Power texting is a phrase I have never heard of before but then I am not a big fan of American Idol. Power texting is how American Idol fans can vote for their favourite idol. Power texting is used on other contests as well.

There is an American Idol voting controversy going on between two of its contestants, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert and power texting. There is a claim that there was an unfair advantage to Kris Allen. Apparently AT&T provided phones and free power texting tips at parties held for Kris Allen. Power texting allows voters to cast 10 votes for every one text message sent.

If this is true, is power texting a fair way to vote when the other party involved did not have the same advantage? I don't think it is. I think there should be allowed one vote per text message per phone number. I think a competition should be fair between the two parties and that they should have been playing on a level playing field. There shouldn't be an advantage over one contestant. How can that be fair?

Maybe that is the reason I don't watch American Idol or any other show like it. I like the competition aspect of the show, however, why can't it be fair? Why do we have to live in a society that is always looking for a way to have an edge over someone else? Whatever happened to a fair and square competition, a competition based solely on a competitor's talent? Now, if someone came up with a show like that, I'd watch it.

JLHanna, a 22 year old college student in Ottawa, Ontario and I, a 48 year old woman living in British Columbia, Canada, had a discussion about the issue of power texting and whether it is okay to do.

Introduction

Me - I, for one, do not like cheating and think that any competition should be played fairly.

JLHanna - I really dislike the idea of cheating. Nobody should feel that they have to cheat to get anywhere in life and if they do cheat at things then they need to quit and find something else to do. It's not fair to anybody else who is trying to make an "honest living".

1. Do you think power texting is morally right?

Me - No, I do not think that power texting is morally right. Everybody in a competition, and I don't care what competition it is, big or small, needs to compete on the same level. To me, power texting is a form of cheating.

JLHanna - No, power taking definitely is not morally right, any competition should be done fairly. Power texting just takes the fun out of any competition for the ones who are trying to compete fairly. This definitely isn't fair to the honest contestants.

2. Do you think it is right that AT&T gave away free phones and power texting tips at parties held for Kris Allen?

Me - No, I do not think it was right that AT&T gave away free phones and power texting tips, definitely not. However, if free phones and power texting tips were given away at other idol's parties, then I would have to change my answer to yes because then everyone would be given the same advantage.

JLHanna - The only way I would condone such an act is if all the contestants from the show were given the same benefits as Kris Allen was. I definitely don't think AT&T had any right to pass those tips out. It would have been more than enough to just hand out the phones. If this is really what happened Kris Allen and AT&T should be very ashamed of themselves.

3. If you were one of the "other" idols in American Idol, would you be upset that Kris Allen won the competition?

Me - If I were one of the "other" idols in the competition, I would be very upset that Kris Allen won. The reason I would be upset is the way that he won. I do not believe in cheating your way through life to win anything. I believe and have been brought up to believe in hard, honest work.

JLHanna - I wouldn't be just upset, I would demand that whatever he gained from the show should be taken away and given to someone else who really deserved it. Cheating takes so much away from competitions and none of the other contestants will really know how well they did or could have done.

4. Do you think they should recount the votes for the competition and eliminate all of the power texting votes?

Me - Yes, I do think that the votes should be recounted and I definitely think the power texting votes should be eliminated.

JLHanna - Yes, as I said I would demand this to happen if I was a contestant on the show. They should definitely do a recount and take away the power texting votes and see who really won. I wouldn't mind seeing just how well Kris Allen would have done without cheating. He may have not needed all the cheating, he may have won anyway but we may never know.

5. What kind of impression do you think this kind of action gives to the young viewers of American Idol?

Me - I think this kind of action gives young viewers of American Idol the idea that it is okay to cheat. I think some young viewers will get the impression that since Kris Allen cheated, why can't I? There is enough cheating going on in this world. I just don't know why we can't have a fair competition with a winner that won fair and square. The young viewers of American Idol are very impressionable and a competition as big and as popular as American Idol needs to show these young viewers that it is not right to cheat and that if you do cheat, then you do not become the winner.

JLHanna - Seeing as tons of young people watch this show, American Idol should be forced to recount the votes and get rid of the cheating votes. This will help to show young people there are always consequences for their actions. This incident could, prehaps, show the younger veiwers that cheating will be condoned and that is the only way to get ahead in life.

Conclusion

Me - I think that American Idol should implement a policy to forbid power texting. Power texting is cheating and I think American Idol should not stand for anyone cheating.

JLHanna - I beleive the votes should be recounted and there should be some kind of punishment for Kris Allen and AT&T. Kids need to learn that things are wrong and are not condoned before they grow up and learn the hard way. I also feel the there should be consequences because it's not fair to anyone else who took part in the event.