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"President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office saying, "We have
nothing to fear but fear itself." The economic history of the 1930s
shows that we had nothing to fear but FDR himself. (Those who doubt
this should read "FDR's Folly" by Jim Powell)." - Thomas Sowell, Random
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For years visitors entering
the District of Columbia via Maryland's Rte 50 were greeted with the
sign, "Welcome to Chocolate City." I just now, and for no reason,
realized there is a second meaning that's as strangely
appropriate as the first, and I'm not sure which one was intended.
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Oh Schultzie, yer gonna fry in NAACP hell.
If that was what you meant, of course... [coff coff]
Posted by: Kim du Toit at January 20, 2004 10:01 AMI went to school, lived and worked in the DC area in the 50's 60's and 70's, and IIRC, in the mid 60's some black "funkadelic" DJ's started referring to DC as "Chocolate City" as an expression of black pride, not racial denigration.
At about the same time, amongst the white community, (pre PC) the old saw was "What's the longest bridge in the world? Answer: The 14th St. Bridge - it goes from northern Virginia to Africa."
Both were an expresion of DC's reality outside of the government areas, and I'd be surprised if either would be tolerated today.
BTW, I'm a little dense today, so what two meanings did you take from the sign?
Cheers,
Dick
I winced every time I saw that"chocolate city" sign, and was embarrased for black residents by what I thought was pathetic symbolism. The other reason, natch, has to do with DC's status of being the asshole of a nation.
Posted by: Rodger Schultz at January 20, 2004 02:04 PMI would imagine that many folks who were unaware of the origin of that appellation winced as well, as they attempted to make a connection with its meaning.
You're surely right about your 2nd connection. Too much shyte comes out of DC now, the emanations from it attracting entirely too many blowflies, and the place grows and grows and stinks more and more.
DC was a little bit sleepy but fun place pre-beltway, when the Smithsonian was more like grandma's attic than a shopping mall, you could park on the Capitol grounds, you could sit on the Capitol steps at midnight and drink a beer (did that many times when I was in college), and you occasionally met real VIPS walking about who would actually chat with you. Too big, too expensive, too bureaucratic, too many self-important assholes, too many glitzy hustlers now.
Thanks for the clarification Roger.
Cheers,
Dick (Ludditely)