# Whose at fault for tarnishing Ken Bone's image? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 20, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123 "2016-10-20T12:44:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/1 "2016-10-20T12:44:14Z")
You know, Ken Bone, the loveable teddy bear guy from the 2nd debate, with the red sweater, black glasses and cheesy moustache. The human meme, the one in the viral video dancing with Hillary. He became an overnight internet sensation after the 2nd debate. He agreed to do a live reddit “Ask me anything” chat. He however used his personal reddit ID, which apparently has a history. A few internet sleuths dug through his reddit history and uncovered some not so popular opinions of Bone: - Trayvon Martin’s shooting was justified - He likes preggo porn - Admitted to committing insurance fraud as a pizza delivery guy - Glommed on the celebrity nude images stolen from Jennifer Lawrence, etc. He’s now having to defend some of these positions or back track on them. So who’s at fault, Ken for having these opinions and letting them become public, or the internet investigators for digging it up and uncovering it? > **[Analysis | Ken Bone was a ‘hero.’ Now Ken Bone is ‘bad.’ It was his destiny as...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/10/14/ken-bone-was-a-hero-now-ken-bone-is-bad-it-was-his-destiny-as-a-human-meme/)** > > When the Internet turns a real human being into a meme, the backlash can be vicious and swift. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/2 "2016-10-20T13:02:52Z")
Of course his posting history also had some threads that demonstrated him as a man of significant compassion for others in some cases. But be that as it may. Celebrity is a cruel mistress. He actively embraced her and tried to use her for personal benefit. _Most_ of us would find her hug back to be a bit uncomfortable I think but the choice to attempt to capitalize and monetize his moment in the sun was his and so was the lion’s share of responsibility for the consequence of that choice. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/3 "2016-10-20T13:09:52Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Of course his posting history also had some threads that demonstrated him as a man of significant compassion for others in some cases. But be that as it may. > > Celebrity is a cruel mistress. > > He actively embraced her and tried to use her for personal benefit. _Most_ of us would find her hug back to be a bit uncomfortable I think but the choice to attempt to capitalize and monetize his moment in the sun was his and so was the lion’s share of responsibility for the consequence of that choice. I’m going with this. Think about it - was he a regular person going about his day when he was arbitrarily plucked from obscurity, shoved in front of the camera in front of millions of viewers and told to ask a question? No, he actively pursued the limelight. He made sure he was one of the chosen “undecided” voters. He made sure he could ask a question on camera. He wore a f\*cking giant red sweater so everyone would notice him. It’s all on him. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/4 "2016-10-20T13:10:46Z")
That’s how Internet celebrity works - first they build you up as the greatest thing since sliced bread, then they tear you down as the worst thing since Hitler. Then your fifteen minutes is up. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/5 "2016-10-20T13:23:25Z")
The media outlets who reported it. Yes, his posting history was ‘exposed’ in the AMA thread. But the vast majority of redditors just felt they made him more human. I didn’t see the usual pitchfork activity, if anything it was more a sense of ‘he’s one of us’. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/6 "2016-10-20T13:33:12Z")
He should have used a throwaway for his AMA if he didn’t want anyone to know about his other opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/7 "2016-10-20T13:35:05Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > if anything it was more a sense of ‘he’s one of us’. Because who among us hasn’t seen and liked Jennifer Lawrence’s butt hole? ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/8 "2016-10-20T13:36:35Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > The media outlets who reported it. Yes, this. First of all, “internet sleuths?” I mean, his username is right there at the top of the AMA and in front of every post. It’s a clickable link. All you have to do is click on it and scroll down. We’re calling that sleuthing now? That said, 1. His post about Trayvon Martin expressed as much nuance as you can expect in a few hundred words. The shooting _was_ justified, legally, as determined by a trial (and IMHO anyone who actually paid attention to what went down at the trial), but he also excoriated Zimmerman and expressed general remorse for the whole situation. His whole post was, I felt, a fairly accurate summary. I can excuse redditors for zeroing in on one part of the post and taking it out of context, but not actual journalists. A lot of these clickbait articles led with the headline “Ken Bone says Trayvon Martin’s death was justified” and then somewhere further down said, “He also called George Zimmerman a shitbag and said how sad the whole situation was, but whatever, we’ve got your clicks now!” How many people just read the headlines? 2. Nothing wrong with liking preggo porn, and that post was _funny_. Beautiful human submarines! Poetry. 3. Insurance fraud makes it sound like he took insurance money that didn’t belong to him. He faked an insurance card that he ultimately never needed. Illegal, sure, and a really, really bad idea, but he admitted as much and I’m really struggling to figure out who the victim is. 4. Yes, it’s terrible that celebrities have their privacy violated. I really feel that way. I’ve also seen the nudes. This is pretty much exactly what Ken Bone said. I don’t know what that makes us. In short, his posting history is actually fairly normal. Like I said, I don’t care about the redditors who misconstrued all of this stuff for karma, and I can understand the douchebag clickbait articles that picked up the non-story, but when it went mainstream… come on. Leave the guy alone. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/9 "2016-10-20T13:36:55Z")
