Politics’ most hated tradition
Thankfully, election day has come and gone. Along with it, the political ads have vanished. However, do students think these ads achieved what they set out to?
November 15, 2020
Now that election day has come and gone, most of the ads attempting to sway people one way or the other have vanished, however every once and a while you still see them; ones with a lack of color and big bold highlighted text and some with recorded speeches greyed out and dramatized. It’s easier to ignore them now, but only a week ago they were a constant. Popping up before, after, and often during YouTube videos, showing up on social media feeds and appearing on television. They were pretty much everywhere, and unless you were actively avoiding them, you were seeing them. Most notable was the constant barrage of ones from Joni Ernst and Theresa Greenfield.
Attack ads are by far the most common sort to appear before elections, and this has been particularly true of Erst and Greenfield, and though these ads rarely seemed to stray into the person themselves, staying mainly focused on their ideals and dramatizing the effects, they still have made an impact, even here at West, though maybe not the one they wanted.
Though these ads rarely seemed to stray into the person themselves … they still have made an impact, even here at West, though maybe not the one they wanted.
— Renee Gould '22
From a poll of 33 students; eight students found them simply to be annoying and petty, with more than a few calling them dumb outright. 15 students found them to have not swayed their opinions on the candidates. Three did find some of the information to be helpful and true, however they often found the ads to not be genuine enough to make an impact. Students also found the ads to be extreme and often misleading.
At the end of the day, these ads are often deceptive and the general consensus is that they’re not doing what they’re meant to; sway voters. As well, most students think that they shouldn’t be a part of the election process.
