For the similarly controversial but different referendum, see 2023 Chawosaurian Constitutional Referendum
In Chawosaurian politics and as part of Chawosauria's Anti-Technology Sentiment, the 2018 Age of Smartphone Referendum (also known as Referendum 18 or simply the Smartphone Referendum) was held on March 31, 2018 and the result of this referendum was a rebuke and strong condemnation against the Digital Age. The question presented to Chawosaurians was rather or not there should be an age limit on smartphones imposed on under-21-year-old Chawosaurians due to widespread complaints amongst Chawosaurian families and teachers against smart technology use amongst Chawosaurian minors and the impact it has on their academic performance and there was concern among many Chawosaurians about their children being exposed to the perceived moral decay of the internet. It was stamped approved by Supreme Leader Degotoga K. Atagulkalu.
The smartphone age restriction was so popular among Chawosaurians that it passed in a landslide to the surprise of many especially Chawosaurians under 21, with 80.5% of Chawosaurians voting in favor of it while 19.5% of Chawosaurians voting against it. Chawosaurians who voted for the referendum held conservative beliefs and those who voted no to the ban were liberal minded. The result exposed a hidden culturally conservative strain within the Chawosaurian world that Chawosauria's ruling left-wing establishment, as of 2023, too ignorant to acknowledge and accept. The result had a landmark effect, it started a cultural war of what Chawosaurian culture should be and there is strong resentment against the future among Chawosaurians, especially on issues such as the future of space colonization, the rise of robotic and smart technology, and the culture of millennials and zoomers, all of which Chawosaurians feel are true threats to their culture and the Chawosaurian way of life. Chawosaurians feel digital technology and younger generations are a threat to their culture and they saw the referendum as an opportunity to take a stand against both digital technology and millennials and zoomers in general, which itself triggered a generational conflict between the so-called Cold War Chawosaurians and the post-Cold War Chawosaurians.
Despite It was widely speculated that this referendum will not have a chance to become law, the Referendum passed in a surprise outcome. The Age of Smartphone Act won in a landslide. Winning 80.5% of the vote. This referendum marked the end of Millennial Paradise in Chawosauria, although not all Millennials will be affected by this referendum, the later millennials have been kicked out from the paradise utopia established by Chawosaurian Millennials in 2007-2009. Gen Zers are the most affected, Chawosauria's decision to take away their phone with government has betrayed the Gen Zer future. In the aftermath of the referendum, the War on Technology was sparked in a non-militant conflict between Anti-Technology and Pro-Technology Chawosaurians. This referendum is widely compared to the 1978 California referendum on the Briggs Initiative, an Anti-LGBT initiative that was defeated in a surprise landslide that sought to ban Homosexuals from teaching and/or working in public schools. Despite Referendum 18 and Briggs Initiative are widely compared, they're focusing on different issues, the reason why they're compared was that of their referendum results. In June 2018, the Chawopolis Palace passed the Age of Smartphone Act of 2018 and it became law on July 1, 2018.
The result of this referendum attributed to anger and frustration towards the increased presence of Hip-Hop, the loss of jobs caused by technological changes, and rising social conservatism in Chawosauria. Supporters of the referendum exploited high voter apathy among millennials to get their way, this was the main theme of their success, they trolled millennials into stay apathetic about this referendum by saying it will not pass. When millennials realized this initiative has already passed, they attempted to vote although the polls have already closed. For now on, millennials are now energized to vote, this is seen in the 2019 Chawosaurian elections. The referendum results is a major defeat for Big Tech, millennials, gen Zers, and modernization because it marks the beginning of the end of modernization in Chawosauria.
This is the only major referendum in the 2010s and the last ,major referendum until the 2023 Chawosaurian Constitutional Referendum whether to approve the Imperial Constitution of the Empire of Chawosauria.
