No, 3KillerBs, I am not saying you should enable prejudice by catering to the bigots who run shrieking at the sight of a bible. We already know that they're a minority whose minds are not going to be changed.
What I am saying is that you should
disable prejudice by choosing carefully the words and images we use to represent the RKBA community. What that means is stepping outside of our own, comfortable, familiar shoes, and into those of others (not specifically anti-RKBA, anti-religion leftists) to see if the message comes across the same.
As jlbraun stated, advocacy is about reaching out and that means reaching beyond the comfortable confines of places like this. That means using clear, positive messages that appeal to broad audiences so that they may be brought into our fold.
Does your average person here on THR understand what armoredman means? YES It's a sarcastic jab. Does a well-thought, rational person, who is informed about politics understand what it means? Most likely, YES. Ok, sounds good so far, right?
Ok, lets enter the realm of politics. Now the audience is bigger, more varied, less rational, typically not very well informed about current events or history, and keenly susceptible to emotional influence and bias. That is standard fare for politics. Now what does that poster mean?
Here are some of the more interesting or negative response quotes I gathered in a brief time, in direct response to the picture. Yes there were positive and neutral ones. Nobody is denying that In the threads I created, I'd say the positive/neutral ratio to negative was about 50:50 one fairly neutral place and about 20:80 in someplace that tilts left.
(not sure if image tags will work)
(apparently jesus has the poor habit of putting his finger on the trigger of his AR)
its pretty pathetic to cling to either when a problem arises
I just find it a little oxymoronic. A weapon meant to kill along with the teachings of a man who preached of peace, understanding, and kindness.
The ad bothers me a little because the thought of people clinging to guns in the same way they cling to bibles in adversity seems a bad comparison. Of course, I don't believe in religion, so it tends to scare me when people use only opinion and fear to make decisions, which is how clinging to a bible seems to work. I would rather people used intelligence and reason with guns.
(Fear and ignorance.) this is how i feel when i see it. insecurity tends to make people run to their primitive instincts.
the bible represents tribalism and the gun means will to kill, which is how animals behave.
not a very civilized, mature or intelligent approach to the problem imo
I think its more of a statement on how people are more concerned about guns and religion than they are the state of our country. I have numerous friends who have said they are gonna vote for whoever lets them keep their guns. They don't give a **** about anything else. Sure its their right, but its terribly short sighted. Same with the people who only give a **** about abortion.
And its hardly an ad. Looks like someone made it in paint in 35 seconds and put it on the internet.
As a gun owner myself, i'm not a fan of the poster. It just reinforces the idea that all gun owners are religious nut jobs.
+1 my first thought is that it fits / reinforces the stereotype.
Edit: Oops, forgot the feedback! Poster looks good, though it's not hard-hitting enough for me. Also, I disagree with the guy who criticised his dress. I like the clean-cut, mama's boy look to his grooming, as it is in keeping with the message of hypocrisy, I think. That "shiny on top, ****ty underneath" kinda thing. Dig it.
I think it is fairly accurate for a percentage of our population. And is exactly what Obama was talking about. We have reasons to be bitter, it is just that some people like to see the trees and forget there is more to a forest than trees.
Well, at least the weapons may become useful.
"Those who live by the sword, die by the sword."
- Jesus Christ
I'm all about self reliance and rugged individualism, but this poster makes gun enthusiasts (like myself) look like raving loons. That sort of mentality is probably only embraced by a handful of gun owners.
It is a direct comment on something Obama said.
I guess I missed the raving loons part.
Right but it implies that the end is near and i'll need my guns and my god to get through whats coming next. Thats pretty raving loon-esk to me :idk:
I'm all for the gun part.
Don't give a **** about the bible, though.
So, my point is not to highlight the obvious that there are people who will disagree with it. It's not to disparage religion. It's not create a negative association between guns and religion or criticize the people who regularly associate them.
My point is that we ALL must be aware that there are perspectives out there different from our own, and that something we view as a good thing can be conveyed by others or merely interpreted by others in many different ways, including very negative ones. That's important to realize on the political stage, particularly during an election year.
I assure you, I am not the barbarian at the gates some of you respond to me as.