My 25,000th DU post, and my best DU moment: More apt today than ever.
Well, this is post number 25,000 for me here at the DU. I didn't think that when I signed up circa 2007 we'd be discussing the horrifying prospect of Donald Trump as our next president, but that's where we are that. Glad to say that we saw the final end of the Bush presidency and for the most part we've enjoyed President Obama and all that he's done for the country. Yes, our primaries discussions are a bit ugly--at least here in the DU bubble--but I'm still confident that come November we'll all be behind our nominee, whoever he or she ultimately is. We certainly can't afford not to be, knowing what the stakes are if we lose.
When it comes to milestone posts, I usually do something goofy, and I thought about doing the same this time for 25,000. Perhaps something related to a certain bald, mayonnaise loving white Canadian rapper with poor video production values. But somehow, whenever I do that in GD, my posts get locked. Apparently people don't appreciate great poetry such as, "You can catch me in the alleyway gettin' drunk and high." Sigh.
But I figured for 25,000, something more serious might be more appropriate. And I got to thinking what my ultimate moment in DU has been, what one post at DU am I most proud of out of the 25,000. And there've been a few, but there was one in particular that stood out. It was back in September 2009, back when the whole Tea Party hysteria began to manifest itself as an ugly, reactionary response to the fact there was not only a Democrat back in the White House, but a black Democrat to boot.
And I saw a picture from one of those rallies of a smiling old lady, kindly looking, holding up a sign reading, "The zoo has an African (lion) and the White House has a Lyin' African." And it really didn't make me angry to see such an ugly display of racism. It just made me sad.
So I sat down and typed out an open letter to this nameless--yet very real--woman. It only took about five minutes, and I didn't think much of it. I wasn't out to get a huge response. But I managed to get over 400 recs on that post, and it shot to the top of the Greatest Page, something I think has only happened to me once or twice since. And mind you, this was back in the day where DU was experimenting with "negative recs", so technically anyone could have voted it down. But I don't think there was anything in there that would have made anyone wanted to vote it down, because that's what DU is at its very best moments--a place where certain universal human truths, such as rejecting ugly bigotry, are heralded. Remember that fact the next time primary season comes around and we're all at each others' throats about Candidates X and Y.
So I'm reposting that as part of my 25,000th post here at DU. I'm reposting this because we are in the midst of an election season where it has been determined that our Republican opponent is one of the most loathsome, despicable and disgusting human beings to ever run for the office of the Presidency of the United States. And this man has openly supported and advocated for an atmosphere where attitudes such as this poor, unfortunate woman are the norm. That we ought to be divided. That we ought to go for the low blow. That we ought to make cheap jabs at race and ethnicity and whatever they can that runs so contrary to the spirit of civil rights movement decades ago. When I saw the old woman with the "Lyin' African" sign, I was shocked at that display of racist bigotry. My hope was that it would subside by the time 2016 rolled around and President Obama was finishing his term in office. Sadly, after seeing so many signs at so many Donald Trump rallies, I'm no longer shocked like I was 7 years ago. This woman had become the norm. There are thousands upon thousands versions of this woman at every place Donald Trump stops at, and we should always be cognizant these are real human beings fallen by the wayside and caught up in the ugliest display of humanity. And we can only hope--perhaps against hope--that maybe they can change, that they can be redeemed. But it will take some sort of internal reflection on their part.
And I wonder if this woman is still alive, and if so, if she's seen the error of her ways.
And my sincere hope is that she has.
Thank you to all the DUers past, present and future for all the great political discussions. You've made the time pass much easier, and I've learned a thing or two thousand.
Oh. And long live Chuggo. 
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6554029
An open letter to the woman with the "Lyin' African" sign:
Dear Ma'am:
I do not know your name. Chances are, I will never know your name, nor will the billions of other people totally oblivious to your existence. You see, you and I, we are the anonymous. While I do aspire to do great things with my life, I have resigned myself to the fact that the probability is high that my name likely will never be a household name, and I am quite fine with that. Being a good husband, father, employee, citizen, human being--that alone is enough for me to judge my success in life, without having my face thrust into the spotlight.
So, as a fellow member of the anonymous, I must implore you--what the hell were you thinking? From the looks of it, in 20-30 years you probably will have passed on from this world. And us anonymous folk, well, we only leave little tidbits of our existence on this earth after we are dead and buried. A mention in the local newspaper here, a donation plaque on the wall of the library there, and the rest is relegated solely to the memories of relatives and friends that you directly dealt with when you were alive. So few are the easter eggs that one leaves behind to remind the common person of one's existence.
So given that you will live and die for the most part anonymously, and unlike the great men and women of history, your legacy will be razor thin, you have chosen to define your legacy to the world with a simple sign. A sign with clearly obvious racial overtones to it. A sign that appears to be poorly crafted and poorly worded to boot.
Yet there you are, grinning and smiling, holding up your poorly crafted and not-so-subtly racist sign, and congratulations. You and your shit-eating grin have been beamed through cyberspace for thousands--perhaps millions--to see. You have voluntarily exposed yourself to be a racist, the worst kind of a person, someone who judges people solely on physical appearance and place of origin as opposed to the character they present. They may never know your name, but they will know you for who you are, and whatever your name may be, it would surely be mud to anyone who sees your face.
On your finger I see a wedding ring. You are somebody's wife, and likely somebody's mother and perhaps grandmother. You have placed your husband, your children and your grandchildren in a horrible spot--they must now defend you to the rest of the world and plead with them--no, she wasn't really like that. She loved dogs. She made a whopper of a peach cobbler. Yes, so she was a little "antiquated"--so what? Aren't we all deep down inside? No?
The bitter irony of this all is that the gentleman who is the subject of your sign will have a great legacy. He is one of only 43 individuals to hold the highest office of power in this country. People will remember him for many great deeds and words and decisions. Yes, at some point in his life he too may have his public moments of embarrassment or shame like you have--he is, after all, merely human. But unlike you, he has more than ample opportunity to counter-balance any missteps with acts of greatness. You and I, however, as members of the anonymous do not have any such luxury.
Therefore, you have made your sign to the world, and now you must be forced to wear it in perpetuity. My only hope is that in the remaining years of your life is that you somehow wake up and realize how perverted and hateful your mindset has been up to this point, and change your life accordingly. Otherwise, we will only know you for the photo you gave us.
Sincerely,
A fellow anonymous
= new reply since forum marked as read
and I just love this passage..
"Therefore, you have made your sign to the world, and now you must be forced to wear it in perpetuity. My only hope is that in the remaining years of your life is that you somehow wake up and realize how perverted and hateful your mindset has been up to this point, and change your life accordingly. Otherwise, we will only know you for the photo you gave us. "
Well said my friend.. well said
Your open letter of Sept. '09 is just as relevant today, in the context of the rise and rise of the overtly racist Presidential candidate.
Well done! 
...it was brilliant.
Keep fighting the good fight, sir. 
That was a beautiful 'open letter.' A nearly perfect example of the kind challenging but unmalicious communication that sometimes gets through to people who have little experience questioning their bigoted behavior.
Thank you for sharing it. 
I hope you don't mind if I keep what you've written around as reference material from time to time. It's that good.
I don't know you, but your 25,000th DU post bought me very close to tears. I've had a life of many hard knocks, and it takes something remarkably beautiful, generous, or gentle, to elicit that from me.
For that, I am very grateful to you.
Thank you. I hope we're both still around to see your 50,000th post
