We’ve been keeping an eye on reactions to the recent State of the Union address, and the potential repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) remains a hot topic.  Over the next few months, we’ll be using our technology to track what people are saying about DADT on blogs and forums as this story develops.

Right now, a full three quarters of people support the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, over half of whom constitute a general anti-DADT movement. Comparisons to the debates surrounding integration of women and African Americans into the military are common.

Some people (11%) feel that Republicans opposed to the repeal, like John McCain and Duncan Hunter, Jr., are unreasonable, and that the entire controversy is reflecting poorly on the GOP.

Others are frustrated by the speed or degree of change.  Some 15% of the conversation expresses disappointment that even after Obama and top Pentagon officials spoke out in favor of repeal, the policy is being seriously studied for at least another year instead of being overturned immediately.  Others (8%) remind us that the repeal of DADT would be only a small step in the battle for gay rights, and that there are more important injustices to worry about.

About 14% of people oppose the repeal, citing possible complications including effects on troop cohesion.  A number of people (10%) fall in between the two extreme views, expressing either their indecision about the issue or their support for a third, intermediate option.

We’re looking forward to watching trends in this conversation as things progress, and we’ll keep you updated about any interesting changes we see.

Tags: uncategorized by janet
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While not owning a car is often frustrating, at times it has its advantages in Boston: no digging snow out from around tires, no fighting crowds for parking, and I don’t have to worry about the sticky accelerator pedal in my Toyota sending me to a fiery death. The recent Toyota recall has caused quite the international stir and, while no one in the office owns one, we couldn’t help but wonder what people on Twitter thought. Here’s what we found:

Not surprisingly, people think this is bad for Toyota. Just over a quarter of the tweets about the Toyota recall believe this will damage Toyota’s previously well-respected brand reputation.

Some 22% of the conversation speculated on how the recall would benefit Toyota’s competitors, especially those backed by the American government. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood’s comment that owners should “stop driving it and take it to a Toyota dealer” fueled theories that the government was looking to boost its investments in GM.

Twitterers dissatisfied with the Toyota response to the crisis thought the company moved too slowly and was wrong to send potential replacement accelerators to assembly plants to build new cars rather than dealerships to repair cars already on the road. The knowledge that Toyotas sometimes cannot be stopped by their drivers left others scared to drive in or around them.

Twitter is usually good for funny one-liners and Toyota’s tag line “Moving Forward” ensured that it failed to disappoint. These snarky tweets, joined by The Daily Show’s coverage of the “Toyotathon of Death” continue to add to Toyota’s collective embarrassment.

Tweets about the recall weren’t all bad for Toyota, as 12% were by Toyota drivers who pledged to remain loyal to the company. It’s great that they love their cars, but for now, I’m happy to keep riding the subway and avoid them on the road.

Tags: uncategorized by dylan
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