"Oh, look, Honey, Tom Creamer is running for selectman."
"Yes. He is"
Pause for 1/10th of a mile.
"Oh, look, Honey, Tom Creamer is running for selectman."
"(sigh)"
You get the point.
This year it is much better. Not as many signs as last year, but still there is a bit of overkill. Nothing that would detract from the candidates character, but it is an awful like being annoyed into voting a particular way.
Not sure about you, but I have a tendency to vote the underdog, and here in Sturbridge, that sometimes means the one with the least number of election signs.
Sometimes less says more.
To better understand what it is like to be badgered by countless signs, I offer this cartoon analogy.
I love cartoon analogies.
I love this commercial about Family Guy. Gives me a belly laugh every time; thanks for posting it so I can see it whenever I want.
ReplyDeleteIf a person's going to take the time and the risk of running for office, why penalize them for giving it their best shot? Often, people run that we haven't heard of and it's a way for them to get their name out there. I think your take on this is a bit off the mark.
ReplyDeleteGiving something ones best shot is always a good thing, but knowing the difference between what is a good thing, and what is an overdone thing is something that may reflect in other decisions, and choices the person makes in the future. Not far fetched, either. Simple decisions, and how they are made can give a good picture of an individuals way of thinking. "I will place signs with my name on them along Main Street." or "I will place signs with my name on it along Main Street on every piece of empty space, and next to every other election sign out there."
ReplyDeleteWhich is better, which is best? One way to help make a choice. Does the candidate go with what has always been done, and not think on their own? The quantity, and placement of signs is an indicator. For those of us that think on such things.
Oh, come on guys and girls! Wally posted a humorous article, and also said he is more likely to vote for the underdog. Okay. That's his right.
ReplyDeleteI, on the other hand, enjoyed his article, and look forward to the seeing the signs at election time, taking a mental note of where they are located. I am interested in knowing if people, who more often than not hold many of the same views I do, support the same candidate I'm leaning towards. There is knowledge to be had in the location of those signs, and questions to ask friends with signs who may be more versed on a particular candidate's
qualifications.
Now, if someone had an enormous sign that was a road hazard or so huge that made one candidate look like he was so in your face as to be insulting, that would be a different matter.
What I've seen so far is folks allowing candidates to place signs on their property, and I thank them for being willing to share their views with the rest of us.
Aren't we getting a little carried away here, again? Someone makes a statement, as is his or her own right, and someone else picks the thing to death. What's next? I expect someone to ask where the signs were made, how many trees it takes to produce campaign signs, what inks were used, are the signs biodegradable, do the sign's colors clash with some of their locations, do they move a bit too much with the breeze, which sign is on the highest spot in town, did the candidate shop around for the best price deal and did he/she consider quality over quantity, what is the thickness of the cardboard, what do you think of its overall design, does it look too modern or too old-fashioned, could you have it printed onto fabric and make it into a dress or jacket? To the person who suggested that the quantities related to sign placement, so far, can tell us if a certain candidates will "go with what has always been done, and not think on their own," I say: What do you suggest has always been done? I've lived in this town for 60 or 70 years or so, and I can tell you that as far as signs go in Sturbridge, the only thing that has always been done is that some of us were willing to allow candidates to place signs on our properties, and some of us liked a particular candidate so much that we wanted more than one sign.
ReplyDeleteNot picking things apart as you say, but expressing ourselves. Having fun with a silly topic much like Wally approached it in the beginning, but you bring up some interesting points. Exactly what is the thickness of the sign cardboard? If they can make me a dinner jacket out of a few of them then they can plant a few more outside my house!
ReplyDeletePutting 5 to 6 signs a few feet apart on one piece of property is a little over the top. You have to question what kind of a person would do that? Selfish, egotistical, weak,unsure of ones self. All of the above.
ReplyDelete