Yard sign rhetorical style - USA Presidential race 2024 September

 

Trump (keep American great) at left; Harris (obviously) at right

Less than two months from the national election, a display of yard signs is spreading ever so slightly; perhaps one public display per 50 houses around the city of Grand Rapids in the first week of September. Although the photo collage shows only two varieties of the basic formula of name + patriotic colors and stars, there are variations on this theme, and it does provide a good illustration for several points. One, the Harris sign is near the sidewalk and road so passersby can get a good look. The Trump sign is guarded near the resident's house, far from the sidewalk and the attendant risk of being vandalized, dabbed in graffiti, or otherwise insulted. Both put stars on their message: 7 for Trump and 9 for Harris, in this case. The message designers for Harris give equal size to both people. Trump signs (not the one here) with running mate JD Vance put his billing under Trump at a smaller size. These graphic design decisions seem to suggest non-verbally that status differs: equal status for the Democratic ticket, deference to Trump as being paramount for the Republican ticket. The punch line under the candidate names follows a different logic or taste in each case, too: "keep American great" for Trump is a riff on the 2020 pitch of "make America great again" (MAGA abbreviation), which ironically seems to endorse the Joe Biden administration in choosing the word choice "keep" American great. In other words, "let's not change the White House leadership." On the other hand, the punchline on the Harris yard sign could be heard as sounding smug or dismissive: 'obviously' suggests that no serious alternative could possibly be considered. 

Elsewhere this same week there were yard sign variations, but still keeping the stars and the color scheme. "Take America Back" as a substitute punch line for the Trump sign. A letter-size (A4) Harris rebuttle gives its punch line, "Not Going Back." A normal size yard sign gives "Truth * Hope * Decency" for the Harris sign's punch line. In just about everything coming from Trump's mouth, imagination, or minions there is a strong irony - intended or baked in unknowingly: while one thing is declared about the opponent's shortcomings, very often the same words could be mirrored back onto Trump, too. When banned from using Twitter for a few years, Trump launched his own Twitter-like platform, curiously dubbed, Truth Social. By now the suspect nature of all social media and its murky flooding by bots and trolls intending harm makes the idea of "truth" and "social media" often incompatible. Appropriately, such murkiness seems quintessential of Trump's (public) life. So while the Harris yard sign declares "truth * hope * decency," the Trump campaign clings to their "Truth Social" messages, even now that Twitter's owner has dictated that Trump must be allowed to use the Twitter platform, again.

In summary, political campaign yard signs sprout in the months leading up to the primary election and a few months later, for the general election. The design elements, arrangement, and choice of words - their placement - their sequence and relationship to the rest of the elements all speak to people who glance at them while passing by. Even the placement of the signs seems to communicate a message, too. In total, only a fraction of the city residents does display signs for one or more office candidate. Whether the visual representation of candidates motivates or reminds passers by to vote or not is difficult to document or prove. But whether the signs affect the voting outcome or not, they are a normal part of the recurring election season and provide a small window into the thinking and assumptions and aspirations of candidates and the individuals and organizations supporters.

Intersections of religion and government of society

A week or two before the November 3, 2020 General Election in USA

 

Most yard signs in the month or two before a national election are concerned with supporting one party or the other, with a few in support of neither Republican or Democratic parties and instead promoting the names and websites of third-party candidates such as Libertarians, Green Party, and so on. And for the Trump versus Biden campaign season, a few pun-worthy signs use text or visual jokes to make the point in support of one side or the other: Biden spelled "Bye Don" (as in Donald J. Trump), or the one showing a swoosh of dyed orangey-blonde hair to stand for Trump in which the word NOPE is spelled out in large letters and the "O" stands for the head of the President and the colored swoosh adorns the top to stand for trademark hair. A variation on this negation of Trump substitutes NOPE with NAH.

This photo, though, takes a completely different approach. It does not identify either the candidate for the Democratic Party or the Republican one. Instead it uses the symbol-colors of both main parties (red =Republican; blue =Democratic), which coincidentally signal the USA national flag (rectangular and with red, white, and blue as bars and a sprinkling of stars, as well). The this sign puts forward the candidate that rises above either Biden or Trump. It is Jesus of Nazareth, crucified about 1990 years ago and said to have risen from the dead, according to believers. 

