This topic is a common one, and it has been discussed on this blog by many, so I apologize for the redundancy, but when rereading Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death, I thought about how this applied to our lives in high school. Remember in the first chapter, that Postman talks about how politics, religion, news, athletics, and education have been transformed into more ways for show business. This year in our election for the French club’s advisors, everyone knew Johnnel would be the better candidate, but it surprised me that his opponent almost won because people were saying that she’s cute. Even in our school’s band this is displayed when choosing the drum major. I realized that it is not the best player with the most leadership who is voted for, but the candidate with the most friends.
In what other ways do you see this happening here at Mayfair High?
What is going to happen to all the talented people who don’t have the “look” that the media and our society is looking for?
I thought the ASB elections were run like a popularity contest. Am I wrong, ASB kids? That's what it looks like from my point of view. How does anyone know who to vote for? What the offices mean? What the qualifications of the candidates are?
ReplyDelete"Why, back in my day, we had to give campaign speeches and make promises we couldn't keep!"
Absolutely Mrs. Fletcher! I believe that ASB elections are mainly based on popularity status. Even though I've never run or been on ASB, I have observed it. I admit I vote based on popularity ;shame on me :( ... Anyways, I know I'm not the only one... right? The reason for this is because the student body doesn't really know the candidates (like Mrs. Fletcher had said). I vote for friends and people I know.
ReplyDeletePostman and Huxley both had made it quite apparent that social ranks and status are a HUGE part of media. This is kind of like school, in a sense. Cgonzalez, you are correct about what you had stated. The media has been morphed for better and worse.
Our ASB elections are absolutely a popularity contest. Whoever has the most friends wins, and if not that then whoever gets their name out the most wins (meaning who has the most posters).
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny how you said that back in your day you had to give speeches and make impossible promises. It's funny because that's how it was back in our day too. Election campaigns in elementary school were more "realistic" than in highschool. At Mayfair, posters and giveaways are the extent of a campaign.
I understand that with students in these modern times, class president elections or any position of election are 70% popularity contest and 30% actual consideration of electing a good candidate to benefit and promote the class.
ReplyDeleteYou're too generous, Breahna. Remember how Summer was passing out stickers and such in our History class? I think it's 100% popularity. I know I voted for the people I knew.
ReplyDeleteASB elections are definitely a popularity contest, and it's getting worse and worse. Also, the advertising is getting stranger and less,well, relevant to anything. I remember one poster said a girl could cook thirty minute brownies in twenty minutes; and if you're on here, please don't take offense. Seriously, what does that have to do with anything dealing with ASB? What, is there a position for cafeteria chef? I've also noticed that Club's Day is a sort of popularity contest. Two years ago, I sold for ESC, and though ESC has really good causes, no one bought from it; they all went to YBS and Eastern Horizon, clubs like that. True, the fact that they have really good food is a big factor, but isn't it true that you buy things from your friend's clubs instead of the ones with good causes? That's something to think about next time you're in that crazy long YBS line.
ReplyDeleteYes Raul, I remember, main reason why I didn't vote for her. I actually didn't vote at all! (They ran out of voting slips in my 2nd period) But if I did vote I would have voted for someone I knew. But how do those elections work at our school? I never hear presidential candidates advertise what they are going to do for our school, they just put up posters with a cute picture of themselves on it and make a catchy slogan that rhymes with their name! Makes me wanna just pull the reigns on the horse and run for president myself. I really dislike how our school runs things.
ReplyDeleteFunny to read this thinking that in the back of my head i knew this but didnt know i knew it..if that makes any sense. When we vote for asb we hear nothing of the people, we dont even see the people. so there really is no other way to vote because all we look for is familiar names either that we have read or suomeone that we know or maybe just sumone weve heard been named or something like that. And what carina i totally relate. i rememebr in elementary we actually had an assembly type of thing nd we had the candidates get up and talk to us. who wouldve thought that we did more in elementary to win an election than in high school.
ReplyDeleteSound the trumpets, here comes an ASB officer. The real question, I believe, is this: Do you care enough as a citizen to find out about the candidate you are voting for? We, as a student class, have become corrupt. As we all have stated here, we criticize the process of elections. However, we sit back and sip our tea while we do this. What we fail to remember is that, as either the intellectually elite of our school or naturally the more curiouser, we compose of a small minority. Most students use their vote for the sake of popularity. Sometimes, as Thompson stated above, we make the same mistake. To my view, there is only one answer: These voters just do not care. That, my friends, is the sad reality of high school.
ReplyDeleteBrown, I believe you bring up a good point. As cruel as it is, it all comes down to marketing. It is funny that you bring up the campaigner that stated that he could cook thirty minute cookies in twenty minutes, because we remember that a lot more than we did the campaigner that stated on her posters that read "I promise to make Mayfair a better place by suggesting ideas about cleaning the environment, helping students with low grades, and making this school a positive place for all." She lost, he won, by the way.
The only solution I see is that of Upton's, even if she was put into the situation and did not choose it. Do not vote. Or, as I stated above, research the candidates. Talk to them. We are all here, trust me, we want people who care to approach us.
As a last note, I would like to give you an exclusive look into our ASB. We work as a team. Every opinion and idea matters and is taken into account. No one person has control over somebody else. The people who care enough to get involved do, and those that are only in the class for the sake of it (pssstt...it is usually the popular ones) do not find their say as evident, simply because they have nothing to say at all. Lastly, nobody loses. If you have enough drive to be in the class, our adviser allows for a personal interview. Those that complete the interview are most likely accepted.
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