Background
When the iPhone was invented in 2007, iPhones began to spread drastically, so did it's popularity, in fact, the popularity of iPhones began to spread to Chawosauria in 2008. In the same year, Timothy Max Roosevelt approved the arrival of iPhones into Chawosauria, but the popularity of iPhones led to the elections of 2007 and 2009. But iPhones, like the Human World, began to have +s and -s. The negative effect of iPhones is when school students began to become more addicted to phones, which have resulted in falling grades, and Chawosauria was having that same problem. In the Human World, Schools began to regulate iPhone activity, especially in classrooms. In Chawosauria, between 2010, to 2017, Chawosaurians have been calling for actual government legislation to tackle this same school problem the Human World was having. For nearly six years, they have been ignored by both the media and the government. But this time, in 2017, Supreme Leader Degotoga K. Atagulkalu ordered the representation of the people who demanded government response to the iPhones in school problem despite being warned of Chawosauria's Anti-Technology Sentiment can go primitive, the referendum was any way stamped approved by DKA, but even he was skeptical that this referendum was gonna pass. But voting day on March 31, 2018, as Chawosaurians widely thought, especially the youth, thought that this referendum was gonna get wiped out by a landslide, but ironically, the referendum was approved by the electorate by a landslide. In DKA's surprise, his decision to represent the iPhone in schools issue backfired because this legislation applies to his youngest stepson, Nicholas Brunswick.
Analysis and Results
Percentages of the Referendum by Constituency. Green denotes to Constituencies supported the initiative. Red denotes to Constituencies that opposed the initiative.
The initiative passed in a surprise victory in a landslide. The Millennial Fire Wall had lessly supported the initiative, while the Soviet Fire Wall mostly supported the initiative. The Millennial Chawosaurians and other younger generation Chawosaurians have opposed the initiative, but most of them did not vote due to an ignorant speculation that this initiative would not pass. To their surprise and shock, they woke up, or watched the results in anger and disbelief.
The eastern part of the Millennial Fire Wall has turned above average green in support for the initiative, warning the Chawosaurian Democratic Party that Russia needs to stay in the Millennial Fire Wall, or it will break away from the firewall and destroy the millennial firewall electorally in the 2019 Federal Election.
On election night, Emperor, Degotoga K. Atagulkalu was speechless, didn't knew what to say, DKA thought this referendum had no chance and it would fail in a landslide, although the referendum ironically succeeded in a landslide, which shocked DKA right in the core. Before the election, DKA thought it was a "stupid idea" in fact he thought the idea was so stupid he showed skepticism that it would ever pass, but he stamped approved it's referendum anyway so that he could be amused about how stupid ideas get blown out, but again, DKA was shellshock of the fact that the referendum passed in a landslide, DKA went to bed embarrassed, knowing and realizing that stamping approving the initiative's referendum was such a moronic mistake. DKA woke up in remorse for his decision to stamp approve the initiative's referendum, and he prepared to reluctantly certify the referendum's results. DKA was warned that Chawosauria's Anti-Technology Sentiment can be this primitive, DKA wished he would've listened to these warnings.
On April 12, 2018, when the states were added to declare red and green states, it was realized that the Western Civilizations opposed the initiative while the Eastern Civilizations supported the initiative, which signals some kind of realignment in Chawosaurian Voters. It is the Western World that is more advanced than the Eastern World, Chawosaurians who live in the East tend to feel threatened by technology while Chawosaurians in the West tends to feel comfortable with technology. The east is more Conservative than the West.
With that, it was the Working Class of Chawosauria who made this referendum result possible, Blue Collar Chawosaurians supported the initiative despite opposition from White Collar Chawosaurians. Blue Collar Chawosaurians really do feel that technology is taking advantage of them and violating their rights as workers, and thought that voting in this referendum, even though many of them don't have kids, but still thought that voting in this referendum is an opportunity for them to show their frustration and resentment of advancing technology. In the United States, Technology has replaced workers, for example, in the Car making industry, machines are now making the cars rather then people making them, Chawosaurian workers are beginning to have the same problem. This Referendum result shows that Chawosauria doesn't want tobe apart of the Technologically advanced world anymore because of this. Chawosauria's Automotive Industry, where Blue Collar Chawosaurians who used to make the motor vehicles have been replaced by robotic machines now making the motor vehicles, Chawosaurian workers feel disrespected and disenfranchised by White Collar Chawosaurians, Millennials, Gen Zers, and Techno-Companies. There is a hatred of Millennials and Gen Zers by Blue Collar Chawosaurians because Millennial and Gen Zer Chawosaurians have extended knowledge of technology and they show addiction to it similar to how Millennial and Gen Zer people in the Western World.
Chawosaurian Millennials are being threatened by Blue Collar Chawosaurians, leading to a demand to infringe the freedom and rights of Millennials and Gen Zers in Chawosauria.
This referendum is greatly compared by Chawosaurian Historians to the Briggs Initiative, an Anti-Gay initiative that attempted to block gays from teaching in public schools. The Initiative died in a landslide in it's referendum, even the initiative's origin county voted against the measure itself.
