CHECKERS AND X-ERS That was quite a ballot they handed out to voters in Iraq recently wasn't it? Imagine someone gutsy enough to try doing such a thing here at home. Can't you imagine the storm of opposition? How can anyone vote for a choice out of hundreds of "candidates"? Imagine voting for people associated such a host of political parties and factions! A photograph and a symbol of some sort designated each division. Any such attempt to do so this side of the Euphrates would have resulted is something even sillier than Florida's chad storm .
I can understand what such printed forms disturb people. I've "filled out" my share of questionaires... also titled surveys, studies, evaluations, polls, informational in-gatherings and other such harmless as well as some harmful - printed forms. They are not all politically oriented as you well know from your allotement of junk mail.
I tend to be old fashioned and remain, basically a "checker" on such forms I have avoided becoming adept at newer methods such a "X-ing, dotting, blacking-in, ticking, underlining, circleing, crossing-out, or a catch -all instruction which is very good to have handy. That line tells me to "mark" my ballot.
Some people, oddly enough "check" to the left when they fill in the little boxes provided. I'm a right-sider, myself and have always been. I used to worry about commiting trade mark infringments when people told me that my marks resembled that of Nike. Others, when plainly told to "check" the items they like, immediately fill them with "X . To me an "x" or three of them "xxx", mean I made a mistake and want that entry cancelled. Someinstrzuction are next txoimpossible to compay withn: foxrinstence,xthe one which tellme Imust u,s a N o 2 penci.lwhenIonlyhavb e one; that which
tells me to use black ink - not blue - after the first six squares are neatly filled in and blinking back at me in bright blue. The squares must be completely "filled in" or "blacked out" depending on the mood at the moment of the questionaire writer.
No blanks. No shadows. And stay with the borders like a good kindergarten kid ought to be capable of doing, you will be creaeting what, in time, will be called "chads".
We have been accused of being a civilization of button pushers. I don't think so. A good many of us are still stuck in the old century- filling in blanks, checking or x-ing little blocks -with black ink, mind you, never blue in any exotic shade. Occasionally you ghet to filln out which ends with the instruction: "Return completed questionaire promptly in the enclosed, self addressed, postage-paid envelope which is never there. That either completes your day or make your day complete, depending on how seriously you take such common, everyday things.
A.L.M. February 13, 2005 [c485wds]
