Ken Bone, the sweet faced, red-sweatered
father from Belleville, IL has captured my heart – and the hearts of many –
after asking a question at Sunday night’s debate. I didn’t notice him at first (his
serene demeanor was not remarkable), but his internet stardom caused me to take
a closer look at the guy who describes himself as “friendly” and “huggable.”
Ken Bone is a regular guy, hardly
an ordinary claim to fame. But this is not an ordinary time in American
politics. This soft-spoken mustachioed Midwesterner symbolizes the bewilderment
of everyday Americans as they contemplate this presidential race. Media
coverage of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has transformed these super-famous
candidates into grotesque caricatures; vessels of lies, scandals and gross
ambition. Thus, Ken Bone’s ordinary question turned him into the extraordinary
- “the
man who won the 2nd presidential debate,” an “internet
phenomenon” and a “hero.”
Ken Bone plays this role
perfectly. He’s honest to a fault (why
did he wear that red sweater?), funny (watch him on Jimmy Kimmel) and incredibly
relatable (there is no press corps and no private jet; he waits in line at
the DMV and has Homer Simpson as his computer
background).
His reaction
to his meteoric rise (and criticism) is endearing. He has a Twitter account that he
started on Sunday. He follows 46 people and has 1 like. He has over 240,000
followers but during an interview with CNN, clarified that his grandmother accounts
for two of these followers. She had to create a new account when she forgot her
password.
"Our voice was heard"- Ken Bone, last night’s #debate hero, spoke with me after becoming an internet sensation. https://t.co/puCOxLPhga— Carol Costello (@CarolCNN) October 10, 2016
You can see Carol Costello
struggling to keep a straight face; she calls Ken “refreshingly honest.” He is
the antithesis of our presidential candidates and this has made him enormously
popular.
Ken’s rise has been driven by
people on social media. In less than a week, he’s gone from a nobody to a
somebody with a cult following. He is the subject of numerous tweets and memes (check
out best
of here);
two Halloween costumes
(there’s a sexy version of everything), and a song that
is now on iTunes and Spotify. He fielded a $100,000 offer from CamSoda (an
adult website), inspired merchandise (check out this “Feel the Bone” sweatshirt
on Etsy),
and discussed endorsement deals (hopefully for mustache wax).
Ken Bone’s ripped olive suit inspired a two GoFundMe accounts, and his Izod red sweater
sold out multiple times on Amazon.
One satisfied customer raved “This cable knit
sweater paired with a white oxford is the perfect combo when staring down
fascism. The only thing you'll be grabbing while wearing this sweater is the
hearts of all Americans. Runs a little small.” Ken Bone has a limited-edition
Obama-esque T-shirt
and made his first endorsement deal with uberSELECT (he’s being paid in free
rides). He’s also now in trouble
with the FTC for making said endorsement on Twitter without required legal
language.
Megan Garber of the Atlantic sums up the whirlwind: “In the space of a few days, Ken Bone has gone from a man,
to a meme, to a celebrity, to a … brand. Or, more specifically, a #brand."
Along the way, he became a social media phenomenon (man,
meme, and celebrity) that forced legacy media to stop and take notice. Social
media gave birth to this story and traditional media report it as news. How
meta.
Ken Bone represents a certain idea
of America: a white, overweight, Midwesterner, working to get by, with a wife
and kids, trying to figure out his place in this mess that we call a
presidential campaign. His appearance at the debate solidified this status: he
has a fantastic name; he wore white tie and red sweater (chosen for him by his
wife after a wardrobe malfunction that few would admit to, let alone chuckle
about on national
television); he is slightly balding with a mustache and dorky glasses; he has
a lisp; and he took pictures with a disposable camera – “a
‘90s-tastic disposable camera.” Ken’s earnestness
in asking his question and authentic search for a candidate he can support, embodies
a political innocence that we wish we had. After months of mud-slinging, we’re
exhausted and jaded. Ken Bone isn’t.
He’s a huggable symbol of our anxieties
about politics. We want to coddle him and return to that childish sense of
wonder. That’s why we love him.
CrochetbyKT from Facebook sent me my new little buddy here! That's so sweet! pic.twitter.com/0iEUyOeMON— Ken Bone (@kenbone18) October 13, 2016
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