I was recently struck by something that Sharon Crowley said in her book Toward a Civil Discourse: Rhetoric & Fundamentalism. She said
“Symbols represent belief, but they also produce it” (p. 65).
This quote is something worth marinating on for a little bit. As mentioned in previous blog posts I am interested in political campaigns, and specifically the current campaigns going on in Wisconsin. When I think of this quote, I immediately think of the symbolism(s) of the union protesters and the democrat senators who left the state.
When Walkers proposal became a real thing to be considered and the democrat senators left the state, I believe that the removal of their bodies from the state, from their posts, from their place at the capital was very symbolic. First, the removal of their bodies suggested that something wasn’t/isn’t right- it was a call to pay attention. Next, the removal of their bodies was a symbol that the democratic process was/is being threatened. Also, the removal of their bodies was a symbol to others that these senators need some support if their efforts weren’t to be in vain; for example- the self removal of the democratic senators from Wisconsin invited others who support their efforts to also stand up- particularly the union protesters.
The protesters are also symbols- like the democrat senators who left the state, the protesters also represent the beliefs and ideologies of union workers, democratic values, and working class Americans. The protesters, every day that they are visible, every moment that they gain attention, and every body that is there are symbols. Their bodies are symbols. In addition to the brief list just mentioned, protesters are also larger national symbols. They represent democracy in action, they represent voices to be heard. The represent American values of protest, civil discourse, and democracy.
In addition to all the symbolism involved with the bodies of the democratic senators and the protesters it also seems that these symbols which represent certain beliefs, also produce beliefs. As mentioned, the symbol of the democrats leaving the state represented belief in their causes, their ideologies and these symbols also produced other symbols- for example- they helped to produce the union protesters. Without the act of leaving the state, without the removal of the bodies, and without the time and space that was gained from these actions it is questionable if there would have been such large protests and media attention. So, although we can’t say for sure that the protesters wouldn’t have been present without the symbolism of the absence of democratic senators bodies- we can speculate at the very least that this symbolism did help to produce an environment/ an atmosphere conducive to allowing for protest. Without the senators leaving it is most likely that the budget (with the stripping of union bargaining rights) would have been passed, and thus minimizing the opportunity for protests to occur.
This is just one scenario that I immediately thought of when I read this quote. Obviously there is room to talk about the many symbolic acts that are occurring, and others that are being produced. I will leave that for a different day.
