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The Means

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Clarissa

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Maybe I should stop checking email in addition to avoiding all TV and newspaper news. Because I need to be able to register to vote before I start detesting Democrats to the point where I’ll spend 20 more years without voting.

I just got a DNC email saying “I’m a Parkland student survivor. . . It’s time to elect Democrats.”

I hope that, as they say in 3rd world commercials, no children were harmed in the testing of this product, and no actual students were used in this process but still, it’s very off-putting.

18 responses to “The Means”

  1. Dreidel Avatar
    Dreidel

    “I just got a DNC email saying ‘I’m a Parkland student survivor. . . It’s time to elect Democrats.’”

    That’s what you get for donating money to the Democratic Party or to its candidates.

    I’ve been a registered Republican for over 50 years, and during the 2016 election I got three letters asking me to support Hillary Clinton and two letters asking me to join the ACLU! Didn’t get a single one asking me to vote for Trump.

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      I don’t mind DNC emails. I mind this kind of opportunistic and exploitative manipulation involving kids.

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  2. cliff arroyo Avatar
    cliff arroyo

    Not to get all conspiracy theory-ee, but if anyone is puzzled by the current media exploitation of children after Parkland…

    “I am going to need a place to channel that anger, so I’ve decided that I’m going to give the NRA my full attention.” -Harvey Weintsein, Oct 2017

    http://variety.com/2017/film/news/harvey-weinstein-jay-z-apology-sexual-harassment-1202581711/

    As Arsenio used to say…. “It makes you go ‘hmmmmmmm’”

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      I’m from the Soviet Union. I have a historical aversion to young people of this age being used for political purposes. There is a long and tragic history of it where I am from, and I learned it’s just not worth it, no matter how N
      noble the goal.

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      1. cliff arroyo Avatar
        cliff arroyo

        I agree, it’s disgusting (major trauma + media exploitation…. what could possible go wrong?)

        But since when has the exploitation of young people ever bothered HW?

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          I saw one of these young people on MSNBC. He was telling about how he lost his best friend. And the way he spoke was so slick, so rehearsed, so similar to the way an aged and jaded politician talks to voters.

          The anchor clearly felt that he needed to explain, so he said approvingly that these kids are this way because they’ve spent a lifetime posting YouTube videos of themselves.

          I turned off the TV because the whole thing was disturbing. The boy was talking about his dead best friend in a tone of a realtor selling a house.

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  3. Dreidel Avatar
    Dreidel

    Ah, Clarissa, have you noticed that February this year had NO full moon, whereas March is starting off with the first of two glorious special full moons (the second coming at the end of the calendar month, making March a glorious blue moon
    month!    )

    Isn’t it strange how all that extra light drives the political crazies and loony lefties off political websites like yours, allowing those with intelligent views like mine and cliff’s to discuss issues with you without unhelpful commentary from the usual nutty Democratic apologists???

    The sun will be coming up in about four hours (at least here in Arizona). We’ll see who comes out at daybreak and adds their anti-Republican/anti-Trump hatred to this post and to tonight’s other nocturnal post, entitled “What Could Trump Do for Putin?”

    As for me, I’m going to bed now. so we’ll see who’s added comments in my absence during the pale light of morning. Sleep well!

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  4. Avatar
    Anonymous

    From what I’ve heard, the kids jumped into activism themselves without outside prompting, probably made easier because they were already embedded in activist culture. Still not comfortable with the DNC using them in their emails.


    https://polldaddy.com/js/rating/rating.js

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      When 18-year-olds want to do something that it’s not the best idea for them to do, it’s up to adults to say no. And if there’s anybody among them who’s even a day younger, then there’s no excuse for adults at all.

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      1. Demotrash Avatar
        Demotrash

        Some of them are under 18 I know. I feel like this topic is worthy of a detailed post if you’re interested in writing it, because I’m not finding your opinion in the mainstream media or from people I know. It’s either “these kids are heroes” or weird right-wing garbage. No discussion of whether kids that age should be involved in activism of this kind. I’ll admit, that angle didn’t even occur to me until I read this post. To be fair, I haven’t been thinking that much about the teen activists.

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          When I first heard about it, I thought “Wow, what a great thing.” But then I saw one interview and then another and in neither one of them was there any activism. What I saw was a sales pitch of the kind you see on self-made YouTube videos. And I’m not blaming the kids. I’m blaming the people who taught them that every private feeling, every emotion, every experience should be exhibited privately and cashed in on.

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          1. Demotrash Avatar
            Demotrash

            You commented this just as I linked an article about just this! I had the same initial reaction, and then I didn’t bother following the story anymore, so I’ve been out of the loop.

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            1. Clarissa Avatar
              Clarissa

              That’s exactly what I’m saying. The posing, the posturing, the self-promotion. It’s creepy when somebody so young does it.

              ““I mean, my dream has been to be an on-air news reporter or anchor, and it’s literally, like, I’ve been on-camera so much these past few days it kind of feels natural, because I’m used to it. But then seeing myself get verified on Twitter, seeing celebrities following me … There are times when you kind of become self-aware.””

              Poor kid. Seriously, poor poor kid. Nobody cares enough to stop her from doing this. Where are the parents? Where is anybody in her life who gives a crap?

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              1. Dreidel Avatar
                Dreidel

                “The posing, the posturing, the self-promotion. It’s creepy when somebody so young does it.”

                Yes, it always seems to irritate older people (by which I mean 21-year-olds all the way up to dotage) when adolescents speak up and try to act the same way they see the adults around them behaving.

                How many politicians/celebrities/etc. have you seen on television who aren’t “posing, posturing, and self-promoting”? One of the privileges of adulthood is that you can get away with saying stupid things and being a jerk, and most people won’t call you on it.

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              2. Clarissa Avatar
                Clarissa

                Of course, they are getting this from somewhere. That’s why I’m not blaming these kids. I’m stunned at the parents who seem completely non-existent. It’s like they’ve farmed out parenting to YouTube.

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              3. Demotrash Avatar
                Demotrash

                Probably the most horrifying bit to me was how one boy’s first reaction during the shooting was to film himself.

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              4. Clarissa Avatar
                Clarissa

                Yeah. . . He needs therapy, not encouragement.

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    2. Demotrash Avatar
      Demotrash

      This whole article is worth a read. I think it days a lot about social media culture.
      http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/03/on-the-ground-with-parkland-teens-as-they-plot-a-revolution.html

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A conservative literary critic and college professor

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