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New Orleans    I’m not sure if this is a footnote to these times of turmoil or the banner headline, but I have to admit to loving the way people are not just putting their feet to the street these days but their voices – and often humor – to the signs of the times.

One of the marvelous things to watch during the recent Women’s March and in many other marches pictured around the country is the wild ingenuity that people are bringing to the posters they are carrying and the slogans they are inventing. The unique personalities coming to the signs brings some authenticity, and also speaks to the more decentralized organizing mechanisms involved in putting together these rallies and marches. Where I can marvel and admire the discipline and demeanor of the I AM A MAN block letter posters from Memphis and other civil rights marches, I have to admit that I love the do-it-yourself art, expression, satire, and even outrage of the diverse homemade signs we’re seeing so much of recently.

Here’s a random sample of signs and slogans from Spin.com:

· A beautiful picture of a huge orange peach with Trump-hair.
· Oh course there’s Love Trumps Hate in many forms.
· You’re Not My Cheeto
· Science is Greater that Shit on Twitter
· Shout outs to Beyonce saying “OK, Ladies, Let’s Get In Formation”
· “Even the Lanisters Pay Their Debts” in a dig at Trump and s shout out to Game of Thrones
· Insane in the Membrane, Insane in the Brain
· Oh, No, 4 Full Years of Bad Hair Days
· Keep Your Tiny Hands Off of My Rights

From Slate.com

· Super Callous Fascist Racist Braggadocious
· A young mother holding a sign saying, “We’re Raising Our Children to Tear Down Your Wall”
· “I’m With Her” alongside a picture of the Statue of Liberty
· Melania Are You OK?
· “Sex Offenders Can’t Live in Public Housing” with a hand drawn picture of the White House
· It’s Day One and I’ve Had Enough

That’s the tip of the iceberg obviously. The number of signs and slogans with drawings of female genitalia and slogans that matched would have made many high school sex education courses obsolete. The homemade cats’ ears everywhere and the knitted pink hats were a brilliant touch as well.

Of course the risk that brings organizations and organizers bad dreams are the signs that get really coarse, vulgar, and direct. Many an organizer has had screaming nightmares in the middle of the night about some of the signs that might emerge form a poster party on a long bus ride to an action and whether that will be where a camera focuses, but this time around it all kind of worked, because if nothing else, it was keeping it all real. And, there wasn’t really a recognizable organization that would take a hit, so let’ the good signs roll!

How about these from USA Today:

· Tweet Women With Respect
· The classic Rosie Riveter, “We Can Do It” with her arm squeezing a pig with a Trump head attached.

Or the Daily Dot

· Enough Snowflakes Make an Avalanche
· Tits Before Toupees
· My Arms Are Tired From Holding This Sign Since the 60’s

From a friend (Mike Gallagher) in Boston:

· Would You Be More Upset if they Wanted to Ban NETFLIX Instead of Muslims?

From New Orleans:

· Billionaire is the New Lord
· My Other Sign is Also a No
· Arise My Sisters, Today We Fight
· This is What a Feminist Looks Like

On that sign the arrows point in all directions. I like that. There’s hope and spirit in these signs, and we need that in these times.

Please enjoy Alone from The Pretenders.

Thanks to KABF.