Okay, NEED HELP! (Molon Labe related)

[BHPshooter]

Okay, I, like a lot of others here, ordered some of Correia's great gear...

Then my parents see it and say, "What does it mean, Wes?" You know, in that x-ray tone of voice.

So I said, "I dunno, it's in Greek!"

They said, "You know what it means, or you wouldn't have bought it!"

I said, "I got it so that forum members could recognize each other at gunshows."

They keep asking, so I need a very PC, very nonchalant way of saying what it means, even if it's not completely accurate. I thought of saying, "It's like 'bring it on'," but that doesn't have the kind of tone I want them to think it has.

They already think I'm a conspiracy-theorist-militia-survivalist nutjob, so what can I appease them with that won't get me chewed out?

PLEAAAASE, HELP MEEEE!!!

Wes

 

[Doc]

and the truth shall set you free...

 

[Greg L]

"It's an ancient Greek battle cry"

 

[Parker Dean]

Tell 'em the truth. They're probably thinking it means something drug related, or lewd.

From here:

MWLWN LABE!

Molon labe

(mo-lone lah-veh)
Two little words. With these two words, two concepts were verbalized that have lived for nearly two and a half Millennia. They signify and characterize both the heart of the Warrior, and the indomitable spirit of mankind. From the ancient Greek, they are the reply of the Spartan General-King Leonidas to Xerxes, the Persian Emperor who came with 600,000 of the fiercest fighting troops in the world to conquer and invade little Greece, then the center and birthplace of civilization as we know it. When Xerxes offered to spare the lives of Leonidas, his 300 personal bodyguards and a handful of Thebans and others who volunteered to defend their country, if they would lay down their arms, Leonidas shouted these two words back.

Molon Labe! (mo-lone lah-veh)

They mean, “Come and get them!†They live on today as the most notable quote in military history. And so began the classic example of courage and valor in its dismissal of overwhelming superiority of numbers, wherein the heart and spirit of brave men overcame insuperable odds. Today, there lies a plaque dedicated to these heroes all at the site. It reads: “Go tell the Spartans, travelers passing by, that here, obedient to their laws we lie.â€

We have adopted this defiant utterance as a battle cry in our war against oppression because it says so clearly and simply towards those who would take our arms.

It signifies our determination to not strike the first blow, but also to not stand mute and allow our loved ones, and all that we believe in and stand for, to be trampled by men who would deprive us of our God-given – or natural, if you will – rights to suit their own ends.

 

[Delmar]

Fume-ya already waffled on this one big time, so anything you tell them is going to get , and likely on a huge scale!

If you had only consulted the wise (of which I am NOT) here, you might have gotten away with telling them it was a call to dinner (so to speak) in greek?

You are in so-o-o-o much trouble

 

[EvilOmega]

Tell um what it means, and if they tell you to get rid of it.
Tell em Molon labe
Remember, with all due respect to the parents out there, part of growing up is becoming your own person. For better or worse.

 

[cordex]

What's the big deal about telling them what it means?

"Come and get them!"

It's the defiant battle cry of a small defending group to an army of invaders. And it looks cool on a hat.

As Delmar said, your waffling on the issue has hurt you more than anything. Now you'll have to deal with "Well, why didn't you tell us that in the first place".

 

[Delmar]

Everybody sing-a-long!

Fume's gonna get a licking

 

[Hal]

Bit of modern history - -

Wes, That's only part of the story.
Here's part of the other part of how Molon Labe became the "theme" of both TFL and THR.


Opening "shots" were fired in this thread back @ TFL:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=23934

TFL's El Jefe noticed that our old *friend* HCI was using the image of a Beretta on their site and took action.

The "fight" progressed:
http://www.thefiringline.com/Misc/tflthreads.html
(scroll to the HCI section)

El Jefe and John/AZ2 - both setup parody sites of HCI.
HCI threatened (tried to bully them is more like it) legal action and attempted to shut them down.

TFL creator Richard Lucibella took up the issue:
http://www.thefiringline.com/HCI/index.html

Let's not all forget that through the efforts of El Jefe and John, Handgun Control Inc. ended up changing the very name of their organization. It was their efforts that got the whole ball rolling. Kudos too to Rich Lucibella for his support.

 

[SapperLeader]

My mom sounds a lot like your parents. I told her its a historical reference, honoring the brave spartan souls . I made a bigger deal about what they accomplished for the cause of democracy and freedom, and sort of slipped the battle cry into the middle of the story. I got a "Oh, thats nice", and life moved on. If I told her the story as a simple, give us your arms, with the response of come and get them, it would have been a long day of lectures on my gun collection.