I missed the second debate. What was it that thrust Ken Bone into the spotlight? Was it just his look? Or did it have something to do with the question he asked? ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/10 "2016-10-20T13:46:04Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I missed the second debate. What was it that thrust Ken Bone into the spotlight? > Was it just his look? Or did it have something to do with the question he asked? It was a contentious debate marked by interruptions and insults, and then here comes this wholesome looking guy straight out of a 1994 Sears photo catalog trying to ask a serious policy question. It was like, “Oh, right. This is supposed to be _presidential_.” We’d all almost forgotten. But who knows why anything becomes a meme, really. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/11 "2016-10-20T16:00:26Z")
I liked the Cracked expose’ [What You Should Know About Ken Bone](http://www.cracked.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ken-bone/). ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/12 "2016-10-20T16:01:03Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > The media outlets who reported it. > > Yes, his posting history was ‘exposed’ in the AMA thread. But the vast majority of redditors just felt they made him more human. I didn’t see the usual pitchfork activity, if anything it was more a sense of ‘he’s one of us’. I agree with this, and the “gotcha” creeps generate much more contempt from me than Ken Bone does. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/13 "2016-10-20T16:01:08Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > I’m going with this. Think about it - was he a regular person going about his day when he was arbitrarily plucked from obscurity, shoved in front of the camera in front of millions of viewers and told to ask a question? > > No, he actively pursued the limelight. He made sure he was one of the chosen “undecided” voters. He made sure he could ask a question on camera. He wore a f\*cking giant red sweater so everyone would notice him. > > It’s all on him. Well and then after for whatever reason he became a meme [he tried to milk it](http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/10/ken-bone-t-shirt) for all it was worth. > [@](#): > > America, prepare to enter the #bonezone. My official shirt is available for 1 week. Get it at … He wanted his 15 minutes of being a celebrity and got it. The good and the bad of it. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/14 "2016-10-20T16:04:05Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > He should have used a throwaway for his AMA if he didn’t want anyone to know about his other opinions. This is Internetting 101. He deserves everything he got. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/15 "2016-10-20T17:18:10Z")
The only people at fault are those who would criticize him for being a normal person online. However, as a reddit user I am sure he knew that the internet was full of horrible people looking to tear down other people. I hope he makes alot of money off his shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/16 "2016-10-20T20:00:28Z")
Ken Bone is responsible. Ken Bone typed the things. Hopefully, Ken Bone realizes that every internet warrior castigating him also enjoys kink, celebrity nudes, and has posted stupid things. Pizza delivery insurance fraud, maybe not everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/17 "2016-10-20T20:45:00Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > That’s how Internet celebrity works - first they build you up as the greatest thing since sliced bread, then they tear you down as the worst thing since Hitler. Then your fifteen minutes is up. > > Regards, > Shodan For some reason my brain ran this all together as “…the greatest thing since sliced Hitler”. ---
**Author:** ![I.Dunno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I.Dunno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.Dunno)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/18 "2016-10-20T21:35:12Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > For some reason my brain ran this all together as “…the greatest thing since sliced Hitler”. I asked at the deli, they said they don’t carry it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/19 "2016-10-20T23:18:28Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > That’s how Internet celebrity works - first they build you up as the greatest thing since sliced bread, then they tear you down as the worst thing since Hitler. Then your fifteen minutes is up. > > Regards, > Shodan Hmmm, sounds like you know of whence you speak… Aha! “Ask Me Anything (where the answer is ‘Buttercup’)” Wow, looks like you started out loving PB&J then moved on to naked Aryan photos… and were in favor of annexing the Sudetenland. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123/20 "2016-10-21T14:02:00Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > You know, Ken Bone, the loveable teddy bear guy Only if it’s _this_ teddy bear you find lovable: ```auto ∩＿＿＿∩ |ノ ヽ / ● ● | | (_●_) ミ 彡､ |∪| ､｀＼ / ＿＿ ヽノ /´> ) (＿＿＿） / (_／ | / | ／＼ ＼ | / ) ) ∪ （ ＼ ＼＿) ``` Guy didn’t look lovable in the slightest, and I don’t understand why everybody was losing their shit over him or his lame-ass question. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-at-fault-for-tarnishing-ken-bones-image/769123.md?page=2)