1 in 5 NYU students would swap their right to vote for an iPod Touch

http://valleywag.com/tech/cult-of-mac/1-in-5-nyu-students-would-swap-their-right-to-vote-for-an-ipod-touch-322967.php

1 in 5 NYU students would swap their right to vote for an iPod Touch

There's one thing dorky-sexier than Barack Obama: An iPod Touch, the $300 toy that 20 percent of New York University students would trade for their vote in the next presidential election. Downside: Anyone who wants an iPod that bad is clearly a wimpy latte-sipping liberal, meaning that Giuliani just needs two hours at that fancy New York Apple store to rule the country. Upside: Anyone who'd answer a poll like this is better off watching some video than talking to me.

I can't imagine my generation running the country any better than the current generation in power looking at figures like this.

20% are that materialistic. Sad. In other parts of the world, people would trade an iPod for an education.

generation isn't over despite reports to the contrary.

Then there will be no more idiotic talk about keeping up with the Joneses anymore for any of us. It'll be about finding a way to survive instead. I don't want it to come to that, but it seems to me that the fat of decadence and materialism is burned away in the crucible of poverty because it forces people to recognize what truly is a priority or a necessity vs. a luxury item.

An iPod is a luxury item next to the right to vote.

high school and up to my junior year of college. I think that technology has eased our lives and made us lazy. We expect instant gratification. I see this especially in people younger than me. It seems that we all think that we are the center of the universe. I am truly scared for/of the kids in school now. They are being taught how to take tests for NCLB and not taught critical thinking. I taught in a southern WV school for two years doing Americorps. I was shocked at how propagandized the school was, the kids loved Bush like he was Joe Montana. The Fellowship of Chrisitan Athlletes actually had mandatory inschool assemblies for indoctrination. It was fascinating and frustrating to watch, especially since it was an election year in 2004. We live in interesting times.

On a side note, how many of those 5 NYU student could identify the man in your avatar? Perhaps if they read some of his stuff they would be a little more cognizant of the world in which we live.

And that's NYU people, great university, liberal tradition, etc., etc. My educated guess is that at other schools it would be (much) worse.

their kids are happy to hear about their priorities?

I guess the good news is that 4 in 5 wouldn't......


Rome is burning, people. :nuke:

milk and bread really does depend on who you elect and they policies they enact.

(not to mention a Korean, Vietnam, Gulf War or Iraqi-Afghani vet), it just makes me want to :cry: .

Probably more than we'd like to think.

a few years ago, and a lot of them are still trying to defend that awful decision.

Are the other stats in the article (http://media.www.nyunews.com/media/storage/paper869/news/2007/11/14/News/Most-Say.Their.Vote.Has.A.Price-3099547.shtml):

2/3 (66%) would give up their vote in 2008 for tuition. (60 percent of these are from upper-middle to high class families)
Half (50%) would give up their right to vote forever for $1 Million bucks.

Overall, 90% believe that voting is important, and 70.5% believe that one vote can make a difference, including 70% of those who would give it up for tuition.

but my nephew attends NYU and my brother is forking over approx. $50K a year to send him there. He and my sister-in-law saved while nephew was growing up and are now working their butts off to keep him there through graduation.

I'm confident my nephew is among those who would trade nothing for his right to vote. He's a Poli Sci major and has been making phone calls for Hillary of late. Last summer he worked registering Dems in Orange County, CA - a thankless job if there ever was one!!

I think it goes a lot deeper than that and you need to look at why they take voting in such a trivial way. It speaks to the fact that we need to really do a better job in the way we elect our candidates. It has turned into a circus, the media sucks and they started this election the wednesday morning after the last election and have never stopped.

All you see is the one who spends the most gets elected so how do you think that looks to the younger generation.

Not condoning or approving, just saying I still have hope for the future generation and can understand their attitude about a lot of things by the way the older generation acts.

The other night they were showing how the younger generation doesn't put up with the way our generation has or does with bosses. One young guy said that is due to the facts some have seen their father's loyalty to corporations and then get laid off or fired. They said they put friends and family ahead of work and will just move on somewhere else.

I just hope things are better for them then the way we have them right now.

has a bearing on their opinion of what's more important. Maybe they're disillusioned, and who could blame them? But I'm thinking it's more about immediate gratification.

who has helped bring on that immediate gratification. Don't get me wrong, maybe playing the devils advocate here but I think the adults of this generation have a lot of fault in this matter and need to look in the mirror and their own selfishness if they want to expect the younger generation to do better.

On the voting aspect, would be interested in seeing the percentages that bothor to vote overall expecially in state, county and city elections, I know the last one we had which was an important one I didn't have any trouble finding a parking space and didn't stand in line.

By the way, thanks for posting this, i think it is an important article and what it says about us.

...answer obviously bullshit polls honestly?

Because it's not like it'll actually happen if you say "yes".

A lot of people were probably just giving BS responses.

ipod. those 1 out of 5 are probably ones who would not vote for any reason anyway??