As it turns out my family is less interested in what I have to say as opposed to what the American presidential candidates did during the debates. Little did they know we were practically making the same points. Unfortunately, I didn’t exactly have a lot of content to report back so I decided my Facebook friends would be my next batch of victims.

As my Hot or Not trials were a little sporadic with the quotes, I thought it would be fun to start with some of the current candidates’ quotations and move backwards through history. 

I was a little worried about whether or not I would get any responses to my posts, but that was settled fairly quickly. I was hesitant because according to my track record I only post statuses once every year and a half (my last one being September 2015). I’m not saying they believed what I posted was my words, because after the second status they knew something was up. After being called out by my friends, I just took the opportunity to amuse and annoy. I felt a little guilty when my second status had one of my teachers from elementary school finding the need to comfort me. Old habits die hard, I guess!

Also, once people understood my experiment, I received private messages that asked me what I was doing, and told me that they found it interesting. It’s hard refusing people their inclinations. My mom - oh, mother - being the sweetest person on Earth posts: “Who are you?” and I respond with “I am not a crook,” (Richard Nixon). Shortly after, she sent me the first of eight texts. They were all sent within two minutes.

After deciding my friends and family had gone through enough, I sent a message apologizing for all the posts. I wanted feedback from some of my closest friends who guessed that all the quotes were from Trump. They were genuinely surprised to discover that every politician has said some crazy things, especially when taken out of context.

*Note: This does not mean I defend Trump or anything he has ever said. Ever.*

By the end of this experiment I was surprised that the sum of my friends list had stayed the same... Then I realized that Facebook has a passive-aggressive unfollow button. But hey, what are ya gonna do?

Thanks friends and family for unwittingly partaking in this! 

Marta Zwart

Marta Zwart lives in Ottawa, Canada, and is intrigued by writing, acting, and sarcasm. Her greatest accomplishment is being able to blow a bubble with a whole pack of Hubba Bubba gum in her mouth. Marta’s dream is to briefly concern the public by writing for The Beaverton or The Onion.

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