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 |    Not for the faint of art. |
| I don't really have a whole lot to say about this link, but I'm putting it here for those benighted souls who have never heard of Emperor Norton. Behold: Although I had heard of Norton I, there were still details in this article that were new to me. Of course, it's still Cracked, so I wouldn't take anything here as absolute fact without verifying it, but I know that he indeed existed, and in general, the biography checks out. The year is 1859. The United States is on the verge of a massive split that will eventually lead to the Civil War. As lines are drawn and tensions are running high, a man in San Francisco writes to the local newspaper. His name is Joshua Abraham Norton, and his plan is nothing short of grand. He declares himself Norton I, Emperor of the United States. Many have never even heard about the reign of the United States' first and only monarch ... Like I said, not a lot to paste here, so I'm not even going to go over the Cracked-standard numbered list highlighting. Several times over his 21-year reign, he called for bridges to be built and streets to be repaired, as The Emperor knew that his empire needed strong infrastructure. Many recent government administrations should have learned that lesson, but didn't. Also, it should be noted that Norton was actually quite progressive for the time, and honestly, he deserves praise for that in a way that most people from that era don't deserve. He advocated for the rights of Black Americans in his proclamations, and he fought back against the violence that Chinese immigrants faced in San Francisco. Ditto for this. This story had the potential to get kind of ugly. A delusional guy parading around the city as a monarch who was also frequently publicized in papers for laughs? This sounds like it's just going to be a story about how much people made fun of him. Here's the thing, though: they really didn't. Yeah, people found it funny that he was acting out some royal fantasy, but honestly, they loved him. He became a sort of symbol for the city, and residents were excited when they saw him walking around, almost as though they had a brush with a real monarch. Pretty sure that's a San Francisco tradition that continues to this day. Though they don't do much for the homeless now. Maybe if said homeless dressed up as Emperors... nah. The Emperor Norton Trust is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving his memory, and there have been campaigns in recent years to rename the Bay Bridge that connects San Francisco to Oakland in his honor. I'd get behind that. Anyway, like I said, good read, and a quick one. Perhaps tomorrow I'll end up posting something I could make more in-depth comments on, but for now, just bask in the glory. |
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