Without asking the owner of the yard sign about the reasons to obtain and plant it here, it is hard to know exactly what it asserts, but it does seem to be a way that is partly humorous (suggesting that Jesus could be a write-in presidential candidate) and partly serious about seeking to overcome divisiveness from demonizing and dehumanizing people who do not support your own candidate. News commentators have talked about casting a vote for the person who seeks to unite the many communities: choose the country, not the (cult of) personality. "Choose country loyalty over party loyalty," as the commentators have phrased the matter of voting this week.

addendum: One writer looks into the origins of the message in Alabama and concludes this is a veiled message of Trump brutalism, https://gen.medium.com/the-story-behind-those-jesus-2020-signs-76e620bf2a52

Ambiguity - the same glass half-empty and half-full; political signage, too

Corner lot on town center highway expresses political support 10/2020

First came the yard signs, then more recently the Hallowe'en decorations appeared on the house and around the lawn. Putting the skeleton in juxtaposition with the biggest sign could have several interpretations. Probably this supporter of the incumbent White House resident intended to make the display seasonally fitting with the custom of lawn decoration rather than to suggest an astute political meaning. And yet, the 215,000 deaths as of early October 2020 caused by the elected leader's lack of leadership seems to fit well with the banner: Trump 2020 truly does produce skeletons.

The same double meaning seems to come from the foreground yard sign, "How Many Seniors"? The picture of the Michigan Governor overlays the 'O' in SENI*RS. The hashtag says "Whitmer Death Toll." Probably the sign designer intended to criticize the executive orders to restrict visits to nursing homes and other institutions that support elderly residents. And yet, ironic like the earlier example, it is due to the Governor's leadership that so few elderly have died from pandemic complications. Critics of the restrictions want freer access for themselves to visit loved ones, which provides a transmission vector to kill those same loved ones.

In the middle of the photo, in front of the large Trump sign is one that says "My governor is an idiot." Curiously the sign designer made the largest letters spell IDIOT. For passing drivers unable to pause and puzzle out the entire message, only IDIOT can be recognized at first glance. The result is that the sign could be interpreted to self-label the occupant of the house. Related, the root of the word idiot is IDIO, the core of words like idiosyncratic, idiomatic, idiocentric, and ID (Id, Ego, Superego). So 'idio' means self. Idiocentric means self-centered. Taken literally, "idiot" means a person concerned only with self, not others. And while the person erecting the yard sign is pointing a finger toward the Michigan governor ostensibly, ironically the person seems to point at himself or herself: a self-centered person who sees the world  not as a team sport but as an individual one. Self is all that matters and any attempt to govern for the Common Good infringes on Self.

Taking the point about diametrically opposing interpretations of a sign, slogan, or criticism even further, the tidal wave of irony in just about everything coming from the mouth of Donald J. Trump and his acolytes is astounding. Jibes about an adversary's incompetence so often seem to fit the one issuing them. Cries of foul just as easily seem to apply to the one crying. It should give a person pause to see how readily one intended message can backfire or amplify irony so that the meaning seems self-referential rather than to stick to an opponent. This proliferation of irony and obfuscation is a species of doublespeak: saying one thing but meaning the reverse. But then, so nimble are human minds that meaning can be imagined or extracted from the barest of source material. Rationalizations can prop up a decision or action that began from emotional responses. Very likely this ability to find contradictory meanings or sniff out hypocrisy has allowed social life for so many generations and in so many languages and habitats.

We Are One - so says the sign, but one what?

About 7 weeks on display: since pandemic week 4 in Michigan [17 June 2020]

Both sides of the sandwich board give the same bold assertion. Such a short, direct statement is powerful and unambiguous. And yet there may well be several interpretations carried by the message at the same time, depending on the state of mind when a person notices the streetside note. The location is about 2 miles north of Grand Rapids city center in west Michigan on a major traffic route for local travel. So even when most people obeyed the Governor's directive to "stay home, stay safe" there were still cars traveling up and down this route. And people on foot or bike who complied with the guidance on social distancing also pass this way from time to time.

The ALL CAPS is a typographic emphasis similar to shouting or speaking in a loud enough voice for people far away to be able to hear the message. The choice of this shade of blue may signify something, too: neither is this color a somber dark navy or official looking tone, nor is it cheerfully light-hearted sky blue. Instead the color is somewhat light (not taking itself too seriously or self-righteously) while still displaying a slightly muted aspect (in respect for those harmed by the Covid-19 disease directly, or by harm to their livelihoods and social/psychological vitality).

As for the text itself, "one" implies shared destiny and shared present conditions and shared past experiences. It does not insist that everyone is alike or should be uniform in their lives; only that unity in relation to the threat posed by the pandemic is a unifier. "We" is inclusive, like "one," as well. Unlike "me and you and they over there," the subject "we" encompasses one and all together, no matter the deep or the surface differences. "Are" is a state of being; the present moment; the state of existing in time and place. Taken all together the intent seems to be encouraging one another with a message of the present and a promise of the future. By extension the message suggests, therefore, that each person should express responsiveness and bear responsibility for one's fellows in need of small or big help now (and extending indefinitely into the future). "Be your brother's keeper," is the message, to reference a Bible passage.

