A week or so ago, while scrolling through CNN, I found a video, that I think was supposed to be amusing, of people stealing Trump lawn signs. I strongly dislike Donald Trump and what he stands for…and almost everything that he says…however, I found myself upset at this. My family and I took our first European trip this summer and we spent three days in Paris. Our tour guide at Versailles told us that the thing that she thought was so startling about America was how we had political lawn signs. She explained how signs like those would just get vandalized in France. Now I see the same thing happening here. A fellow alumna from my alma mater just posted that her Clinton/Kaine sign was taken down within a day.
Why do we think that this is an appropriate way to share our feelings or to react against those we disagree with? Having a Trump bumper sticker shouldn’t lead to your car getting vandalized. The reason so many of us are afraid of a Trump presidency is that we believe he does not represent America’s enduring values. One of those is freedom of expression. We all have the right to our own beliefs and to share them. The right of all of us to put up lawn signs, hold posters at polling places, and to fully participate every day in the dialogue of democracy is one of the things that makes our country great. It’s hypocritical to tear down another’s property in the name of protecting American values. Just because the news might read like a reality television show doesn’t mean that we need to act like it. Protecting the rights of everyone is what America should stand for, even those that are different or that disagree with you.
To paraphrase Evelyn Hall, I might disapprove of who you vote for, but I’ll defend to the death your right to choose.
It’s obviously an immature behavior, and we should definitely object. On the other hand, political signs are also a form of eye pollution. I live in a rural, forested neighborhood. Seeing deer steer their way around all the gaudy signs gingerly makes me throw up a little in the back of my mouth.