A lot occurred within the second presidential debate. From the coining of the phrase “locker room talk” to the rise of Kenneth Bone, it was an hour-and-a-half viewers won’t soon forget. There’s, quite literally, Halloween costumes dedicated to the pop culture phenomenon already. In light of the debate, we took some time to ask students on campus what they thought and what they looked forward to seeing at the next one. To make it a little more interesting, we decided to do this while on a shuttle…or waiting for one which is where you’ll spend most of your time anyway. Here’s what they had to say:
Cynthia (’17):
Yes, I did watch the debate. I think the debate was very interesting, I noticed that they didn’t shake hands at first so it seemed very contested in the beginning and very competitive. I think Trump was interrupting Hilary a lot and was hovering over her a lot and I think Hillary tried to answer as many questions as she could but I didn’t like the way she answered what trait she liked about Donald Trump because she used his kids as a trait, but that’s not him. They’re part of him, but not “about him”, so I give him that credit on that front but not her. So I guess my views for that debate was equal and unbiased, it’s not like I was for Trump nor was I for Hillary in terms of their presentation. Both of them were equally as bad. One was interrupting, the other wasn’t answering questions, one of them didn’t answer questions, the other tried to answer questions or beat around the bush. It’s not clear and it sucks because it’s the second debate and it’s still not as clear as it should be, so we’ll just wait and see.
I look forward to some concrete answers, if we get them. But, definitely more sincerity and friendliness towards each other and hopefully the moderators would calm down the people because they were booing, cheering, and clapping also even though they were told the first time around to not do that. So, I look forward to a more professional and civil debate so we’ll see what happens!
Nicholas (’17) :
I thought that there’s a clear difference in terms of voice, like just from the beginning, because he (Donald Trump) knew he was gonna have to face the sexual abuse claims and sexual assault claims. But then, as soon as he thought he was clear of that his voice gained that natural boisterousness that people seem to love about him. So, I guess it’s the same as the other debate in that people who are voting for Trump have more to be like ‘Yeah! He was great!’ and then undecideds…I don’t know how to think about them because I don’t know how it affects them. As a Hillary voter myself, it’s more of the same: Trump is loud and annoying and Hillary is you know, our second choice. I feel, I voted for Sanders, but it’s like I won’t vote for a third party either because it seems like a waste of a vote. I also hate the town hall settings because audience questions are always hit or miss. It’s the softballs, like ‘what are you gonna do for our children’ and ‘how are you gonna be a president for all of America’. Like, c’mon now, don’t waste our time.
What I look forward to in every debate is less talking points and more full-on ‘hey this is my plan from A to Z, this is what it’s like’.
Lauren (’17):
I honestly didn’t watch any of it. There’s nothing that can happen that would ever make me consider voting for Trump so I figured I would save myself the headache of listening to him.
Jamie (’18):
No, I didn’t watch the debate. Ok, so this is gonna sound really, really bad but I really don’t care for politics especially now because it’s become such a joke. People are just using this as entertainment, it’s not even what it’s meant for anymore. So, the fact that you have to vote between one or the other it’s just stupid. I don’t know, that’s just my opinon. I don’t know how to word it properly, but I don’t understand politics enough to watch it and agree or disagree.
Our Advisor, Dayna Arcurio:
I think the second presidential debate afforded voters the opportunity to witness the process of selecting a future President. How the candidates conducted themselves is up to the individual voter to decide. But I will say it made for the proliferation of Internet memes and the instant celebrity of Kenneth Bone (the red-knit, seasonal sweater is now a visual icon!).
As a professor who teaches visual and digital rhetorics, it’s certainly fun and exciting to see what everyday folks are parodying not just for entertainment, but intellectual value. I think the public has a great sense of humor, when it comes to seeing the brighter, more comedic side, of a contentious battle of ego, and airing dirty laundry. Perhaps there’s more value in the media produced by viewers than the debate itself!