“Deez Nuts” was the first to arrive — and then over 200 copycats followed, upping the count on the Federal Election Commission’s “2016 Presidential Form 2 Filers” list to 891 (as of the time of this posting).
Recent additions include:
- Zibble the Puppet
- Sir Cookie Zealot
- Bippy the Clown
- Rocky Balboa
- Ronald Reagan’s Ghost
- Tyrion Lannister
Porcupines R. Spikey, Jr. brought a laughter tear to my eye — as did the name of Forrest Gump’s campaign committee — as I scanned the SEC’s list and clicked on the paperwork links for a few of the candidates.
I love a good joke — and have to hand it to the parents of the 15 year old behind Mr. Nuts, who are supporting his run, because that teen is getting an education on campaign politics that will eclipse his peers’.
For the copycats: Like you, when my kids get a laugh, they often go in for a repeat, trying the same joke, hoping for the same result. I always tell them that the second time might earn a smile, but the third time — and without a doubt the 50th time — will not. Instead, they’re treading in the unfunny arena. “Try something new,” I beg them. “Don’t waste your time on the same thing.”
Why do they ignore me at times and go for the copycat act?
Because it’s easier to copy than it is to birth an original idea — something that’s amplified online, where it’s also easier to like a cause than actually do physical work for a cause, or follow someone’s work instead of learning from them and doing our own work.
Not long ago I watched a TV segment with Charles Barkley, where he said the internet “is where fools go to feel important.”
Being able to share your wit with friends and family with ease online can be fun, but there’s a danger to it.
Imagine all the time devoted to coming up with pithy remarks to accompany an article posted to Facebook — or just the perfect 140 characters to highlight your sarcasm — or think about the time spent submitting bogus presidential candidate forms, as well as the time others have to spend to process them.
It’s fun to be funny, to nominate Captain Crunch for president. But… What if some of that unfun stuff was accomplished, too? What if the work that goes beyond “liking” or “following” was accomplished?
This past Wednesday, Steve reposted an article by James Rhodes, titled “Find What You Love and Let It Kill You.” What if we all did that? What if, instead of trying to outprank each other, instead of trying to go viral, we did the work that brought us a step closer to doing what we love? What if?