What helped this initiative pass easily is that millennials were apathetic to vote, this was used as a weakness against millennials by supporters of the initiative, they ran troll campaigns to get millennials apathetic about voting in a referendum featuring an initiative that would take away their freedom.
Results
Chawosauria Referendum 18
Results of Referendum 18.
| Question | ||
|---|---|---|
| Should there be an age limit on Phones? | ||
| Choices | Popular Vote | Percentage |
| Yes | 1,531,385,469 | 80.5% |
| No | 370,985,469 | 19.5% |
| Total Votes | 1,902,370,938 | 100% |
| Result | Initiative Victory | |
On the morning of April 1, 2018, 7:30 AM Eastern Time, Emperor, Degotoga K. Atagulkalu certified the results, accepting the results after informing those, especially young people, that this was not his plan to start with, and that he was just representing the people. DKA signed the certification approval and signed the preparation to pass legislation cracking down on iPhones for kids, but a piece of legislation was already being proposed in the House of Dynasties, the Age of iPhone Act of 2018, by April 3, 2018, it would be approved by the House of Dynasties.
Voter Demographics
| Demographic | Ita (Yes) | nullum (No) | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | |||
| 14-24 | 21% | 76% | 5% |
| 24-35 | 41% | 58% | 1% |
| 35-45 | 48% | 51% | 1% |
| 45-65 | 60% | 31% | 3% |
| 65 and older | 78% | 15% | 3% |
| Political Party | |||
| Communists | 58% | 41% | other |
| Democrats | 51% | 47% | 1% |
| Social Democrats | 48% | 51% | other |
| Greens | 13% | 81% | other |
| Political Ideology | |||
| Socialists | 60% | 32% | 1% |
| Liberals | 65% | 31% | - |
| Progressives | 67% | 31% | - |
| Conservatives | 70% | 25% | - |
| Libertarians | 90% | 5% | 3% |
| Socialist Ideology | |||
| Communists | 95% | 3% | - |
| Social Democrats | 31% | 67% | - |
| Anarcho-Communists | 5% | 95% | - |
| Liberal Socialists | 2% | 98% | - |
| Marxist-Leninists | 50% | 50% | - |
| Voters from the 2017 Special Election | |||
| Voters who voted for Degotoga K. Atagulkalu | 76% | 20% | - |
| Voters who voted for Timothy Max Roosevelt II | 83% | 15% | - |
| School Teachers | |||
| Elementary | 76% | 18% | 8% |
| Middle | 60% | 31% | 2% |
| High | 58% | 41% | - |
| College and University | 51% | 48% | - |
| Working Class Groups | |||
| Blue Collar Workers | 95% | 3% | 1% |
| White Collar Workers | 31% | 68% | - |
| Pink Collar Workers | 51% | 49% | |
Since April 2019, a year after the referendum, Pink Collar Workers began to turn on advancing technology due to spreading fears of being replaced by robotic bussers, waiters and waitresses, servers, etc. In the referendum, Pink Collar Workers were split on advancing technology, and thinking they were just voting on an initiative, but many Pink Collar Workers began to have a negative attitude against advancing technology, and it inspired them to realign in the future 2019 elections. Pink Collar Workers usually vote against the Communist Party, but a threat to the then ruling Capitalist Alliance is that Pink Collar Workers are now thinking about voting for the Communist Party, meaning the Capitalists now have a significant disadvantage at retaining their majority in the Chawopolis Palace, taking back the Chawosaurian European Parliament, and keeping the Monarchy.
Rise of Resentment towards Digital and Internet Technology
see: Chawosauria's Opposition to Digital and Internet Technology
iPhones, PCs, Computers, and other Digital Technology began to lose it's popularity in Chawosauria, even among Chawosauria's Millennials. Chawosaurians are beginning to feel that Internet Technology are threatening Chawosauria's "way of life" and are also costing Chawosauria's Proletariat class jobs.
Aftermath
Protests and Riots
A Chawosaurian Anti-Computer sign says "iGate".
On the morning of April 1, 2018, in North , South , and Europe, where voters voted narrowly for or against the referendum, there were protests and riots in retaliation to Referendum 18, as more and more young demonstrators were resisting the referendum result, Emperor, Degotoga K. Atagulkalu ordered secret police and armed forces to restrain and detain the demonstrators, the protests and riots sparked all across Chawosauria, and the Emperor ordered military strikes on the demonstrations, especially the rioters.
