Internet junkies and political philosophers are becoming one and
the same as the focus on discussion boards shifts under the tension
of possible war in Iraq.
The discussion boards on MyUCLA Forums have afforded a political
marketplace for students who might not otherwise openly debate
issues like war and U.S. foreign policy ““ as well as for
others who make a habit of offering their political takes.
Michael Gordon, a fourth-year political science student and one
of the most prolific political posters on the forums, writes under
the name MichaelGor.
“Last year, I used MyUCLA Forums basically to make
comments on things that happened on campus,” Gordon said.
Now, many of Gordon’s comments about campus are connected
to the issue in Iraq.
“If Saddam Hussein were to survive the Gulf War II, I bet
the irrelevant faculty at UCLA would ask Mr. Hussein to speak about
how being a “˜minority’ posed a
“˜disadvantage’ in his life,” Gordon wrote in a
recent posting.
Politically oriented threads like this have become a major
attraction to many students, especially forum newbies.
Kevin Elliot, a second-year political science and sociology
student, said he stumbled upon the forums and was quickly drawn in
by a political posting he passionately disagreed with.
Brieanne Traube, a third-year cognitive science student, began
posting earlier this quarter because she felt it was an unbiased
way to hear what other students thought about the situation in the
Middle East.
“I was interested in the threads where people were
debating the war and what’s going on,” Traube said.
“We are in an important time historically, its interesting
to know all the different opinions on what is going on.”
To many students, the rise in political discussion is obvious
because students posting on MyUCLA Forums are not just discussing
the Middle East in the Viewpoint discussion room, but the topic has
permeated the Social Corner room as well ““ a room typically
dedicated to more lighthearted matters.
Forum veterans, like third-year sociology student Bridget
Purviance, said evidence for this rise can be found in the nature
of new postings.
“Those (political) topics are appearing more and more in
forums besides the (MyUCLA) Daily Bruin (Viewpoint) Discussion
forums “¦ and more people seem to have pretty strong opinions
about them,” Purviance said.
“The Viewpoint room used to only be used by the same ten
people or so, and now, other posters are using it a lot
more.”
Political science professor Matthew Baum attributes this to the
media and White House representation of the issue in Iraq.
“When there is a big issue getting a lot of attention in
the media and from the president, people tend to focus on it
more,” Baum said, adding that this shift in public focus does
not escape college students.
Other students, like Elliot and fourth-year space physics
student Ryan Okerblom, have also noticed the occurrence of postings
in rooms other than the Daily Bruin Viewpoint Discussion room on
MyUCLA.
Purviance and Okerblom both recognize the passion and zeal of
the students who post on MyUCLA.
“There are a lot of opinionated people on these forums.
They want everyone to hear what they have to say, so they post the
same things in multiple rooms,” Purviance said.
Traube said the strong opinions in forums are not always a good
thing, stating that sometimes students will present false
information because they want to defend what they believe, whether
or not it is correct.
Communication studies Professor Michael Suman recognizes the
ability of students to make unsubstantiated claims when using a
venue like MyUCLA Forums.
“Anyone can get online and just spew anything that is on
their mind, regardless of how well-substantiated it is,”
Suman said.
Despite a student’s ability to post unrepresentative
messages, Suman said discussion boards allow more open dialogue
about politics.
“Most of the people that post in the political threads are
very intelligent people that make very powerful arguments,”
said third-year history and psychology student Armen Adzhemyan.
Adzhemyan said the forums are a great test of rhetoric.
“You are arguing before the court of public opinion
without any room to slip up. If you mess up, there is bound to be
somebody in the forums to catch it,” Adzhemyan said.