At UC Berkeley, a squirrel ran for student Senate and won - driving some people nuts

LA Times ^ | April 20, 2018 | Teresa Watanabe

[Zakeet]

The candidate for a seat in the UC Berkeley student Senate promised safe spaces for squirrels, better access to acorns and support groups for those experiencing habitat loss.

His name was Furry Boi, he campaigned in a squirrel suit and he attracted immediate attention.

"omg i love him he's so cute," Iris Melody Xu, a UC Berkeley student, wrote on Furry Boi's Facebook page. "Finally, a candidate I can get behind," someone else wrote.

But when the character that sophomore Stephen Boyle had created as a joke actually won one of the Associated Students of the University of California's 20 Senate seats up for grabs last week, the backlash was fast and furious.

[Zakeet]

... so very guilty of cultural appropriation ...

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

Tree huggers are pissed that the indigenous species want their trees back.

[ClearCase_guy]

Is it a squirrel? Or is it pedo bear?

[fwdude]

A real squirrel would still be much more intelligent than the vast majority of *-studies majors there.

[Rebelbase]

I hope squirrel-dog runs against him in the next election.

[Rebelbase]

[dfwgator]

[Magnum44]

[Sasparilla]

...At UC Berkeley, a squirrel ran for student Senate and won...

Totally believable. It ran as a Democrat/socialist/communist.

[zeugma]

Isn’t that a gopher?

[Magnum44]

Gopher, ground squirrel, who's counting? :)

[bgill]

kinky

[zeugma]

Gopher, ground squirrel, who's counting? :)

I see your point. LOL