Allegations of Voter Fraud
Opponents of Referendum 18 have alleged Voter Irregularity in the voting process of the referendum, they filed lawsuits, but the Emperor signed an Executive Order blocking these kinds of lawsuits against the referendum, simply because he'd already certified the results, Chawosaurian Law says once an election result is already certified, lawsuits against the results are invalid, one student send the Emperor an open letter to investigate possible voter fraud, but DKA rejected the letter. The allegations are not being investigated because the results of Referendum 18 were already certified.
Legislative Action
The Chawosaurian Senate has already introduced legislation to the House of Dynasties for approval to pass a law fulfilling the referendum's wish, it is 100% likely that the House of Dynasties will allow the Chawopolis Palace to pass legislation serving the will of the people.
Rise of Neo-Luddism and Technophobia
Neo-Luddism is a philosophy when people hold Technophobic views on modern technology. The referendum had greatly promoted Technophobia and began to spread like a virus in Chawosauria very quick. Technophobia will greatly inspire and influence the 2019 Federal Election.
Escalation of Xenophobia
Xenophobia or hatred toward Immigrants and foreigners have escalated under the result of this referendum, Chawosauria is already a Xenophobic nation, but the referendum escalated Chawosauria's hatred and fear of Immigrants, legal or illegal. The fear is that if Chawosauria legalizes immigration, it could lead immigrants bringing their techno devices to Chawosauria and/or start techno device businesses in Chawosauria.
Reasons for the Outcome of this Referendum
Chawosauria's Increasing Resentment of Hip-Hop Music
YoungBoy Never Broke Again - Diamond Teeth Samurai (Official Video)
A Hip-Hop music video of NBA Youngboy, a Young Generation Rapper from the United States.
As Hip-Hop began to evolve to allow young people like NBA Youngboy to enter public fame as rappers, as they always had in the past, Chawosaurians (especially in the Cold War Coalition) responded with a socially conservative attitude. Leading to Chawosauria's desire to limit the freedom and rights of Millennials and Gen Zers (especially Gen Zers), and that's eventually going to mean banning kids from having smartphones until they're 21.
Tyga performing.
The Hip-Hop community is seemingly recruiting young people like NBA Youngboy, YBN Nahmir, Lil Pump, and Jaden Smith. Which sends a message to Chawosaurian Parents and Elders that makes them deeply concern for the future of their children that they'll become "moral-loose" rappers as well, rappers who curse and talk lude language constantly and show twerking, grinding, and assault weapons in their music videos. This also leads to Racism, openly or closeted, institutionally, or socially, in Chawosauria. Chawosauria has a history of racism toward Black people, Afro-Chawosaurians are constantly targeted by Non-Black Chawosaurians pretty often than any other race. The reason for this is because Hip-Hop is popular among African-Americans in the United States, especially among African American Millennials and Gen Zers.
In Chawosauria, Hip-Hop is often misinterpreted, alienated, demonized, and condemned as music with the lack of morality, lack of manners, and accused rappers of disrespecting the individuality of themselves and the communities they represent. In response to Christian rap music, Chawosaurians question Christianity's credibility as Chawosaurian Dictator Timothy Max Roosevelt once said this about Christianity, "Christianity is a religion that was supposed to oppose this kind of culture [Hip-Hop] but turns out they're a cult of hypocrites".
Since the presence of Korean American rapper, Jay Park, racial tensions between Native and Asian Chawosaurians escalated. As of June 2018, Asian Chawosaurians are one of the most discriminated against ethnicity in Chawosauria, practically the fourth most discriminated race in Chawosauria.
Conspiracy Theories against the American Hip-Hop Industry
Lil Pump - Boss (Official Music Video)
This hip-hop music video shows Lil Pump at a strip club, in this video was made in 2017 and uploaded on the same year before Lil Pump turned 18 in August, two months after.
Chawosaurians alleged that there is pedophilia in the American Hip-Hop community, the campaigners against hip-hop pointed out to the voters of Chawosauria that in the music video of Lil Pump's track "boss" shows Lil Pump in a strip club, when that video was uploaded on YouTube on June 10, 2017, Lil Pump was 17-years-old and the anti-rap-music campaigners speculated that some of the strippers shown in that music video, twerking, were older than Lil Pump by 2 or 3 years, and others of them were probably in their teens, the music video probably took place in Miami, Florida, or Los Angeles, California. Under California and Florida's state laws, the age of consent in both of these states is 18, Lil Pump was an age under the age of consent laws.