People with friendly, optimistic, or trusting disposition may accept the message at face value: yes, OK, we all will manage to sustain our economy and social and spiritual life during and after the pandemic. On the other hand, people who have not been sustained or rewarded or respected by The System of social services, attitudes, abuses, and injustices may take a different interpretation of "WE are ONE" (but excluding selected categories of people who do not fit our preferences, ideals, or mental image of belonging together). In other words, whereas many readers see the message as hopeful and encouraging; a proclamation or permission to go out of one's habits and way of doing things in order to care for others, in the eyes of other readers the message repeats a set of exclusions so that only certain people who meet particular conditions can be included in the declaration. Such is the flexibility of meaning, rationalization, and us/them distinctions reproduced one relationship at a time. Even if the sign-painter authored a statement intended to be inclusive, some readers may take exception and define "we" in their own image alone. Other readers, accustomed to being excluded or cut-off from some relationships, social capital, and other opportunities in the community may well see the message as yet another assertion of moral superiority or otherwise exclusionary movement. In the end, each instance of noticing another person's distress and responding (or ignoring) will make the full meaning of the signboard apparent.

Digest of January: beer, international exchange, dentist office, science matters, worship

As an expedient to catch up and display some scenes that drew my camera, several topics will comprise this digest of early February 2019. Click images for full-size view.

"Beer City" is one nickname for Grand Rapids, MI (microbrewries)

Full 16 oz. pints of beer from the menu of maybe 20 varieties locally made are reduced in price during the 3pm to 6pm Happy Hour from Monday to Friday to attract patrons who are free then, or for whom the list prices are too dear. Along with tasty food that fits in with the range of beer flavors (spicy or fatty or salty or deep fried) the business encourages and enables local community events, including performing arts (music nights, mainly). James and Deborah Fallows, Our Towns, observe that microbrewries are a sign of urban vigor in US regional cities now.

afternoon thaw at Fairplains cemetery after last week's days of snow and sub-zero weather - history in (head) stones

In the distance the straight rows of gravestones stands out against the blanket of snow. Each name carved onto the polished stone face tells a story and is rooted to a span of years, in this case mostly from the tumults of the 20th century. Back in the 1980s in Japan there arose an amateur history that can be translated as "Self as History" (自分史) in which a small group of family members become the lens to view the larger events of the decades at the national, regional, and sometimes international scale. In the same way,  the mortal remains resting here can be regarded as a library of stories. In principle there should be enough documentary information to form the outlines of a life course for each person here.

Currently engaged in 5 sister-cities on 3 continents

A very great proportion of all active exchanges and interactions between municipalities date back to the time of global conflict ending in 1945. Many of the origin stories have to do with specific individuals who felt particularly motivated to initiate the process that resulted in formal acknowledgement of each other's cities and societies. From that acceptance and honoring of one city by the other comes a variety of activities, much of which is volunteer-driven, or otherwise requires little capital expense by the local governments. The most active partnerships might involve annual visits by students or city officials or citizens. In other cases there is a commercial or corporate or cultural component to the communications and ongoing conversations about promoting the relationship and making it better known among the residents of each other's city. Seen in the aggregate, the many individual stories created and lives touched contributes to the social fabric between languages and societies. It is hard to know the tangible and intangible effects of these ongoing efforts that ebb and flow, according to interest level, ambition, and personalities driving things forward. Hopefully, curiosity expands and ignorance diminishes in the process, though.

state of the art dentistry has come a long way since...

A visit to the dentistry gear and office from 100 years ago in the upstairs of the Paine-Gillam-Scott local history museum shows the changes and the continuities from then until now in this view. In the days before electrically powered highspeed and precision-tipped drills and other implements, dentistry sometimes was an ordeal - in the original meaning from the days of witch trials and tests of physical endurance. Now there are x-rays that are all digital, never using chemicals or film to produce the view of dental decay. Special wavelength lighting illuminates cracks in teeth and dental work, too. Software like the one on the screen show the status of each tooth, with room to add notes or pictures that document the changes and recommended dental treatments. However, then as it is still today, this profession is a highly personal service, with hygienists and dental docs working inside one's mouth with sharp instruments and powerful, industrial strength bonding agents, etc. What historically may have been a side-job for a barber (pulling teeth rather than to repair, restore, or replace) now is something very different.

front yard declaration at a time of voices that protest the fake truth value of news and similar "ALT" (alternative) claims

