MoveOn goes too far

The BBQ Pit
1

My GF just received a really disturbing e-mail from MoveOn.org. (Name changed to Charlene Hawtboddy to protect the innocent.)

It includes a link to a web page with the following links:

FRI, NOV. 7, 2008
Obama’s Loss Traced
To Charlene Hawtboddy
Single Nonvoter Tipped Election
To McCain-Palin Ticket
Send Custom Video To A Friend Now
Latest News
Gov. Palin: ‘Lookit That—I’m The Second-Most Powerful Person In The World’
Neighbor: ‘Charlene Always Seemed So Normal’
World: ‘Really? Again? Really?!?’
Health Care Advocates Predict Reform By 2034

Also linked is a video of doctored news reports about how “Charlene” is the one person who blew the election. There are images of newspaper headlines, graffiti, etc. with her name on it, blaming her personally for putting McCain in the White House.

Most disturbing is the church marquee that says

ALL GODS CHILDREN
WELCOME

EXCEPT FOR CHARLENE HAWTBODDY

This is disgusting. MoveOn has gone too far. Creeps.

2

Really? That’s too far?

Am I being whooshed?

Sounds kind of humorous to me.

3

I might have found it more humorous if it were not someone so dear to me. As it was, I found it really creepy, and vaguely threatening.

4

Humor? In politics? There’s no crying in baseball!

(About every third time I click on a thread, I get sent to the sticky reminding me of Da Rules. If Somebody is trying to tell me Something, I get it, already!)

5

Here, send this back to them.
President Palin

6

I can see where using her name in the text makes it a little disturbing, but MoveOn has pushed, stretched, stamped, crapped in and set the envelope on fire in many more extravagant ways. This is actually a bit funny.

7

I’m a member, and I didn’t get it. Odd.

8

I thought it was extremely funny and the opposite of creepy. It’s a really novel concept. It’s just like those children’s books you can order with your child’s name written in for the main character, except for adults. Everyone loves seeing their name! The concept, and the quality with which they print an arbitrary name on the video left me quite impressed with it. What a great way to encourage people to pass it on to their friends (that’s how I got it). It’s an otherwise unremarkable video that you can make people you know a part of. I am utterly baffled that anyone would ever use the words “disturbing”, “digusting”, or “creeps” to describe this.

Try “creative”, “entertaining”, and “fun”.

Here’s a link: http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html?nid=5hZFMeN_SH8NMDeRpRMLSTE4MDM5NDM-&referred_by=11163071-_afMTkx

9

It’s actually pretty funny. I can see why your girlfriend would be freaked out though.

Is she techy? Non techy people tend to be freaked out by internet stuff easier I’ve noticed.

It’s just human nature, not being much of a gear head I tend to find any unexpected noises the car makes worrisome.

10

Some one has to send it to you. MoveOn has a site set up where you submit you friends’ names for them to get such an email.

11

Then I’m definitely sending one to my tighty righty Dad. Make a nice, early Christmas goose.

12

That’s, like, *so *implausible.

13

Huh. That’s peculiar. I’m a member, and I did get it (and didn’t find it remotely “creepy or threatening”, for what it’s worth), and my friends sure as hell aren’t worried about me not voting. I guess they just thought I’d appreciate the funny.

14

Not creepy at all. Actually entertaining and creative.

Since someone has to personalize this, I’m sure if you investigate you can find out who actually sent it to your GF and then you can Pit that individual. Or maybe not…guess it depends on who sent it.

15

That’s probably part of it. That, and it doesn’t appear to have been sent by any of her friends (at least none that I know of).

16

Maybe, but this is sort of like freaking out when some website tells you:

Your IP address is 123.45.6.789, and you’re in Lansing Michigan.

It’s so 2001.

Well, you can send it to someone else, but i think most MoveOn members got one direct from MoveOn. Mine came on Wednesday, and it was straight from MoveOn, not from someone else.

17

Someone sent that link to my wife, and we both thought it was freakin’ hi-larious. They did a really good job with it.

18

The ‘‘Recent Videos’’ have funny titles.

**Obama: ‘‘I’m not mad, just dissapointed.’’

Analysts: Voting Would Have Been Really, Super Easy

World: Really? Again? Really??!**

Damn. I came in here ready to lambaste MoveOn and all we get is a silly video encouraging people to vote?

19

Even if she’s not in touch with technology, surely she’s gotten several hundred pieces of junk mail that said something to the effect of:

20

How do you know this e-mail was from MoveOn? I could send your friend the same e-mail with the reply address reading “George Bush”