Do you post political endorsement signs in your yard? Advertising for your preferred candidate and/or political issue, basically. Do you do so during every election cycle? Do you do so only in years where you are extraordinarily passionate about a particular candidate or issue? If so, may I ask “Why?”
Is it as simple as only wanting to share your preference? I can see that. It’s not something that I would do, but that makes sense to me. But, does it go deeper than that? Are you hoping, possibly subconsciously, that you can influence other people’s decisions who are on-the-fence or undecided?
On the surface that would make less sense to me. Yet, when I think about it, I know that many people are indeed easily influenced. For example, I firmly believe that one of the reasons so many people choose to re-elect Congresspeople that they know they dislike instead of taking a chance on a third-party alternative they may like better is a subconscious need to be identified with a winning side. I find that to be a weakness of sorts, but I believe it to be true. In a similar vein, is it possible that a dominant number of yard signs in a given geographic area can influence some people to vote for that candidate… to want to be part of the “in crowd”, to want to be on what they are perceiving to be the winning side?
Ok, but what about me? I have never… ever… posted a political endorsement sign (or sported a bumper sticker on my vehicle) for any candidate or issue. I have no plans to ever do so. Not because I am ashamed of my positions and opinions, I most certainly am not as evidenced by this blog. I am willing to tell people my opinion. To me they’re just passive self-aggrandizement with no real purpose, and I’d rather not have the clutter.