Obama, McCain and Clinton Message Board Banners

Internet message boards have become the cyber neighborhoods of today for many of us. Where we once looked to the families in the homes near us for conversation and social interaction, nowadays it is more common to boot up the computer, log on to a message board and start sharing ideas and opinions.

Message boards are out there uniting people with common interests spanning nearly any topic under the sun. Running through the many conversations streams a common denominator upon which relationships can be developed and cyber reputations can be established. Yet, even with one major uniting interest, many different personalities merge together with varied results.

Within the message boards, it is usually the community boards where the discussion varies the most. The common denominator is still there, but suddenly the focus can veer from idle questions to life changing events. A thread asking "what kind of cheese do they put on the Burger King Whopper?" will sit right next to the thread asking "I think my husband is cheating on me...should I look at his emails?". And as your tenure on the message boards lengthens, so too do your impressions of the posters.

Posters share information about their families, vacations, pets, friends and jobs. They discuss stories from their pasts and present and they plan for their future. They can be a great resource when you're looking for someone who has "been there, done that." They can be gossipy and bitchy and funny and downright rude, sometimes all at the same time. They create a complete community.

And then comes Election Year.

Suddenly people are opting to fly the banner high for their favorite candidate. Threads brought up to discuss platforms and gaffes and opinions using the names "Clinton", "Obama" and "McCain" in the title pull a flood of posters with photos and mottos of their chosen favorites vying for space next to the clipart denouncing the other candidates. Arguments ensue with terms like "all Dems think this" and "all you Republicans think that". Debates range from intelligent and respectful to irrelevant and dirty. But hey, it's the topic, it's all fair.

But what about when they post to another, non political thread? What about when the topic is the aforementioned "I think my husband is cheating on me...should I look at his emails?" Suddenly the same thread topic that may have been posted back in October with the same kind of responses becomes ripe for interpretation. Now someone's answer, complete with the candidate's support banner flashing below it becomes easy to stereotype into "well, of course she feels that way...she's voting for McCain" or "naturally he would say that...he's voting for Obama". And at times there is also the "doesn't surprise me that they disagree. She wants Clinton and he wants Obama. Obviously that is why he attacked her point of view."

Suddenly the same posters who cheered you up when you came online crying about your oldest starting kindergarten may now be viewed as people you can no longer identify with because of their strong stance on a presidential candidate. The same posters who held your virtual hand when your dog ran away and was hit by a car could be seen as argumentative, idealistic or ignorant. How easy it is to see the McCain button or the "I'm voting for HER" Clinton photo or the Obama banner advocating "Change" and suddenly view this poster through either a positive or negative filter, depending on your own affiliations. And do some of their responses to non political topics change based on the election status? Maybe. Maybe not. But at the heart of it all, these people haven't changed.

The election will come and go this year. The Democrats will nominate a candidate and the two opposing parties will select Vice Presidents. The battle will get uglier and the debates will rage on. Then there will be a national election, and for better or worse a new president will be poised to take office. And some will celebrate, some will mourn and others will threaten to move to Canada. And after a few months, those banners will disappear and the photos of the kids will come back, the new tickers for being debt free or getting married or going on vacation will come back and the political debates will die down somewhat.

And then, someone new will post the ubiquitous "I think my husband is cheating on me...should I look at his emails?" And there will be the same responses. Only now? Reactions will be "well, she has four kids, of course she thinks that." Or "he's not even out of high school yet, what does he know?" And so it continues.

Do the election banners affect opinions of message board posters? Sure they do. But in these cyber communities, we are constantly sharing and discussing and judging, whether intentionally or not. In the end, it's human nature. So while the election may bring out the extremes in emotions and opinions, they are always there. And in the meantime?

I'll keep my signature line blank.