I started reading here in the runup to the fall election. Reading here prompted me to want to be a proper democrat and volunteer for the Obama campaign. I recall many a post "oh this is just emo, doesn't belong Dairied", with overwhelming replies to say otherwise (some of them supporting, mine).
I recently wrote one of those Diares. It contained things that I did not want those people around me when I experienced those emotions to see, however my photo was taken by some random stranger w(hen I was in the midst of that breakdown.
From my Diary, I got all of 3 comments, and 10 recs. Lost off the recent list before 8am PST. A "poor excuse for a diary" that was posted about 4-5 posts before mine, was criticized for doing exactly this. One of the comments--not by the author--tried to excuse this since it was late sat-early sun. Its OK to post a poor diary then. I would've thought mine was worth something, but it didn't even make the Rescue Diary list.
Reposting what has already been posted (was apparently wrong back then, "why didn't you search?"), but that continues today. Thats exactly why I posted what I did. At no point in the last 3 years has anyone here done a "pilgrimage". Shame on you all.
I remember people complaining about that kinda stuff in the runup to the election. I even thought like it had been said that, yeah this would change.
I expressed things in that Diary on my visit to Manzanar that I wished people who where there to see it, hadn't. Whoever took my photo, I'm sure it will pop up at some point, possibly 40 years from now, and I will likely not be consulted when it enters the public realm. But I granted much more then that to the dkos community when I wrote exactly about how I felt, shortly after I returned home.
I tried to make some comments about my experience in working for the Obama campaign. I was criticized for it "not making sence." Thats why for this particular painful journey, I wanted to use photos. Pictures are worth a 1000 words, and if I could keep my words to under 100, no one would have been able to claim that.
Even without the pictures, I still wanted to share what I could with this community. And it appears, it went largely ignored. I'm not a Troll. Even quitting now, I will be back to read. But I may never post anything important again.
But I forgive you all.
I wish you all well.