Opinion: Stop the Chalk Talk (Free Advice on Getting your Point Across)
Politically-charged messages written in chalk appeared all over campus on Tuesday, Oct. 29 — one week before the election.
By Zach Brooks, Magazine Editor
Whether a political statement, form of protest or effort to make change — it’s hard to say — Gettysburg College students have taken to the sidewalks to express their malformed ideas in chalk.
Over the past 24 hours, campus has been littered with election-related messages chalked all over the sidewalks from “VOTE 4 HARRIS” to “TRUMP MAGA!” I want to understand the purpose of this juvenile form of speech. Perhaps it’s a misguided attempt to be heard in the public marketplace of ideas.
This election-related message was just one of many seen written in chalk across campus on Tuesday and Wednesday.
I question the effectiveness of their strategy, though; I, for one, don’t often look down when I walk. A sign or poster would have caught my attention better, yet my attention was captured.
It’s certainly a bold statement. This morning, on my walk to class, I saw something sprawled out in yellow chalk before the steps leading to Breidenbaugh. I didn’t read to see what it said; perhaps they should have chosen a darker color to make it easier to read.
Regardless of whatever message they attempted to convey — I will not speculate any further — I would not want my opinions to quite literally be walked all over.
I struggle to find the meaning in something so ephemeral; won’t their efforts be for nothing once the rain comes and washes their words away? I propose a solution, free of charge, to whoever it was who took to the pavements. Write for The Gettysburgian!
This election-related message, which reads “VOTE 4 HARRIS,” was spotted outside Weidensall Hall.
The opportunity to write for the opinions section (or all sections, for that matter) is part of your tuition dollars. The editors will even work with you to edit and proofread your ideas to ensure they are delivered with clarity and effectiveness to the public.
Perhaps I’m biased, but The Gettysburgian has given me this platform to speak my thoughts on the severe limits of chalk talk. But I encourage you, and everyone, to give it a try. You have nothing to lose, and only an audience to gain.
