, but the 2008 election has clearly inspired a wealth of content from people with broad differences in age, opinion, and choice of prose. Many of them seem to have little in common except for the fact that none of them has very much at all to say. They do not seem to touch upon actual issues as much as they express from the gut their enthusiasm for a candidate. This instinctual selection process, while lacking critical thought, leaves the rest of the length of the video open to ranting that does not necessarily appear prepared or rehearsed for mass distribution. It is however surprising that the person who is trying so hard to express something intelligent and garner the biggest response from viewers is the often the person least expected to do so. The video medium proves that people with minimal interest in politics are at least getting involved on some level, turning this election into something we rarely experience anymore; a national cultural event, a phenomenon.
Zipster08, an aging white male of perhaps 72, accommodates his lack of substance with an extravagant display of patriotism. He positions himself in front of the camera as most do – from the shoulders up – and wears an American flag scarf around his neck. Zipster08 documented his response to his first ever viewing of a presidential debate, and he thought it was really exciting. “Zip” admitted to not really knowing anything about any of the issues but felt himself qualified enough as an American to declare Barack Obama the clear winner of the first debate. To quote Zip, “I think Barack Obama kicked John McCain’s butt!” Zip’s measure of a winner is confidence and eloquence, very surface level qualities are important to people like Zip who zoned out at the first mention of $700B. Giving Zip a more of your time will allow you to discover that even though Obama won the debate, both men are qualified because of their ability to pronounce more than once the name of the president of “Pakistan or whatever.” Zip’s worldview is innocently narrow. He mentions how people in other countries have such funny names. Zip would not hurt a fly or say anything to offend anyone, and he even compared the upcoming vice-presidential election to the Mary Tyler Moore show. He just wants to have fun and be heard.
TheAmazingAtheist, or “Athe” in this discourse, like Zipster08 has limited knowledge of the issues, but his opinion is much more fierce and dangerous. The video in reference has a startling 1.1 million views. He opens his piece by declaring John McCain to be mentally retarded, a recurring theme in the video. The purpose of the video however is to wax disdainful about McCain’s choice of a running mate. “Who the fuck is Sarah Palin?,” Athe rhetorically asks before answering his own question with, “Oh yeah, she’s a retard!” His problems with her include the way she speaks and looks. The fact that Palin reminds him of Nancy Pelosi means a lot of Athe because of Pelosi’s low popularity. The pronunciation of “McCain/Palin” alone is enough for Athe to vote Obama, because the sound of the two words together is “the word used to describe two elderly midgets crawl up your ass and tap dance in your lower intestines wearing wooden cloggers.” On the other hand, Obama/Biden is a synonym for shindig. The video continues for several more minutes, and his argument becomes more graphic and detailed while staying clear of any discussion of actual issues. The purpose of this video appears to be to demonstrate edgy humor, but it is painful to watch and most of what he says is offensive to anyone on either side of the political field.
Goyo1997 is a a girl far too young to vote, and if the numbers of her user name are any indication, she is approximately 11 years old. “Goyo” is the only one of the 3 who attempts to form an opinion based on an issue. She, like others, believes that John McCain’s experience as a prisoner of war qualifies him to be president, while Barack Obama is under-qualified because of his status as “mayor for 2+ years.” Her opinion is well formed for someone of her age, and she thoughtfully adds up years of experience and qualities important to her to pick her candidate. She touches upon health care, one of many issues with a level of importance not discussed by either Zipster08 or TheAmazingAtheist. Goyo believes that John McCain’s health care plan is better than Obama’s plan because it requires Americans to pay for it. She further explains that what you get for free is not as good as what you pay for. Analogizing health care with a corn dog, she indulges that if one gets a free hot dog at the street fair, it will not be as good as the corn dog that costs $1.00, it will taste better and leave one wanting another. This is food for thought indeed. Moreover it is an honest attempt by an American citizen using all the knowledge with which she has been presented at this early stage of her life to tackle problems that other YouTubers have been avoiding their entire lives.
The response to Goyo1997′s video overall was very thoughtful and supportive. Of course there is partisan opinion sprinkled about some actual commentary. While her video said little more than the first two albeit with equal authenticity, Goyo’s obvious innocence forgives a style of opinion held by many adults over the age of 18 who intend to vote in November.
Whatever value these videos hold now or will hold after November 4, 2008, they represent the way this election has captivated all Americans. The medium that is video allows us to look into the eyes of these Americans and listen. This is good for America. People are, for better or worse, engaging with the mechanics of our nation. If YouTubers are seeking popularity with their opinions, the bad opinions will be squashed. New voices will emerge, and the competition to be heard will be based on quality. This will require anyone with an opinion to become more educated about their subject. It will become a greater challenge to compare health care to corn dogs.
Reference Videos:
Zipster08: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yzhon6bBeU
TheAmazingAtheist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=135SdtFzV2U&feature=related
Goyo1997: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-dCGQVZ6Cc