 

[BHPshooter]

If I told her the story as a simple, give us your arms, with the response of come and get them, it would have been a long day of lectures on my gun collection

Yeah, that's what I don't want to get. My Dad is always saying that he needs to put me in therapy, or other such BS because I like guns. You know, until I owned my own pistol, my parents seemed really pro-gun.

Okay, here's what I'll tell them: I'll tell them about the battle of Thermopylae, and tell them that it was a battle for democracy. Then I'll tell them that there's a statue of Lionidas that says MOLON LABE, which is just sorta like "remember the alamo."

Well? What do you think?

Wes

 

[joab]

I consider it a tribute to fallen heroes through the ages from, Thermypolae to the Alamo, to the "Nuts" guy from WWII, and even Billy Mitchell and Muhamed Ali, and many others who stood in the face of overwhelming odds to stand up for their convictions no matter the cost.

Now what parent could find fault with that lesson?

 

[SapperLeader]

Wes,
Comparing it to the alamo, and emphasing the democracy part should work. Also, Just act like its a cool hat, nothing more, and hopefully they will lay off. Overprotective parents is one of the bad things about being a adult and living at home . Another thing I had to tell my mom was that the hat was so we could recognize each other at gun shows. Only reason this worked was that my brother is going to a bladeforums picnic in may, so tehre was precedent in my house for internet forum get togethers

 

[tiberius]

If you are kid and your parents are antis, then God help ya.

Essentially the MOLWN LABE saying is really just a classier, more historically relevant and less in-your-face version of the better known "You can have my guns when you pry them from my cold dead hands."

IMHO, by wearing this hat you are declaring your support for RKBA by stating that you will NOT submit to disarmament. I don’t think you should submit to disâ€hatâ€ment either.

 

[BHPshooter]

You all need not worry, If they want my hat, they can take it from my cold, dead... um, head. I guess.

I'll be trying the overly-simplistic explanation tonight. Wish me luck.

Wes

 

[stealthmode]

if you lie to your parents they wont trust you anymore and think you are a liberal

 

[BHPshooter]

Post-game report

Alright.

I told my Mom about the battle at Thermopylae. I told of how they were betrayed and killed, and then said that MOLON LABE was basically SEMPER FIDELIS, but in Greek.

Slight change in the plan, I know, but it worked out quite well. I thought it made more sense like that.

Wes

 

[chas_martel]

Tell 'em it means

"Remember the Alamo"

in Greek........


I know, I know, not exactly but it is in terms they might understand.

 

[PCRCCW]

Wes,
I feel your pain buddy.............but remember any parent worth their salt can call a library or get on the internet and find out what it really means.

What you can do it tell them the truth and just say "It means this to me"......in the process, soften it a little with "youre translation"........
if that makes sense.

See ya this week.............Shoot well.

 

[joab]

I guess I'm gonna show my newness here, but where does one get these hats.

 

[BluesBear]

We have a member who maled them. He shipped the most recent batch last week.
I believe there are a few hats remaining.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74994

 

[P95Carry]

Wes .... I'll give ya 100/100 for patience and determination ...... don't let em get to ya .... and seems you are still keeping head above water!

Good stuff .... even if mild subterfuge required!

 

[BHPshooter]

Yeah, I probably should have been honest... but my parent's already think I'm a survivalist psycho because I'm into guns, and they think this is an anti-government militia board.

Telling them that it means "you can have my guns when you pry them from my cold, dead..." would just reinforce them to it.

Perhaps someday I'll tell them what it really means. Not for a while, though.

Wes

 

[Partisan Ranger]

I love the phrase Molon Labe and the story behind it. Problem I have is trying to explain its meaning succinctly without the listener's eyes glazing over in boredom.

Other problem is, many Americans have no friggin clue WHO the Spartans and Persians were. Then you have to explain ancient Greek history to them and where exactly our 'democracy' came from.

 

[TerryBob]

many Americans have no friggin clue WHO the Spartans and Persians were.

The Spartan was my high school mascot. Do you mean to say that there were others? Anyway, my ugly ol battle axe of a teacher once ask me to turn in my assignments and I screamed....MOLON LABE GRANNY!!!

Seriously now Wes. You acted as though you had a secret when they already think that you are into an anti goverment radical group of malitia survivalist. Looking at it from thier side, not fully understanding what we are, I can see why they got a little defensive.

The next time something like this happens, just explain it without putting them through the spin cycle. Parents are very protective. If you act like you are hiding something then they might just think that you are hiding something. Just be honest with them and be glad that you have parents that care enough to ask.

I'm stepping down from the soap box now,

TerryBob