Chawosaurians began to increase their criticism and hatred for rap music in an even more Socially Conservative attitude. This resulted in Chawosaurian lawmakers passing laws censoring rap music of any kind from any country, including rap music from the United States,
Pornography
Pornography is the imagery and filming of sex, and it exists on the internet. Pornography has a long history, dating back to the Ancient times. Since the arrival of computers, internet porn became pretty popular among people with higher sex drives. But became visible in movies filmed by Hollywood, such as the 2016 movie, Deadpool. and horror and comedy movies. Once these movies arrived in Chawosauria, Chawosaurians responded in concern that their children will see these movies on movie websites such as Netflix, Hulu, and others. Porn in public, like most in the Western World, is a taboo in Chawosauria.
Chawosaurians have a social conservative attitude towards porn despite Atheist dominance in Chawosauria. In the referendum, Chawosaurians in the Porn community did vote narrowly in favor of the initiative ironically to prevent kids from being exposed to porn but opposed the idea of banning porn for everyone.
Technological Unemployment
Robotic Machines making the Vehicles.
Robots and Machines and other types of advancing technology has been replacing human workers as the workers in the United States, Canada, and everywhere else, also in Chawosauria. Workers in Chawosauria suffer from being laid off because of being replaced by machines, robots, and other advanced technological devices. Blue collar workers are the most victimized and abandoned by corporations in Chawosauria.
Chawosauria's Working Class has such a resentment towards advancing technology and hated technology so much. As they don't trust their Corporate leaders.
Allegations and Accusations of Advocacy for Legalized Polygamy
These Girls - Why Don't We -Official Music Video-
We Don't We music video -These Girls.
On August 30th, 2017, the YouTube channel of Why Don't We (an American Boy Band) released a music video on YouTube titled "these girls" and in the lyrics of the song, it talked about the guys in this band singing about how they could not choose one girl and that they would date all the female candidates. In the music video, this shows both the boy band artists and the girls of various diverse personality traits.
In Chawosauria, where they also have access to YouTube, the video's Chawosaurian audience accused both the song and the video of preaching Polygamy, and that this video is seemingly for young teenagers, mass hysteria among Chawosaurians with children began to spread. Polygamy is a major taboo in Chawosauria, as well as Promiscuous Attraction and Sex.
Accusations by Chawosaurians of promoting pedophilia through Hollywood, Anti-Hollywood Sentiment is widespread in Chawosauria.
Public Opinion of those who didn't participate
Most Millennial voters did not participate in the referendum because they thought the referendum would not pass, now, looking back, these millennial voters wish they have voted in the referendum. 70% of Millennial voters did not vote, and 99% of Millennial voters who didn't participate in the referendum said they would vote against the initiative. This is one of the problems why the initiative passed, 70% of millennials did not participate in the referendum because of a foolish belief and guess that this referendum had no chance of passing, not voting in the referendum obviously backfired for these millennials, particularly the younger ones.
Role of Racism
Racism against black people did play a significant role in the outcome of this referendum. Chawosaurians belonging to a class of blue collar whites voted for the ban not only because of fear of technological employment, but also because of worries of the significance of R&B and hip hop to the lives of black youth.
A Realigning Election
A Realigning Election, the Parties of Chawosauria are starting to discover their base in the referendum. The Anti-Technology Voters are the voters the Communist Party can use as an advantage, and the Pro-Technology Voters are the voters the Democratic Party (not to be confused with the Democratic Party in America) can use as an advantage for competition in the 2019 Federal Election. In the referendum result, the nations of the former Warsaw Pact could break away from the Millennial Firewall, threatening to enable a Communist Victory for 2019. The political name of these the eastern region of the Millennial Firewall if it does break away from the Firewall would be named the "Warsaw Firewall".
Parkerian Government's Stance
The 2020-2024 Chawosaurian Government was elected in the 2019 Chawosaurian elections, Supreme Leader Shang Jong Parker was the one who won the 2019 direct election.
Shang Jong Parker's stance
Supreme Leader Shang Jong Parker takes office on January 1, 2020, as a result of his landslide victory in the 2019 Chawosaurian direct election over incumbent Ekewaka Mikala Kalawai'a. Parker was asked of his opinion of the ban on millennials having access to phones, Parker said "I respect the ban, I understand the ban, my children are not effected because they're adults now, but I respect the ban because that was what the people voted for".