Icanhazcheezburger as an activism tool.

[rd5589]

I have found the LoLBuilder is a great way for us to get our message across by mixing and matching photos from the other sides and mocking mercilessly.

http://mine.icanhazcheezburger.com

Here are some good ones I found. Now if we could get a generator for Oleg Volk's style.

 

[rd5589]

More fun!

 

[kingpin008]

I prefer to use facts and grown-up conversation rather than silly meme's and mockery to argue my position on gun rights.

Making fun of the other side isn't going to convince anyone of anything, except that we've got nothing better to offer than funny pictures. What we need is logical, factual discussion. By stooping to their level, we accomplish nothing.

 

[rd5589]

I prefer to use facts and grown-up conversation rather than silly meme's and mockery to argue my position on gun rights.

Making fun of the other side isn't going to convince anyone of anything, except that we've got nothing better to offer than funny pictures. What we need is logical, factual discussion. By stooping to their level, we accomplish nothing.

Given that most Americans get their news from "The Daily Show" it is critical that we use humor to draw new people over to our point of view.

Things that are funny are easily remembered and the prohibitionists give us no shortage of idiocy to poke holes into.

Rahm Emanuel is an ardent Iraq War supporter and given the current popularity of the war it makes sense to tar him and his fellow prohibitionists with it.

Dianne Feinstein has made a ton of money off the Iraq War by steering contracts to her husband's company. Hit the prohibitionists on it!

Also have we ever stopped to consider that maybe we are too stodgy in how we present ourselves?

We need to come across as hip, cool, and straight up fun.

Instead we sometimes come across as this.

Logic and reason are awesome. Now we just have to know when to combine humor and snark.

I would recommend reading books on Neuro Linguistic Programming, 48 Laws of Power, and BradP's Fashion Bible for more information on how we can make our cause into something that people want to join.

 

[BHP FAN]

look folks,facts are just that....plain dry facts,and guns are an emotional issue.You can argue,explain and cajole,but there's only one thing that works.Take people shooting.I,personally have converted two dyed in the wool tie dye hippies to gun folk,just by takeing them shooting!And I don't know how many of my son's friends are solid gun folk because they grew up at our house as much as their own.

 

[rd5589]

look folks,facts are just that....plain dry facts,and guns are an emotional issue.You can argue,explain and cajole,but there's only one thing that works.Take people shooting.I,personally have converted two dyed in the wool tie dye hippies to gun folk,just by takeing them shooting!And I don't know how many of my son's friends are solid gun folk because they grew up at our house as much as their own.

Very true. We have to get to them when they're young. If culture is an ocean, we ride the waves.

 

[hso]

I agree with Kingpin that our struggle with gun prohibitionists is serious business, but humor has been, and always will be, an effective way to reach people and provoke thought. Satire has been used from as early as the Egyptian dynasites and the Greeks and Romans lauded great satirists. Our own Benjamin Franklin was a great one to use humor to skewer the enemies of America.

It is difficult to use though. It is a subtle weapon that has to be used with great sill because we're wanting people to be drawn to think AND laugh and not just snort at the humor. Care must be taken that the level of great satirists be the sought instead of Beavis and Butthead.

Good idea, keep at it.

 

[Zundfolge]

Humor is the foot in the door of the mind.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Given that most Americans get their news from "The Daily Show" it is critical that we use humor to draw new people over to our point of view.

Most Americans, you say? Perhaps that was more satire...

 

[kingpin008]

I agree with the above comments - let me clarify my comment, if I may. I think what I was getting at when I mentioned the use of mockery being detrimental to our cause, was the couple of images comparing Sarah Brady with a turkey, and the last one, with the overweight gentleman and Paul Helmke, with a remark about candy.

The individuals who oppose our rights will be on the lookout for any little thing to hold up as evidence that we as a group are ignorant, mean, spiteful, etc, and those sorts of images are prefect examples for them to use.

Do we know they're just a joke? Sure. But at the same time, they don't do anything to advance our position, and the possibility for them to be used against us is always present.

That's all I'm getting at. Satire is fine. Poking fun is fine. But as Oleg stated in the rules of this community - attack the argument, not the arguer. Know what I mean?

 

[JImbothefiveth]

given the current popularity of the war

It's probably not as unpopular as it's made out to be, now that we're winning. And where does the 500,000 number come from?

 

[TXdave]

Fact is, humor IS tough to use when a lot of the issues around gun control are definitely NOT funny.

Take this story- Last year in Chicago, a man went into a Lane Bryant store and took four or five women hostage. They were all unarmed (and had unknowingly been training their entire lives to be sheep).
They did exactly as he told them to do; they went to the back where he took money, they got on their knees with their hands behind their heads, and they sat there as he capped them all.:banghead:

How do you turn that into a quirky sketch?

 

[rd5589]

Fact is, humor IS tough to use when a lot of the issues around gun control are definitely NOT funny.