This black sign with brightly lettered writing can be seen here and there from time to time around the city since early 2018 or maybe before that. In the time since DJ Trump's presidential inauguration the tone of the commander in chief has cast aspersions on things like fact, science, peer-reviewed publication, thoughtful analysis, public debate, and the transparency and civility and accountability that has been customary during the previous 44 presidents of the USA. One result is this sign this several direct contradictions to Trump's imaginary vision of reality: "Science is real," for instance. Click the image to see full size image and read all of the text on this yard sign.

annual orchid show in the coldest part of winter

Every winter the Frederik Meijer Gardens hosts the orchid fanciers' organization and their exhibition and sales of the warm weather plants in their diverse shapes, sizes, colors, and habitats. This photo with orchid in foreground and fancier bending down for closer look in the middle distance. At the top left is someone with flowers bundled up to take home, perhaps. A sign in the hall said that due to the abnormally cold temperature that new purchases would be delivered to the address of the buyer. The video clip, below, documents the tide of visitors moving in and around the hall, panning from left to right across the hall just before lunchtime on Saturday, January 26.

the many lives of this section of land: pre-contact, oil, leisure

On this cold bright day a few of the oil pumps were in motion, but most were idle since crude oil prices are low and don't cover the costs of producing the fossil fuel at the moment. Since around 2000 all this land that had been mined for sand and gravel left by the glaciers 10,000 years earlier was repurposed for area residents to park and enjoy the beach, water, boating, bike riding along multiple paved pathways, jogging or walking with or without dogs. Before its life as Millennium Park to the west of Grand Rapids, Michigan, this gravel pit supplied the many road-building projects around the west part of the state Before that traces of farm buildings show that early land owners tried to make a living in this region along the Grand River on the sandy ground.
     Going back in time pre-1830s, when Joseph Campau and other trappers and traders began settling in the river vicinity, the cultural landscape was dotted with place names, memories, and significant locations for seasonal harvest of foods and animals and medicines, as well as for trading and for ceremonies to mark life events of birth, marriage, (alliances) and death among the resident Odawa (Ottawa) Indians. Before them, perhaps a different mix of people - resident or mobile/itinerant knew the land. Still today there are spots respected by descendants of those Native Americans of 250 years ago and before.

opening morning of the 32nd annual Worship Symposium, hosted at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

At the end of this morning's worship service in the College Chapel one of the event organizers gave a thumbnail sketch of the proceedings: more than 30 countries represented, over 1400 registered participants, and themed tracks for the workshops and seminars of interest to church musicians, preachers and teachers, lay leaders, and all other followers of Christ's Way of the heart.
     By clicking the photo, the full-size image file displays and some of the details of the focal point in the middle of the worship space can be seen now in the 15 minutes before things begin: there is a lectern for the preacher's notes, the installed bank of organ pipes, as well as seats and music stands, including piano to the back of the lectern and raised dais. The long table and chairs to the front of the lectern hearkens to the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples, made famous in various paintings. It is used in some of the dramatizations with worship leaders silently acting out the scenes read from the Bible passages at a few points. Out of view to the right at the back wall is the bank of sound engineering controls to allow optimum balances of voice and music, including the various mic'ed speakers. The worship is live-streamed for those unable to attend, and is recorded for online release 3 weeks later. The black ball suspended in the air above the lectern has a dozen lens to allow video editors to cut between the various angles of view during recording.

entryway to worship venue on Thursday morning

The entryway to the college chapel 20 minutes before the morning worship begins shows the wide and welcoming space that greets people coming in from the cold. The artificial light renders a warm tone, making the outdoor natural light appear bluish by contrast.
     For a person attending a Christian worship service for the first time, perhaps there are many first impressions that stand out. The architecture, interior details of decoration, and effect of lighting and sound design all make some sort of impression. An electronic kiosk in the distance above most people's height gives scrolling set of messages and announcements. Probably 99% or more of the worshipers are very experienced in the Order of Service and no printed program or bulletin guides the congregation in when to stand, sit, sing, or verbally respond. It all seems to happen telepathically with only the slightest direction given by the worship leaders by gesture or brief verbal direction. To an outsider, perhaps, that mass experience in synchronization may seem strange; a sort of tide of mass emotion ebbing out or flooding in all together. The mix of music, dramatization, reiteration of Bible passages translated into modern day English, and commentary or teaching interpretations touch various parts of the worshiper: head, heart, spirit, and body. It is a social-public experience and also a personal-private one at the same time; something to which all can agree and affirm to some extent, but also permitting vigilance or critical distance from blindly accepting a view.