SXSW Q & A: Why Chelsea Clinton Is ‘Obsessed with Diarrhea’
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Scott Olson/Getty Images(AUSTIN, Texas) — Things got a little awkward during Chelsea Clinton’s speech at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, when she proudly told a full house of tech and digital enthusiasts: “I’m obsessed with diarrhea.”
What?
An unexpected statement, but true. Clinton kicked off a Q & A by asking the moderator if she could talk about diarrhea: “I’m obsessed” with it, she said. The crowd took it as a joke, but Clinton noted that the audience wouldn’t be laughing when she finished, saying, “It’s actually very serious.”
“I find the fact that more than 750,000 children die around the world with severe hydration from diarrhea unacceptable,” she said. Clinton explained she likes talking about diarrhea because she isn’t squeamish about it — even though most people are.
During the speech, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton solicited questions from Twitter users using the hashtag #AskChelsea.
There was a brief scare when Twitter went down just the hour before, but to the relief of tweeps and Clinton herself, the social media network was back up and running by the time she took the stage.
“I’m thrilled Twitter’s working again,” Clinton told the crowd.
Here are a few other things we learned about the former — and potentially future — first daughter’s political aspirations, and even her favorite breakfast taco ingredients:
She Taught Her Parents How to Text
When asked if there was anything she ever taught her parents, Clinton responded: “I definitely taught my parents how to text. How to charge their phones,” adding it was a “very mysterious thing for them at the beginning.”
She May Run for Office
While all eyes are on her mother and a possible 2016 run for the White House, the audience took time to ask the younger Clinton about her own political aspirations. So will she get into politics? “I don’t know,” she said, adding that while “for a long time my answer to that question was ‘no,’” she’s not discounting the possibility in the future.
She Held ‘Mock’ Debates with Her Parents as a Kid
Clinton was asked about lessons she learned from her parents. She told the audience that her parents always wanted her to have an opinion and even made her do mock debates with them as a young child: “My parents expected me to have views and opinions,” she said. “When I was 6 years old I would debate against a parent and the other would be the moderator.”
She Likes Her Breakfast Tacos Spicy
It wouldn’t be a Texas forum without a little talk about tacos. A Twitter user curious about her taste in southern food asked which three ingredients she must have in a breakfast taco. Much to the delight of the audience, Clinton said she “loves” breakfast tacos and concluded she’d have to have eggs, jalapenos and peppers.
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