Take this story- Last year in Chicago, a man went into a Lane Bryant store and took four or five women hostage. They were all unarmed (and had unknowingly been training their entire lives to be sheep).
They did exactly as he told them to do; they went to the back where he took money, they got on their knees with their hands behind their heads, and they sat there as he capped them all.

How do you turn that into a quirky sketch?

You don't.

You have to know when to go serious and when to go humorous.

If you want an example of a parent with a heartbreaking story who is on our side, Channon Christian's dad is a perfect example.

As for those who work to deny us our rights, they deserve all the ridicule that comes their way.

As for Chief Comey of the Jersey City, NJ PD (the chubby guy in the picture with Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign) he is fair game since he leaves the door wide open for a gag or too. In his case, VERY wide open.

So how does the picture of Chief Comey with Paul Helmke work as a gag?

• Coming from a family with police and law enforcement folks, his lack of physical fitness is an embarassment on his shield. The prohibitionists always tell us to just rely on the police for our safety. His appearance pokes holes in that.
• Chief Wiggum is a cultural icon in America. Chief Comey plays on that image that everyone knows and chuckles about.

The co-opting of cultural icons is another point that we can make use of due to their flexibility. Think of them as delivery vehicles for our cause.

Here we are using a scary, recent, and very popular cultural icon to get our message across. It tells the viewer that a bad guy like the Joker really wouldn't take any silly laws seriously, let alone gun prohibition.

It's probably not as unpopular as it's made out to be, now that we're winning. And where does the 500,000 number come from?

As for Iraq, I dont want this thread to go off-topic, I believe the Lancet had a count of about a hundred thousand killed or so. Internal displacement and the refugee issue is much worse. A lot of the fighting died down since most of the Sunni on Shia and Shia on Sunni ethnic cleansing happened in 2006 and 2007.

But either way it makes sense to paint prohibitionist politicians as people who have no problem sending us to die yet they don't trust us to own a gun to protect our families. That is the meme we are going for.

 

[JImbothefiveth]

I still don't think it's a good idea. Seems unpatriotic, and distorting numbers isn't good either.

Sunni on Shiite and Shiite on Sunni

Those aren't Iraq war casualtys. Yes, they happened in Iraq, but there is a distinction.

Perhaps portray something the person has done that is wrong, such as:

Dianne Feinstein has made a ton of money off the Iraq War by steering contracts to her husband's company.

 

[rd5589]

I still don't think it's a good idea. Seems unpatriotic, and distorting numbers isn't good either.

I understand your concern. The point of the Rahm Emanuel poster is to erode the demographic/ideological base of the rank and file Democrats who casually support the Brady Campaign. It creates cognitive dissonance. It sends the message of "All is not well in CHANGE-land."

 

[MikePGS]

 

[rd5589]

Nice work!

Blago can also have his hideous muppet hair!

 

[MikePGS]

 

[rd5589]

Good one!

 

[rd5589]

More fun from the Brady fundraisers!

 

[Dean Williams]

If you're going to do this, then you need to make a point with your humor, and the humor has to actually be humorous. The "Haz Kittehs" thing will look old and juvenile in short order.

Making fun of someone's appearance will just have the antis regarding you as booger eatin' morons, (referring to the Sarah Brady/turkey comparison in first post). It's the visual equivalent of name calling, and will will end up being turned back on you by a savvy gun grabber type.

The humor will have to be fairly broad to work at all. The pic of the governor with the "I can have 'em, You can't" thing is only effective if the target viewers already knew that he is an "anti" with a gun permit. No one outside that group will get it. Inside jokes will serve no purpose.

I'm not saying it is a good idea to start with, but it IS a free country, (mosty), so do what you like. If you actually know how to use parody and satire properly, it may be effective. Most people know parody/satire when they hear or see it, but it is easy to look like a goof when trying to present it, and that will just make you, (and worse, us), an easy mark for the grabbers.

I think sticking to facts and presenting a clear headed argument is a better way.

 

[hso]

The Joker one works. It is clear and current with that ironic touch of humor that might be thought provoking. The "You look fabulous" is neither clear nor funny and therefore not thought provoking (except for ).

The basic idea is good, but the execution can be a real booby trap for the humor-bomb maker. Take great care how such explosive material is handled.

**************************************************

Successful ideas so far? Joker, Professionals, Consistency

Unsuccessful? Fabulous, VT, haz gunz, fruit and candy bowl, turkey

 

[rd5589]

Dean,

It is not that facts and a clear-headedness are wrong. I think there is a continuum between facts and statistics ("sighted fire") and humor and snark ("point shooting").

 

[rd5589]

Your idea is good, but the execution can be a real booby trap for the humor-bomb maker.

This is where the vetting process for us as a community comes in.

We could set up a section for political artwork that grades and critiques the art we make on its merits.

Trial and error among ourselves is the best way to find out what works.

Memes can be very powerful tools for us.

 

[Oro]

RD - great idea. I think some of the flak you are getting is maybe people here don't understand the context of LOL Cats and the venues there. Most of your things fit in nicely, and it would be refreshing to see something non-lefty there for a change! Go for it with some of your ideas if you haven't posted them yet.