Taking it to the streets

Last week, I reached my boiling point.

Admittedly my boiling point is significantly lower than it is for others. I don't like it when neighbors allow their dogs to bark wildly at 5 in the morning. I don't like it when neighbors allow their car alarms to go off, over and over and over again. And I don't like it when the President of the United States openly engages in election interference. In all cases, I'm likely to do something about it.

On Friday afternoon I found myself raging at the news about Precedent Shitgibbon defunding the USPS, unplugging mammoth mail sorting machines in urban-leaning (D) cities and literally snatching mailboxes off the street.

This administration, lake the fascists of the 1930's, is big on snatching. Whether it's snatching Mexican children away from their asylum-seeking mothers, BLM protestors in Portland, Seattle or NYC, and now our ubiquitous blue mailboxes, from which legitimate citizens are able to cast their votes.

It is inconceivable.
it is an impeachable abuse of power.
And most importantly, it is FUCKING OUTRAGEOUS!!!

So I did a little happy hands at home crafting and cobbled together a protest sign. I see many protestors making signs with magic markers and such. They always mess it up by using fancy colors, or too many words, or they make the type too small. I have a certain expertise in this arena and limited myself to four punchy words. I made the type as big as my printer will allow. And I went with a simple Helvetica Black on White Motif for maximum visibility.

I then parked my significant fat ass at the corner of Braddock and Jackson, strategically close to the Jackson Market -- the secret treasure of Culver City --where if necessary I could use the facilities and even snag a brown bag beer.

I'm new to the social activist game and didn't know what to expect.

I have seen the video of the brave white kid who went to the most racist city in Arkansas and held up a sign supporting Black Lives matter. The reactions of the townsfolk, was nothing short of shocking. Though I did take some personal pride when one of the hillbillies assumed the kid was a KIKE. Implying that when it comes to social issues of justice, (((my people))) have more often than not come out on the right side of history.

People noticed. They honked their horns. They gave me a big thumbs up. A lesbian couple pulled over their minivan and took a picture of my, one of the ladies was almost crying. In fact, many people pulled over to take a picture. As if what I was doing was out of the realm of possibility. When in fact, these tiny acts of defiance should be the norm. As my colleague and copywriting mentor Luke Sullivan often says, Democracy is not a spectator sport.

As you might have guessed, my favorite reaction came not from a supporter but from a detractor. A "suburban housewife" pulled up to the intersection in her imported SUV, opened the window and inquired...

"What's this all about?"

"Just my way of standing up to the GOP, who are trying to steal the election."

"Oh, you got that all wrong honey, it's the Democrats who are stealing the election."

A lame childish response if I've ever heard one.

"Really? Why don't you pull over and you can school me on how that works?"

"You're not worth talking to, you dumb libtard."

It wasn't KIKE, but I'll take it.

Before she rolled up her window, she flipped me the bird. I passive aggressively smiled at her and said...

"Have a blessed day."

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Update: I wrote this blog piece on Saturday morning. Before this whole thing and #CaptainOuchieFoot starting blowing up on Twitter yesterday. When do the checks start coming in?