Letter to the Editor: Declaration of Independence ignored
Given the nature of the 2016 election season thus far and the personalities of the Republican and Democratic candidates, the American media justifiably predicted that the first presidential debate would draw a record television audience. Those who followed the debate were treated to the usual procedures of televised politics: interruptions, misquoting, fact denying, promise making, question dodging, etc. However, this viewer wonders how many Americans and international viewers paid attention to the scenery that surrounded the presidential hopefuls, especially the candidates’ backdrop? In a noticeable difference from the 2012 debates, each candidate stood in front of large renderings of the second paragraph of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. In the mind of this observer, the rendering of the famous “all men are created equal” clause made little sense for the debate. First, the text was placed behind the candidates, meaning their presence largely obstructed the words and made identifying the document from which they came difficult. Secondly, it challenges viewers to simultaneously contemplate the meaning of the words appearing behind the speaker and the candidate’s own message. It begs the question, why did the powers that be decide to use the text at all?