Saturday 15 May 2021

Sign of the times

If your neighbour put a small BLM sign in their window, would you think "Good for them, it's a great campaign, we should all support it"? Or would you think "People shouldn't put up controversial political slogans in their window"?

A resident of Cheam, a posh south London suburb, has caused a stir by sending an anonymous letter to a neighbour complaining about the Black Lives Matter sign in their upstairs window. The offended party (they don't say if they're male or female) says the sign "does not reflect well on the neighbourhood" and looks like "a protest message to your neighbours".

I can't help wondering if the origin of the family in the offending house (Aj Shehata's parents were born in Sudan) might have something to do with the complaint.

It seems like an absurd over-reaction. The BLM sign is so small it's barely visible. Most passers-by would probably not even notice it. Yet the letter-writer thinks it's a serious blot on the landscape.

The Shehatas' neighbours are also bemused by the complaint. Some of them say they'll put up BLM signs in solidarity.

My own neighbours have had "Thanks to the NHS" signs in their windows for months. Nobody is the least bit bothered by them.

It would be a different matter if they were displaying (for instance) huge "Bring back the death penalty" signs. I would be the first to leap into action and demand they be removed. But a miniscule BLM sign? Some people clearly have too much time on their hands.

If the letter-writer had had the decency to ring the Shehatas' doorbell and have a proper conversation with them, the matter could probably have been resolved quite easily without the need for a stroppy anonymous letter.

Pic: the Shehata family's house. The BLM sign is inside the circle.

24 comments:

  1. It’s hard to believe a sign that size in a window would bother anyone, but it’s clearly about the message and not the cardboard it’s printed upon.

    Personally, I’m not a fan of signs because a) I keep my opinions to myself and b) signs, social media comments, etc. don’t change anyone else’s opinions. Here, we still see huge Trump signs in rural areas. At this point, it’s just littering the landscape and an eyesore.

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    1. Bijoux: We don't put any signs in our windows, like you we tend to keep our opinions to ourselves. And as you say, such signs rarely alter people's long-established views.

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  2. Very South Cheam.
    I went to school in Cheam and it was a stuffy sort of place then...so nothing has changed!

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    1. Fly: Yes, it sounds like the stuffiness is still very much in evidence. Someone who's oddly upset by a quite trivial detail.

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  3. I have no problem with that particular sign but I would not post it myself even though I agree with its message. I don't do bumper stickers, either. Even when we buy a new car we make the dealer leave off any advertising of their dealership. If they balk at that we tell them our advertising rates. :)

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    1. Linda: I don't do bumper stickers either. If some people might find them offensive, why provoke their anger? It's not as if a bumper sticker is going to change the world, so why bother with them?

      Yes, I sometimes think I should inform the Renault dealer of our advertising rates!

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  4. I'm a live and let live sort and the sign is definitely innocuous. I had to look up Cheam after reading this. My guess is someone is worried about the property values being affected. Or, they could be someone who doesn't know that BLM.

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    1. Ann: I'm sure property prices have something to do with it. But is any prospective buyer seriously going to pull out because of a BLM sign next door? I very much doubt it.

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  5. It's nobody's business. Some people just are picky and want everything their way.

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    1. Debby: It's nobody's business unless there's a bomb factory next door! This person should get the bee out of their bonnet before it stings them.

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    1. Joanne: They should take up weaving, that would give them something sensible to think about!

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  7. "It seems like an absurd over-reaction."
    you nailed it Nick. I also keep my opinions to myself.
    but maybe they have a good friend who is black and has suffered some form of abuse or other infraction. it's another... 'until you've walked in their shoes.'
    and again. kindness and manners are out the window!
    I guess it's the world we live in now.

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    1. Tammy: Indeed, the sign might well relate to some personal experience of discrimination. Which is why the letter-writer should have rung their doorbell and had a chat.

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  8. Seems like people nowadays always have to find something to get upset over.

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    1. Mary: They do, and often it's something with racist overtones like the objection to this sign.

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  9. Signs in some yards here, so why not a window sign? Doesn't bother me. I’d be more concerned putting up a sign would prompt some crackpot who didn't like my point of view would vandalize my house, car in the drive or worse. There are nutso people out there and those who are deliberately looking for a reason to try to cause violence.

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    1. Joared: That's one reason I wouldn't put up a sign either. Anything at all controversial could attract some nutter to attack the house. It's not worth the risk.

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  10. I could put anything up in my window, but only the postman and cows would see it, so I don't even think about it, plus, I wouldn't want to block any sunlight.
    I think people must feel quite passionate when they do this - I'd rather keep my neighbours guessing as I wouldn't want to fall out with any of them.
    Sx

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    1. Ms Scarlet: I agree, I'd rather keep the neighbours guessing than get them indignant about some sign I've put up.

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  11. How can anyone be offended by a small sign like that. Some people are so small minded with way too much time on their hands, and they are cowards and snobs.

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    1. Polly: Indeed, cowards and snobs. If they had just had a friendly chat with the neighbours, they could have sorted everything out in five minutes.

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  12. Like some others have commented, we do not post any type of signs in windows or on our cars, including political ones. What I believe or not is a personal matter. Posting signage can sometimes bring out the worst in others it seems.

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    1. Beatrice: I agree, posting signs can be asking for trouble in some areas. Best to keep one's personal opinions under wraps.

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