Hawthorn Hill Journal by Richard deRosa
Of Signs and Democracy
Some of us have a preferred season. I do not. There is something about each season to like. As each one ebbs and slides into the next, the transition seems just about right. Seasons seem to me to be about the right length. As one’s contentment with one season and its characteristic trappings and behaviors ebbs, the other is on the horizon waiting to offer up a welcome respite. It has been a good summer, but as always seems the case, I have run out of zeal for so many of the summer tasks that I always look forward to. There is, however, one season that I never look forward to: election season. In some very lucky countries, elections take place over the course of weeks. Not so here. Posturing for the next election is set in motion even before the completion of the current one. Between the press and politics, we never get a rest. There is, after all, a lot of life to live that has nothing at all to do with this incessant mania.
One aspect of this perennial circus that I would like to see done away with is the placing of signs everywhere—lawns, intersections, buildings, cars, etc. My wife has been a bit grumpy with me because I have insisted that we not place a sign at the bottom of our driveway divulging to all the world our preferred candidate. Actually, this is one of those few instances where I have gotten my way—thus far. Fingers crossed. My view is that whomever I vote for, it is my business and my business only. Interestingly, we mark up our ballots in secrecy, yet there are garish signs out there promoting what is supposed to be a sacred, private matter.
Despite the illegality of tampering with, or removing, political signage—which has not proven itself as an effective deterrent—intersections clogged with competing signs offer ample opportunity for the silly antics of miscreants. At one intersection down the road from our place, one candidate’s signs have disappeared several times. One would hope that the average citizen, regardless of political affiliation, might resist the temptation to knock over or remove a sign. Perhaps there are those so desperate for entertainment that sign stealing strikes them as a permissible creative activity. Me, I got better things to do with my time. Better yet, and this is the crux of my point in this essay: Get rid of all signs on all public lands and thoroughfares.
There are times when approaching an intersection that it looks as if a bunch of colorful stick figures are vying for attention. Some stand upright, some are obscured from view, others lean this way and that as if having back problems such that standing erect is too painful. Then there are those days when approaching the same intersection, miraculously, only those signs signifying the candidacy of one person remain. No secret as to the motivation behind that act of politically motivated petit larceny. The criminality of the gesture is transcended by its silliness and, perhaps, an admission of worry as to the success of one’s preferred candidate. Childishness is not limited by age and seems to be on the rampage in these United States.
The solution is simple. No signs. As long as we value free speech so highly in this country, no matter its often ugly and incendiary effects, the freedom to display in some form one’s preferences on private property will continue. Has the state of our political discourse sunk so low that some indicate their distaste for a candidate by placing a “F……..” on the front of a garage? I am no different from anyone else; I do have my political preferences. However, having taught young people for more than 35 years to read and think critically and to question, without engaging in ad hominem attacks on those that might see things differently, I see real value in engaging respectfully with those whose perspective might be quite different from mine. The beauty of such an engagement is the extent to which it invites introspection on both sides. The true heart of a democracy is its confidence in the value of reasoned and respectful dissent. The nation needs a resetting of its moral compass.
On my walks and drives about the countryside, the last thing on my mind, frankly, is politics. One reason for walking is to enjoy a respite from the grating trivialities of many aspects of public like. If we are to be forever faced with brawling advocacy signs at intersections and public places, why not a different kind of sign? Just one. A sign that in clear and precise language reminds all voters of their obligations as citizens of a democracy: to think through the issues, to keep informed, to give some thought to what might be best for the country. And, most importantly, in the end to exercise that precious right so many gave their lives for—to vote.
Dick deRosa’s Hawthorn Hill essays have appeared in “The Freeman’s Journal” since 1998. A collection, “Hawthorn Hill Journal: Selected Essays,” was published in 2012. He is a retired English teacher.