Thursday, July 7, 2011

Letter to WSJ on Political Party colors

Chicago Thursday PM 7 July 2011


Editors, The Wall Street Journal


Gentlepeople:


The Wall Street Journal on Thursday 7 July has a map on the top half of page A6 showing the current distribution of US state legislatures between Democrats and Republicans. It is eye-catching because it uses brite red and blue colors to distinguish between states with Republican and Democrat control of legislatures.


Unfortunately you mimic a convention the left wing press (initially by an aspiring national newspaper best known for its street boxes looking like TV sets) has used since the 1994 takeover of the House of Representatives by the Republicans (after 40 years,) indicating the Democrats as Blue and Republicans as red.


This flew in the face of convention dating back to the birth of modern governments, where the left has always been represented by red (red China, red guards, red Russia, etc.) We have left and right wing parties too, but the left wing party is the Democrats. Blue (the color of the Air Force and the Navy BTW) should be used for the Republicans, red for the left wingers.


As the largest circulation US newspaper, it seems odd that the Wall Street Journal wold fall for this misleading convention. Why not use a convention instantly and naturally recognized by everyone. If that confuses anyone, that's their problem.


Arnold H Nelson in Chicago

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