LINCOLN SQUARE — Chicago has yet to experience a significant snowfall this winter, but if and when it does, Jonathan Pool has devised a plan to ensure that members of the anti-dibs faction are armed with more than just their self-righteous indignation.
He's on a mission to equip them with yard signs.
Pool's Kickstarter campaign, "Dibs Shame," has set a fundraising goal of $1,000 to pay for the printing of signs that can be planted in a dibs-claimed parking spot. The signs read: "Trump Voters for Dibs: Because F--- You."
"Dibs spreads like a vicious cancer," the Kickstarter page says, and then continues:
"Dibs Shame seeks to eliminate Parking Dibs once and for all by shaming participants with the sign you see above. No more need to complain or drive around at night glaring at people returning home to their dibsed spot as you circle the block for the fifth time! Most people will realize the ultimate selfishness of their act ... and it is my hope that most will be so mortified ... that they will discontinue this deplorable practice.
"Pledge your support and help end the societal plague that is parking dibs today."
What if there isn't a huge snow this year? The signs will still be relevant next year, according to the Kickstarter FAQ.
DNAinfo Chicago caught up with Pool via email and asked him a few questions about the campaign.
First things first: Pool, 36, grew up in Hyde Park and lives in Logan Square/Avondale. So no, he isn't a "transplant."
In response to those who argue that dibs is a grand Chicago tradition proudly practiced by its "true" citizens, Pool said: "Traditions die — help create new ones."
And yes, he has claimed dibs himself — back in 2008, because all four tires on his van were slashed when he dared to park in someone else's spot.
"The great irony there was that whoever was mad that I'd taken their spot then had to wait another four weeks for me to have enough money to have the van towed to the tire shop for repair," Pool said. "So for the rest of that winter, I claimed a spot in front of my apartment. Hey, desperate times. I'm only a man."
What does any of this have to do with Donald Trump?
"Trump's steamrolling, f***-all attitude seems to embody exactly the motivation behind putting your worthless garbage on a public thoroughfare. No regard for anyone else, just the thought of, 'Hey, I worked really hard here! Why should others benefit from MY hard work?!," Pool said.
"Never mind that this up-by-the-bootstraps-hard-work is being done on a publicly owned street. The allegory was too rich to let pass. Why Trump? He knows why."
Pool, who runs a screen printing shop (but not the kind that can print signs), said that while his campaign is mocking in nature, he's also 100 percent serious about having the signs made and getting them in the hands of supporters.
"This is ultimately a satirical endeavor but that doesn't mean it can't actually be put out into the world," Pool said.
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