his dark motto

Seeing Catherine's response to a bumper sticker finally allows me to put my finger on the Washington Post's slogan.

We saw one of those trucks —– loaded with eagles and camouflage and flags of the American union, flags that divide Americans into blue and non-blue, flags that were flown by America's enemy 160 years ago.    It also had a slogan:  "Evil Never Sleeps."

The meaning was obvious to me:  our enemies never sleep, and so we should not either.    America's defenders must never sleep.    People on the side of good must never sleep, lest we be caught off-guard.    You, ordinary American, enjoy peace and comfort, only because others are vigilant and don't rest when you do.    So, why do I remain vigilant?  because Evil Never Sleeps.

This was not obvious to Catherine.    She thought the truck owner saw himself as bad —– that is, Bad.    A rough-and-tumble dude, heavy-metal-lovin' rough-em-up kind of guy who never sleeps.    Call me Evil McBad, because I never sleep. 

I didn't think so.    I think it was the former, and I think I've convinced Catherine that it's the former.

But her view of it comes from the fact that it's said a certain way.    For instance, think of the Marine motto:  Semper Fidelis, "Always Faithful."    It's much the same thing.    The truck could have a sticker that says Semper Vigilantes, "Always Vigilant."    That's a positive.    But to phrase it in the negative gives it a dark cast that's easily misunderstood.

This has always been my criticism of the Washington Post's motto.    (They didn't *have* a motto until . . .    February 2017.   February of 2017.   GET IT?)   The motto isn't "Sunlight is the Best Disinfectant."   It isn't "Shining the Torch of Truth."   It's this: 

"Democracy Dies In Darkness."

That's the Post's motto?    Yep, since you-know-when:  "Democracy Dies In Darkness." 

That sort of makes it sound like "We shall be present to watch democracy die in darkness." 

To me, it takes the self-righteousness journalists have always been vulnerable to and adds an apocalyptic soundtrack.

It's a diagnosis where a solution should be.    What if the American Cancer Society changed its motto to "Millions Will Succumb!", or if the NAACP started saying, "Give Up, and Lose" ?