I find it hard to write about American politics for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I think its a little presumptuous to tell someone from another country what they should or shouldn’t be doing politically. Second, I can’t help but find myself terribly underwhelmed by their two-party system.
One thing that has caught my attention during what seems like an interminable Presidential election is the fact that some democrats seem to think that Barack Obama is a good candidate for the second coming. Its to the point where I expect Chuck Norris facts to start to circulate about him.
In fact, I hear Obama can eat just one Lay’s potato chip.
In any case, the US election has taken a turn for the creepier for me. I recently came across this video (linked by a blogger):
Of course, if you click on that video you’ll find that its been marked private and can’t be opened. I guess the original poster didn’t expect the backlash that appears to be happening on YouTube as a result of posting it.
UPDATE: It looks like its no longer private. They locked comments and marked anything negative as spam. (However if you click ‘show’ next to ‘view comments marked as spam’ you can still see them…)
UPDATE #2: It looks like its private again. This video goes down faster than Monica Lewinsky…. Here’s another copy on YouTube.
Now. I don’t have a problem with people supporting their candidate, and I have to say I’ve seen some pretty good videos in support of Barack Obama (the Yes We Can video comes to mind) but there’s something unsettling about using children to shill your message.
In fact, it smacks of the propaganda of regimes such as North Korea, where children sing the praise of Dear Leader, or even darker periods in our history where children were indoctrinated and given marching orders to spy on their parents and neighbors by the likes of the Nazis and East German secret police.
As a parent I find the idea of using my child as a pawn to support one of my pet causes repugnant. In fact, I’m hard pressed to find any differences between brainwashing children to believe Obama is the second coming, teaching them that Kim Jong-Il is the fearless leader, or blowing yourself up is a good way to get into paradise.
Hopefully this level of partisan rhetoric will never make its way north of the border. And hopefully, regardless of who gets elected president, Americans will take a step back and stop using their children for such petty purposes.
Certainly, manipulating children shouldn’t be part of anyone’s campaign.
- Rafael.
Having children around for pics and stuff is one thing.
That video gives me the willy’s.
Argus
October 2nd, 2008