Unicameral Politics, Signs, Symbols, and Morfeld

 

Since COVID, I’ve taken to walking. One neighbor proudly displays his Trump / Pence campaign sign from 2016. I noticed duct tape over ‘2016’ during the 2020 election cycle. More recently, ‘Pence’ got the duct tape treatment. One sign, three messages.

Traffic came to a stop behind a pick-up truck flying a profanity-laced flag, (proving PT Barnum’s point, “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the masses”). To my right was a mini-van of kids heading to school. I noticed mom’s awkward moment dealing with the political vulgarity.

Sign, sign. Everywhere a sign. Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind. Do this, don't do that. Can't you read the sign? (Five Man Electric Band).

In his book, Man and His Symbols, Carl Jung, a student of Freud and founder of Jungian Psychology wrote, “Man uses the spoken or written word to express the meaning of what he wants to convey.”  We love our symbols and signs by sharing them on our cars, in our yards, and on social media. Why?

Now, hey you, mister, can't you read? You got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat inside. You've got to have a membership card to get inside."

One theory is as respected members of a group, we are more secure and assured of our place in society. Almost every characteristic you use to define you, (gender, religion, ethnicity, race, age, politics, education, city, state, et, al) comes with a group imposing expectations that judge the legitimacy of your membership in the group.

However, sometimes groupthink goes too far. Senator Krysten Sinema publicly revoked partisan affiliation because she claimed, party demands compromised her integrity. Similar concerns over unhealthy partisanship have been signaled by Paul Ryan, John Boehner, George Will, Liz Cheney, Jeff Flake, Mitt Romney, and the congressional bipartisan Problem Solvers (including Don Bacon).

And the sign said, "Anybody caught trespassin' will be shot on sight. So I jumped on the fence and I yelled at the house, "Hey! What gives you the right? If God was here, he'd tell you to your face, 'Man, you're some kind of sinner”

One neighbor erected more than a dozen flagpoles. Most commemorated NASCAR drivers but included in the mix was the Gadsden ‘don’t tread on me’ flag. Created by Benjamin Franklin, the Gadsden flag signaled a warning against the authoritarian rule of England’s King George III. What was a patriotic message against government overreach recently became starkly unpatriotic. This ideology was commandeered by those seeking to “terminate” the Constitution including a former authoritarian President and Congressman Paul Gosar. In addition, The Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), recently awarded Hungary’s illiberal Prime Minister, Viktor Orban’ with two addresses. Why are those claiming patriotism giving a platform to an authoritarian dictator? What sign are they sending?

A report by International IDEA (*1) finds that authoritarianism is rising worldwide and affecting long-stable democracies including 17 European nations, as well as 7 nations in the Americans, along with, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and the United States.

Today, the greatest danger to our model of self-governance is those who lie and conspire to deceive others by perpetuating false claims of election fraud. The foundation of American self-governance rests upon our trust and faith to rule ourselves through free and fair elections. By undermining the legitimacy of those elected, and thereby our faith in self-governance, election deniers promote authoritarian nationalism. These are the ideas that drove your forefathers to emigrate to these shores for freedom and that brave Americans “gave their last full measure of devotion” fighting against in the 1770s, 1812, 1860s, throughout the 20^th century, and in the war against terrorism. 

Sign, sign. Everywhere a sign. Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind. Do this, don't do that. Can't you read the sign?

Over the last year, four unicameral senators spoke to the Omaha Free Speech Society. Their depth of knowledge and lack of partisan point-taking was refreshing. George Norris got it right when he removed partisanship from Nebraska’s unicameral. Thankfully, Nebraska Senator Adam Morfeld has launched a group to fight extremism and misinformation in Nebraska. Godspeed Mr. Morfeld. (*2)

And the sign said, "Everybody welcome. Come in, kneel down and pray. So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign, I said, "Thank you, Lord, for thinkin' 'bout me, I'm alive and doin' fine"

 

For link:

(*1) Omaha World Herald, 12/7/2022, Jan M Olson

Report: Authoritarianism on rise as democracy weakens

 

(*2) Omaha World Herald, 12/7/2022, Martha Stoddard

Senator launches group to fight extremism and misinformation