CUSA’s “I’m Gunna Vote” video garnered criticism on multiple platforms, from the Ottawa Citizen (“Student associations make no sense”), to Vice (“The most embarrassing music video in Canadian history”).
CUSA has removed the video and shared an apology. The student union said they “feel that [they] have been able to start a conversation about youth democratic engagement.” The conversation CUSA started has nothing to do with democratic engagement—it has everything to do with how our school is being perceived.
The video makes no convincing argument in favour of voting or the democratic process. It is rife with unnecessary swearing, which has offended many and has become a focus of the way the video is being received by media. That might be okay, except for the fact that, all swearing aside, the video makes no real points about the benefits of voting.
The professional production of “I’m Gunna Vote” implies forethought and planning, and places a stress on CUSA’s decision to actually put money into the video—$500 of grant money from a pro-voting organization, and $200 from CUSA’s budget. “I’m Gunna Vote” is tone-deaf not just in its musical performances. It fails to represent what we are as a student body, fails to deliver the message it intended to, and catapults us into the national spotlight for an unwanted and embarrassing moment, especially during a federal election.
