Not a stickier situation

On Election Day, I stuck out like a sore thumb.

While many students walked around campus with their fashionable, multicolored and face-of-change Obama shirts, I donned John McCain’s simple logo on a plain white t-shirt.

Others had on “I voted for change” stickers. I wasn’t offered one.

Others spent class time talking to each other about “stupid old McCain” instead of listening to their professors. I spent class time talking to God – also not listening to my professors.

Others didn’t notice how graffiti-ed our campus became with Obama paraphernalia. I did.

In the weeks leading up to this election, I’ve seen Obama’s slightly upturned profile in more places than I’d like to. He dedicated an impressive amount of money to putting his face on pieces of paper, most with adhesive backs. And his supporters dedicated an equal amount of energy to sticking these things up any old place they want.
Lightpoles. Street signs. Newspaper stands. Handicap rails. Bathroom stalls. Trees. Out-of-reach windows on Woodburn Hall (did the Obama campaign fund ladders, too?).

Those circle stickers were another great marketing idea by the Obama campaign.

They were distributed everywhere. Plus, only a handful of Republicans I know mistook them for dartboards.

Was it a good idea for local Obama supporters to plaster these stickers on every surface around campus? No. Actually, it was a really stupid idea. If I didn’t know better, and actually considered voting for Obama, I would have had a hard time accepting their actions.

First of all, it’s vandalism. If I walked up to a stop sign and put up a sticker of my own profile, filled in with pretty red and blue patterns, it would be illegal, no matter how Messiah-esque I may be. The same goes for America’s favorite junior senator.

Second, this vandalism is extremely hypocritical of the Democratic party, the party that prides itself on its environmental philosophies. They’re all for beautifying our world, yet they littered the structures on our campus with stickers that will, eventually, have to be removed.

Third, I know that I, and many of my fellow students, don’t pay a bunch of money to a university to see its structures decorated with political advertisements. Campus is not the news. We can’t turn off MSNBC when it’s on street signs.

When these are removed (no, sorry, I don’t think they’re going to stay up as the campus shrines some of you want them to be), IU employees will be the ones removing them. This will be a time-consuming task and waste a lot of the University’s money. However, I’m sure students will still feel justified to complain about how poorly the University spends its money.

The amount of enthusiasm young people put toward this election was astounding and something we should all be proud of. But these instances of vandalism should never be repeated.

Hopefully after watching IU employees get out the Goo Gone and Dobie Pads, the local Democratic party can find a new way to get out the vote.