# "Mac or PC" Question Staged. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 11, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627 "2003-11-11T16:28:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/1 "2003-11-11T16:28:30Z")
[from the Washington Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23966-2003Nov10.html) > [@](#): > > The student who asked the most ridiculed question at CNN’s “Rock the Vote” debate last week – “Macs or PCs?” – says it wasn’t her idea. > > Alexandra Trustman said yesterday that a CNN producer called her on the morning of the Boston forum and suggested she ask about the Democratic presidential candidates’ computer preferences. Puzzled by the request, she writes in Brown University’s Daily Herald, she drafted a more complicated question about how the candidates would use technology. When I first started reading the story, I thought “Yeah, right.” But then > [@](#): > > Trustman said she was informed that the network “thought it would be a good opportunity for the candidates to relate to a younger audience.” > > CNN spokesman Matthew Furman said, “In an attempt to encourage a lighthearted moment in this debate, a CNN producer working with Ms. Trustman clearly went too far. CNN regrets the producer’s actions.” CNN admits it happened! A big ol’ hearty WTF!? How about they relate to the audience by answering the questions the audience _really_ has? Who in the name of Edward Roscoe Murrow thought staged inane questions were a good idea? Boxers or Briefs? Was that staged, too? I have a degree in Journalism. I spent a few years as a daily newspaper reporter. I left the job because I started to lose respect for the industry. I’m “happy” to see that journalistic standards have continued the decline. Pablum. ---
**Author:** ![laigle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@laigle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laigle)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/2 "2003-11-11T17:16:26Z")
I’m not surprised at the question being staged. That’s exactly the sort of thing I expect from some godawful excuse for an MTV ad. I’d only be worried if the answers were staged, and even then it wouldn’t exactly shatter my world view. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/3 "2003-11-11T18:14:45Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m “happy” to see that journalistic standards have continued the decline. I still haven’t gotten over CNN’s actions in Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/4 "2003-11-11T18:35:10Z")
It doesn’t matter what they ask, they instantly go back to parroting their ambiguous and predictable agendas, promising us the moon and beyond with no real intent to ever deliver, all whilst this nation continues it’s decent into ruin. Mac or PC? Who gives a fuck. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/5 "2003-11-12T01:59:09Z")
I give a fuck - Mac. ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/6 "2003-11-12T07:38:54Z")
PC! ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/7 "2003-11-12T07:57:04Z")
I’d just like to say that “Rock the Vote” is a really stupid expression. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/8 "2003-11-12T08:02:52Z")
Mac - more style, fewer viruses. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/9 "2003-11-12T09:13:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*Mac - more style, fewer viruses. 😃 \*\* You know, I’m always slightly bemused by these threads, because IRL, my first name is “Mac”. And I don’t think I’ve ever been as bemused as I am right now. I think I may have just found my new pick-up line! “Hey there, good-lookin’. My name’s Mac. Just like the computer: more style, and fewer viruses. Whaddaya say we go back to my place and see if we can’t ‘reboot’ your ‘system?’” \ ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/10 "2003-11-12T11:39:20Z")
Not sure that’s PC. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/11 "2003-11-12T12:26:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Mac - more style, fewer viruses. It’d probably have the same number of problems if the people who bought them didn’t know anything about computers. Fact is, PC’s are much more often bought and used by people who have no conception of what security is, much less how to do it; they can barely even run an e-mail system. Which is why Microsoft puts out things like Outlook Express. To be honest with you, I help run a network with about a 150 users, each of which is running Windows 2000 machines, Groupwise e-mail, and a decent antivirus software (we used to have the best, but the stupid university decided to take the low-bidder again. Idiots.) They’ve mostly been using these things, and their predecessor mahcines, for years. And they still manage to screw them up, get viruses, and destroy their machines. The horrible things they do to my precious PC units makes me sick. But the style issue is bullhockey. Who cares what the darn thing looks like? I’m not looking for an art deco peice! ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/12 "2003-11-12T12:50:48Z")
Can those two words even be in a sentence toegether without a flame war ensuing? For the money, I think Macs are dumb. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Beastal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Beastal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastal)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/13 "2003-11-12T12:50:53Z")
I agree. When I ask people why they bought a Mac, and they hit back with “Well, for starters, it’s much more sleek than a PC”… I scratch my head with confusion. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/14 "2003-11-12T14:18:11Z")
Unix. Boxers. And, of course, whiskers \*outside \* the blanket. Helps them grow. I also run a network (macs, 2000, NT, XP, 98, unix). It’s not the hackers I fear, it’s the idiots at the local workstations. Hijack over, now back to Christine Amamapour live at the Hilton sisters’ bat mitzvah. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/15 "2003-11-12T14:38:35Z")
I don’t know if I could vote for a candidate who answers “Mac” to that question. It’s like when I was at a job fair once. A woman handed me her business card. It said she was an IT recruiter. Her email address was listed as @aol.com. I tossed the card into the trash immediately. Why would I trust someone to find me a job who is so non-technical and just plain dumb that they use AOL as thier ISP? ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/16 "2003-11-12T14:52:26Z")
How did they answer? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/17 "2003-11-12T15:05:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NurseCarmen \* > \*\*How did they answer? \*\* After I got over the initial stupidity of the question, I found the answers amusing. Forgive my misspelling if the names. Mosley Braun attempted to hedge by saying she had a PC, “but her son used a Mac” Clark and Dean used a PC I think it was either Kerry or Lieberman (I’m pretty sure it was Lieb though) who said “wireless handheld” Kuchinich was a Mac IIRC Shaprton used a “politically correct Mac” I’m sure if Gephardt was there he would have used “A MISERABLE FAILURE!!!” I found the pot question even more bizaree then this one though. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/18 "2003-11-12T15:07:34Z")
Spell check is you friend. ---
**Author:** ![Mariemarie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@Mariemarie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mariemarie)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/19 "2003-11-12T16:23:38Z")
Well this just shows you how many democrats are Heathens or Communists! Because every good God-fearin’ American knows that [MacOS is Evil!](http://objective.jesussave.us/propaganda.html#APPLE) > [@](#): > > The real operating system hiding under the newest version of the Macintosh operating system (MacOS X) is called… Darwin! That’s right, new Macs are based on Darwinism! While they currently don’t advertise this fact to consumers, it is well known among the computer elite, who are mostly Atheists and Pagans. Furthermore, the Darwin OS is released under an “Open Source” license, which is just another name for Communism. They try to hide all of this under a facade of shiny, “lickable” buttons, but the truth has finally come out: Apple Computers promote Godless Darwinism and Communism. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627/20 "2003-11-12T16:37:17Z")
Oh dear. I thought **Mariemarie’s** quote _had_ to be from some sort of joke sight. scary. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-or-pc-question-staged/212627.md?page=2)