Signs of the Times

On Little Patuxent Parkway, on the property of what I think of as The Very Expensive Gas Station, an odd assortment of political signs appear to be having a wild party. If you have seen it, you know. If you haven’t, go take a look. It’s across from the Mall.

During campaign season local businesses may give permission, if they so choose, for candidates to place their signs on business property. If the business is located in a prime location, the candidate will probably place one of their larger signs. I have never chosen to patronize a business solely because of a political sign, nor have I avoided one for that reason. I came close during a certain Board of Education race but, to be honest, it was a business I wasn’t all that fond of to begin with.

I digress.

Political signs posted on commercial property tend to reflect a homogeneity of political viewpoints. All Republican, all Democrats, and so on. That’s why the assortment Downtown, along side the gas station, is so hilarious to me. It’s a free-for-all. I love it. I have a terrible to temptation to slip in something like this:

Perhaps the business owner decided it was the best way to keep the peace. Of course, it lacks the implication that usually exists that the business endorses a particular candidate or political party. Does that dilute its impact? Does it lose it caché if anyone can get permission?

The other political sign placement that has caught my eye is along Route 40, I think. There’s a big sign for Republican Allan Kittleman (and maybe one for Republican Sean McCurdy?) flanked by an eye-popping pink sports car with a big For Sale sign. I wish I had a photo of this for you but I don’t snap while I drive.

Thoughts:

the signs came first, the owner is using them to get your eyes on the pink sports car.
the car came first and the campaigns thought it would draw eyes to their signs.
if you vote Republican you’ll be entered into a raffle to win the car.
Republicans like pink sports cars.
who buys pink sports cars?

Have you seen any remarkable political sign placing this season? Humorous? Headscratching? Worth commenting on?

What do you think?

Village Green/Town² Comments

Comments

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Separate and Unequal

Remember “Separate but equal”? Remember how that really meant that Black schools languished in broken-down buildings without adequate heat or toilet facilities, with cast-off, ragged learning materials, underfunded and largely ignored? The Supreme Court struck that down in 1954. The evidence was clear that separate was not equal. Plessy v Ferguson had led to - - no, endorsed - - deeply unequal schooling and opportunities. We tend to think of Brown v Board as being purely about racial integration. It was not. It was about the logical consequences of segregation. And they were not, not, not equal. The ruling in 1954 didn’t transform public education for non-whites into a land of milk and honey by any means. But it articulated some essential truths in a way that made including everyone a legal precedent which could be relied upon and built upon. It was better than what came before it but it rested upon unsteady ground. It did not necessarily change the hearts or minds ...

Village Green/Town²

Search This Blog