The Parkland effect: Student-made parody trumps Rick Scott’s Senate ad

Not more than a day after Gov. Rick Scott‘s entrance into the U.S. Senate race against incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland are making it known whose side they aren’t on.

Dylan Baierlein, a student at Stoneman Douglas, where 17 people were fatally shot on Feb. 14, released a video on his Twitter account Tuesday morning parodying Scott’s digital ad accompanying his entrance into the U.S. Senate race on Monday.

Scott’s ad on his campaign account is floating around 38,000 views — presumably all native, as the video doesn’t appear on Twitter as sponsored content. Baierlein’s mashup, as of this article’s publishing, has more than 90,000 views.

Yesterday, I saw the greatest campaign announcement ever. See for yourselves! pic.twitter.com/hvYb78hb21

— Black Lives Definitely Do Matter (@dylbaier) April 10, 2018

Baierlein’s video takes Scott’s original ad and superimposes satirical text — such as “thank god” when Scott says it’s his last year as Governor — and articles critical of Scott, including his administration’s deletion of voicemails from nursing home administrators in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Baierlein also scatters shots of news articles, blogs and headlines criticizing Scott’s popularity and questioning his federal credentials, effectively undermining everything the Governor is trying to relay to viewers in the original ad.

The remake also employs a few mainstream meme techniques, such as zooming in on Scott’s mouth when he says “fixated” and replaying the phrase “it’s become fashionable,” which Scott used to describe the culture of newly elected members of Congress accepting the often-criticized Washington status quo. At the end of the video, Scott’s “let’s get to work” catchphrase is attributed to “Rock Skort.”

Baierlein’s account isn’t verified on Twitter, but his video drew reactions from high-profile Stoneman Douglas students Cameron Kasky and Jaclyn Corin. Baierlein also has been pictured in national stories in the wake of the Valentine’s Day tragedy.

It’s become fashionable

— Cam (@cameron_kasky) April 10, 2018

I love you so much

— Jaclyn Corin (@JaclynCorin) April 10, 2018

Baierlein’s Twitter bio reads, “partying hard with the content committee for the March For Our Lives!” March For Our Lives, which facilitated nationwide marches last month against gun violence, has not responded to a request for comment from Florida Politics. It’s not known what role Baierlein has with the organization and whether or not the video represents the views of March For Our Lives.

A POLITICO story last month recapped a CBS interview featuring several Stoneman Douglas students, including Corin and Kasky, saying they do not intend to endorse political candidates in this year’s elections.

“We endorse ideas not people,” Kasky told “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan.

Harsh criticism of one candidate in a two-way race, however, appears to be fair game.

David Hogg, regarded as a thought leader for the grassroots activity emanating from the South Florida high school, hasn’t formally endorsed a candidate — but he’s made it clear that he’s anti-Scott. On Tuesday, quoting Baierlein’s video, he tweeted “#notscott” to his roughly 750,000 followers.

#notscott https://t.co/Ji4MhuSZLe

— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 10, 2018