Betsy DeVos has proven that she is wholly unqualified to lead the Department of Education. Call your senators and tell them our students deserve better...
Holy Crap this video is insane! Watch Betsy DeVos fumble through her series of questions at the Senate Confirmation hearing. She is unfamiliar with topics that she should be well versed in. This is not the leadership I want to see put in charge of something as important as our kid’s education. Not only does she appear unqualified, but she lacks the very critical thinking skills that our public schools are failing to instill in students! This is like letting the fox watch the chickens, how could this possibly end well!
Reasons This video meets the SPARK qualifications for a viral video according to @necsocialmedia
S: Highly shareable. I found this link through a friend’s Facebook feed, which then took me to the official Democratic Party Facebook page. Scrolling through other social media platforms this video, or clips from the larger confirmation hearing, are currently littering the internet. I even saw it on network television! Because her answers are so evasive they make for great sound bytes, and the video catches your eye because it’s a familiar environment.
P: Participation. The link is easily retweeted, reposted, sent directly, etc, but what what really makes it participatory is the call to action. Individual citizens are actively asking us to sign a petition to block her nomination. This is the type of direct participation that helps create a viral post and allows the consumer to feel like they have a voice and are contribution to a groundswell.
A. Authentic. Yep, it’s the real deal. That’s the senate confirmation chamber that we are all familiar with. Those are the senators we recognize and voted for. These are the tough questions being asked. The authenticity is undeniable - covered by major, credible news outlets like PBS, CNN, AP, Reuters. You name, it, this story has been verified as unequivocally credible. There’s not almost zero room for questioning the validity of this story.
R Reach. The sheer number of people sharing this story on personal social media platforms is remarkable. The different type of news outlets - print news, television, radio, and online journalism all covering the confirmation means that it reaches a huge amount of people.
K Kick. I think that the real reason this is going viral is because it involves our children. In a country so divided over political issues, the future of our children is usually one area we are able to come together on. Traditionally there is common ground to be found around this topic. Who doesn’t want American kids to be the best educated in the world? This video has kick because it offends everyone - republican, democrat, liberal, conservative, parents and non-parents, old, young. One of the strengths of this country is an educated work force, and if we are to continue into the 21st century as the number one superpower we better have the skilled labor to maintain that status. This woman does not seem to grasp the magnitude of her position and seems wholly unqualified.
T Timing. Although not technically part of the SPARK acronym, this video appears to be going viral because it coincides with President Trump’s inauguration today. Our attention is already focused on the executive transition, and if you’re one of the 25 million voters who rejected trump, this is something much more appealing to focus on than his official swearing in as Commander in Chief. If this senate hearing happened in a couple weeks, or when there was more important (less boring) news to be covered, I doubt Betsy DeVos would be receiving the same level of scrutiny the public is currently subjecting her to. Doesn’t make her any more qualified, but the conditions seem to be right for this to be a front page news story.