Can anybody tell me what the purpose of yard signs is? I mean, what purpose would an Obama or McCain yard sign serve other than to irritate your neighbors? I see some yard signs around here—every last one of them is a McCain sign. I’ve seen absolutely no Obama yard signs, which doesn’t mean Obama has no supporters, we just don’t put a sign in our yards. I, personally, don’t see the point. Neighbors who support McCain will be irritated, though I doubt they’d say anything. The signs won’t be changing anyone’s mind, just inducing a quiet polarization on the block. Same thing with bumper stickers and buttons and so forth: by now, most people know which way they are leaning. By now, many if not most of us are, frankly, sick of hearing about politics or the campaign. Other than, I suppose, making you feel good about you, all this stuff does is annoy people. And I have more than enough people annoyed at me already.
|
10 Comments
It's not supposed to be a conversation starter.
scrawled by Blaine | October 12, 2008 9:25 PM
The purpose of our yard sign is to show support for Obama. Not sure how many will see it in our little community, but, once it arrives, it will be out in front of the house.
Annoying people because of the sign doesn't even register with me. They lean their way, I'll lean mine.
scrawled by David | October 12, 2008 11:04 PM
It's like all advertising. It'll annoy most people, but the plan is that it'll convince enough people to pay for itself.
And after the election, you can roof a doghouse with 'em. A friend of mine goes sign-collecting on the day after elections (with permission from parties/owners) and repurposes the materials.
scrawled by David Van Domelen | October 13, 2008 12:06 AM
I actually see an awful lot of Obama signs around here, and I'm in Arizona, where I'll be very surprised if McCain wins with only a single-digit lead.
I think it can unite neighbors as easily as divide them -- create a sense of community, shared purpose, a sense that you are not alone.
My grandmother (the liberal one, not the one forwarding me right-wing talking points) commented the other day that she'd had a door-to-door visitor recently petitioning for gay rights -- let me tell you, that's a hard damned thing to do in the Phoenix area (though not as hard as in some of the smaller towns in Arizona). The volunteer opened by saying something like, "Well, I saw the Obama sign in your yard, so I figured you probably wouldn't slam the door in my face."
I suspect the major reason my roommate hasn't put an Obama sign in our front yard yet is that he hasn't mowed it in weeks and any message displayed in it will probably be counterproductive.
I don't have any bumper stickers on my car because I don't want to call any attention to myself when I'm driving. If a police officer sees me running a few miles over the speed limit, I don't want him to see a bumper sticker that rubs him the wrong way. And I don't want to piss off other drivers either. I'm filled with negative thoughts every time I see a McCain sticker (or even a Bush sticker -- there are still a lot of them around), and I'm sure that goes both ways. (And given what we've seen from the fringier elements of the McCain/Palin base at rallies this past week, they're not people I want to antagonize.)
All in all, a rambling response that doesn't really answer the question. I should go to bed!
scrawled by Thad | October 13, 2008 1:18 AM
In my house, my wife is for Obama, I'm undecided. The neighbors on one side, have a McCain sign, the other side Obama has Obama.
So we have a no on Prop 8 (anti-gay marriage in California), which probably angers the whole neighborhood, but one of the few political things both my Green party wife and I (her Republican husband) agree on (and have ever agreed on).
scrawled by Bill May | October 13, 2008 10:39 AM
Obama has been subject to repeated smears that he's a Manchurian Muslim candidate, is a covert terrorist, etc; putting up an Obama sign in your yard can function as an implicit argument against those Othering tactics -- look, the person who you see walking her dog every night, or the guy who help you change your flat tire, they're supporting Obama. So maybe it's not a crazy, radical commie hippie Nazi thing to do?
That's optimistic, I realize. More likely those who are inclined to believe stupid things about Obama will believe them about you, too.
scrawled by Prof Fury | October 13, 2008 1:33 PM
hey Priest I've heard that Black Panther is over again, well I actually heard that their is no preorder in the new previews. well I just wanted to know if you knew and sorry if this is the wrong place wrong time type thing
scrawled by mdwaire | October 13, 2008 7:20 PM
I'm often tempted to make a fake yard sign with something like "Obama/Palin - Yes we can!" just to see the reaction.
But I'm afraid the neighbors will call the cops on me and I'd get thrown in jail for "inciting public disturbance" or something like that.
scrawled by George | October 13, 2008 7:25 PM
Up here in Boulder, it's the opposite..lots of Obama...few McCain.
I think it's just a matter of showing support...like wearing a Bronco's jersey or something.
I have a nice Obama/Biden Car magnet on one side of my car, and I made a "That One 08" magnet for the other side:)
mdwaire: Panther is going to be restarted around the time the BET cartoon premieres...Same writer etc as now, but with whole new numbers!
scrawled by Scavenger | October 14, 2008 5:56 PM
MD-- first I'm hearing of it. Wonder if I get any royalties of Ross...
scrawled by priest | October 15, 2008 1:40 PM