I'm not buying any popcorn
I have very strong political opinions and spend hours a day following the political elections but I do not have any political signs in my yard. On Sunday some local political people came through our street handing out signs for the republican governor's candidate and our county republican seat for state representative. We told them to go on, git, them and their signs, and they did. We later found out Jaden followed them down the street on his bicycle, happily harassing them about how he was voting for Obama. I kind of gasped at Jaden, that he was jibber jabbering at people, openly talking politics with strangers, something I avoid. He was kind of shocked with himself when I informed him that the man he was ribbing was none other than the man on the sign.
Anyway, our next door neighbor, the type of man who is old and bitter and has a lot he needs to say and does not even remotely grasp the concept that everyone in his world is not as racist, intolerant as he, well, this man has a lot of signs in his yard. He's got the McCain/Palin, the Rossi (governor), the Hope (state representative), one that says SUPPORT SCOUTS! BUY POPCORN!, and a huge one that says SLOW DOWN, 25 MILES PER HOUR (this particular sign does nothing to affect its readers, I can assure you). I am frequently disturbed, in a horror movie kind of way, when I go out to my car and realize that he has, again, moved the signs. He tries all kinds of configurations with these signs. They move a lot. Many of the other houses on our street bear the signs that were being handed out that day and I can now look at a household which never bothered me before and go, you dirty republican sons of bitches. Which is why I don't put up signs. I don't have any interest in the scrutiny of strangers. I don't have any interest in advertising anyone's candidacy or changing any person's mind. I also don't believe in stickers on cars that say opinionated things (or any other kind of sticker on a car). Also, as much as I love Obama, it would break my heart if he lost and my sad little sign drooped in the middle of all the McCain signs that surround me. Who can figure why these lower middle class neighbors of mine just looooooooove their republicans? I know it has a lot to do with religion and tradition.
My question is: what do you feel on this? I view these signs as visual pollution as well as a form of territorial pissing. What is the point to these signs and stickers? Is it your constitutional duty to vote AND to advertise? And do I get to point at you and laugh when your sad sack of a candidate falls on his face? Or am I a coward for not slamming a sign down in my yard and taking a firm public America Avenue position for the whole block to see?
Anyway, our next door neighbor, the type of man who is old and bitter and has a lot he needs to say and does not even remotely grasp the concept that everyone in his world is not as racist, intolerant as he, well, this man has a lot of signs in his yard. He's got the McCain/Palin, the Rossi (governor), the Hope (state representative), one that says SUPPORT SCOUTS! BUY POPCORN!, and a huge one that says SLOW DOWN, 25 MILES PER HOUR (this particular sign does nothing to affect its readers, I can assure you). I am frequently disturbed, in a horror movie kind of way, when I go out to my car and realize that he has, again, moved the signs. He tries all kinds of configurations with these signs. They move a lot. Many of the other houses on our street bear the signs that were being handed out that day and I can now look at a household which never bothered me before and go, you dirty republican sons of bitches. Which is why I don't put up signs. I don't have any interest in the scrutiny of strangers. I don't have any interest in advertising anyone's candidacy or changing any person's mind. I also don't believe in stickers on cars that say opinionated things (or any other kind of sticker on a car). Also, as much as I love Obama, it would break my heart if he lost and my sad little sign drooped in the middle of all the McCain signs that surround me. Who can figure why these lower middle class neighbors of mine just looooooooove their republicans? I know it has a lot to do with religion and tradition.
My question is: what do you feel on this? I view these signs as visual pollution as well as a form of territorial pissing. What is the point to these signs and stickers? Is it your constitutional duty to vote AND to advertise? And do I get to point at you and laugh when your sad sack of a candidate falls on his face? Or am I a coward for not slamming a sign down in my yard and taking a firm public America Avenue position for the whole block to see?