Suburban Skullduggery

Warren G. Harding warned us about “Soapbox agitation” but I must apologize Mr. President as I dust off this derelict idiom and dive into this rant.

To the mom in the car line at my local elementary school, your car with the skull and cross bones next to the student of the month sticker is not a F-14 Tomcat. Your vehicle may be filled with heathen children that can destroy a house in a matter of minutes, but decorating your car as if it were an engine of death isn’t scaring anyone and in my opinion, looks a bit ridiculous.

Back in the day, dragons were carved on ships, wolves emblazoned on shields, and double-headed eagles stitched on heraldry all to draw upon fear, strength, and power to telegraph a general sense of badassery. Faced with invasion at any moment our ancestors had to scare anyone who thought of leering in their direction. But, in 2022, what is the soccer mom in the Honda Odyssey sporting a bleached skull on the back glass trying to convey?

Why do we use dead things to show strength? Why sew skulls onto our sleeves and ink them into our skin? Wouldn’t something living be more powerful? Wouldn’t it show that we survived what came our way? We go out of our way to create a persona of strength, a vitae of toughness. Are they true emblems of accomplishments or are we trying to scare others, or more importantly, are we afraid?

Let your life show your strength and let your actions speak for themselves. Unless you are planning to commit piracy in your minivan with a toy-strewn back seat, leave the Jolly Roger flags and bullet hole stickers off your car.

I have one caveat to this train of thought. If you are active military or a veteran or a first responder, or someone who risks their life to serve others, wear your patches proudly. You are warriors carrying on the legacy of those who went before you, who carried the dragon banners and wolf-painted shields.

Have you, or are you, putting on a persona to make people see you a certain way? How far did you go with it and why?

Keep developing yourself and enjoy some Danger Zone.