Ken Bone at the Town Hall Debate

2016

Date: 9 October 2016 · Place: Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri; second presidential debate · Figures: Kenneth Bone, undecided voter · Hillary Clinton, candidate · Donald Trump, candidate · Tags: Politics, Sweater, Debate 01. The Red IZOD An undecided voter named Kenneth Bone asks a question about energy policy at the 9 October 2016 town-hall debate in St. Louis. He wears a red IZOD half-zip sweater after his original olive suit splits in the car on the way to the venue. He uses a disposable camera. By the next morning he is the meme of the election cycle. The sweater sells out at IZOD within hours. Bone trends globally for thirty-six hours. 02. The Reddit AMA Bone hosts a Reddit AMA on 13 October 2016 from his own account, u/StanGibson18. The account history contains explicit pornographic comments and a defense of George Zimmerman. Within an hour the wholesome image collapses; the press cycle pivots into a parable about background-checking your viral celebrities. The episode is the cleanest demonstration that a single televised image can be hoisted and dropped inside one news cycle, with the subject providing the rope. Sources • Commission on Presidential Debates broadcast, 9 October 2016 • Reddit u/StanGibson18 AMA, 13 October 2016 • Caitlin Dewey, The Washington Post, 'The Ken Bone moment, fully explained', 14 October 2016