“Added Fast” purpose: Allow Mike Caro to post spontaneous thoughts, tips, and information.
- Includes Mike’s notes to himself.
- Titles begin with “Fast,” plus date.
- If expanded later, link is at bottom.
Also see: → Why a Poker1 “Fast” category? | → All Poker1 “Fast” entries
Okay, so I go to vote today. Missouri. Stone county. Ozarks.
Four cheerful women are defending the fortress. A young, smiling volunteer — or perhaps a paid county employee — is wearing a blouse with embroidery that identifies her status and includes a slogan.
“You realize, of course, that your blouse has a slogan that doesn’t make any sense,” I tease. I’m not sure if she understands, but she seems flattered by the the attention.
Slogan
The embroidery says, “Stone County Election Official.” And under that, the slogan: “Your voice is your vote.”
Now, I’m sure someone was proud to have thought up that slogan, because it sounds clever and has rhythm. But what does it mean? Well, nothing. It’s nonsensical. Your voice isn’t your vote.
Well, I guess that if you wanted to intellectualize, you could argue that your voice can only be heard if you vote. So, if you don’t vote, you have no voice. But, it’s a short slogan and few are likely to unscramble it to get that deeper meaning. I’m guessing it’s just another slogan that was adopted because it sounded smooth but had no substance. Reverse the nouns — then it’s clear to everyone.
Poker, too
It occurred to me that this goes on in poker, too. Players hear clever statements, like, “If they’re playing loose, play tight. And if they’re playing tight, play loose.” Sounds intelligent, but it’s dead wrong. You should play looser in both cases, but in different ways — taking advantage of opposing mistakes.
Now if the embroidered slogan had read: “Your vote is your voice,” that would have made some sense.
But it didn’t. And, so, we once again see an example of people becoming fond of words that inspire without a reason. Start to examine clever slogans and you’ll quickly see what I mean. It’s fun — and educational.
— MC | Follow-up link: → None
Also see: → Why a Poker1 “Fast” category? | → All Poker1 “Fast” entries
