March for Sanity, Knoxville Style

March for Sanity, Market Square, Knoxville, Tennessee

I'd be remiss if I didn't throw in a plug for Sanity. On a recent, beautiful, autumn afternoon a small contingent of Knoxvillians made their plea for sanity in our national political discourse. On the same afternoon the Mall in Washington, D.C. was covered with many thousands rallying at the behest of Jon Stewart, a solid dozen (park service estimate) local citizens made their case for the same. I'm not sure if the small number in the march means there aren't very many of our neighbors interested in sanity or if, perhaps, we feel we are just sane enough, thank you very much.

Clever and Derisive Signs, March for Sanity, Knoxville

I do know that the people interested in sanity seemed to be completely middle-aged, white and, I believe, Unitarian. It is a serious topic, of course, though the attempt was to handle it with humor.

I remain doubtful that we will be able to elevate the level of discourse in this very polarized era in our country's history. The people who shout the loudest and make the most outlandish comments seem to hold our attention far more than anyone who is quietly reasoned. Neither the left nor the right seems to be able to effectively elucidate their stance while at the same time maintaining civility for the opposing view. Even the signs pictured in this rally, while sometimes clever, reflected the irresistible urge to take shots at the opposition.

March for Sanity, Knoxville, Tennessee