Oleg's Poster - The Difference

[Werewolf]

While browsing Oleg's site one of his posters caught my eye.



This poster IMHO can be taken two ways:

1) The way Oleg intended - that rifle will protect it's owner from becoming a slave

or

2) Hey - that rifle could be used to make me a slave - we need to ban it.

Those who value freedom will think (1)
The sheep will think (2)

I'm not sure this poster will accomplish what Oleg wants.

Those who value freedom already know the message...
The sheep are incapable of getting the message...

Comments?

 

[Russ]

Were this taken out of context from the rest of his pro-gun website, I suppose you could make the case that the gun's purpose is to enslave people. Should one visit his site, I doubt you could come away with that impression however.

 

[Balog]

Interesting point. Especially because the gun shown is an old Brit from their colonial period.

 

[Oleg Volk]

Maybe I ought to show same person in two different situations, with and without a rifle.

 

[Geech]

The hand gripping the gun comes from the Freedom side which, in my opinion, is enough to make the point.

 

[Werewolf]

Good points all but it is my understanding that the posters are something that can be copied and posted in public like on telephone poles, public bulletin boards in grocery stores at universities etc... Is this correct? If so then the poster could very easily be taken "out of context" and interpreted in a manner anti-gun.

I like Oleg's idea about adding another person on the right - someone who looks controlled under the slavery side.

 

[Amish_Bill]

Hmmm... Maybe have the arm holding the rifle centered under Freedom, have another arm in old-style manacles coming in from the right under Slavery.

I'm not sure of "The Difference" should be taken out completely or replaced with "The Tools Are Different" or something similar....???

 

[Standing Wolf]

I didn't have any trouble getting it.

 

[Travis McGee]

To me, it's hard to improve upon this image for the clear meaning of the value of the RKBA.

"Only the police and military need firearms."

 

[Travis McGee]

Let's try that again.

Only the police and military need firearms.

 

[dustind]

I thought the poster meant the difference between being a slave or being free was weather or not you were armed.

 

[CaesarI]

An Anti Responds

Survey sample size: 1
Female ~20 yrs old
East Coast person.
Housemate.
Generally opposed to RKBA, but not a "true believer" and somewhat reasonable.

"Come here I need your opinion real fast."
"OK"
::some delay as she was missing pants::
"OK, what do you need"
"Some folks were wondering how this image might be interpreted."
"I think it expresses what you were trying to say about women and guns."
"So if you were going to express what the image is saying in words..."
::Hesitation:: "That the gun makes the difference between whether you're a slave or free, I dunno."

I'm working on getting two others on this campus.

Personally when I first saw it, I read it as intended however, after reading the initial remarks made, i can see how the image may fail to have the intended effect. I believe the 1984 image holds much the same message without the ambiguity. In either case, I love and adore Oleg's website, it gives the Pro-Gun cause a bit of the touchy-feeliness that the liberals like to use. Very non-threatening generally. Good stuff.

-Morgan

 

[CaesarI]

Respondent #2 & #3

Female: 21-22 yrs old
From Tennessee
Has shot before, but is rather anti.

Over AIM:
"I need your interpretation of a particular image for me" - Me
"could you express in words what this image is trying to convey?" -Me
"hmmmmm" - her
"what is that for?" - her
"That's what I'd like you to tell me" - me
"it's a good question" - her

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

Female: 20 yrs old
CA
General phobia of firearms, but I've been workin' her for a few years.

Over AIM:
"I need your interpretation of a particular image for me" - Me
"could you express in words what this image is trying to convey?" -Me
"huh...it could go either way" - her
"it could either say that guns lead people out of slavery" - her
"or it could say that guns lead freedom to slavery" - her
"but my guess is that it is the first" - her

*****************************************
That's two votes for: "we don't really understand what you're trying to say Mr Man."

-Morgan

 

[Werewolf]

Standing Wolf said:

I didn't have any trouble getting it.

And neither did I or anyone else on this forum but the target audience for Oleg's stuff isn't us - we get it - we're already pro RKBA. The target audience is anti's with a hoped for outcome that the light over their head will go on and they'll get it when they see Oleg's art and begin to understand the importance of RKBA.

My wife's no anti, my oldest daughter definitely isn't and my other two just don't think about the issue at all.

I showed the poster to my wife and daughters last night to get their reactions.

My wife didn't get it. My oldest daughter did. My youngest interpreted it just like I believe most anti's would - that gun will make me a slave and my middle daughter basically went - big deal who cares. I didn't prompt them I just asked them what they thought the message was.

The issue is not whether or not "WE" on THR get it but whether an anti would and would it have an impact.

If we're (and OLEG is a huge part of this) going to impact the way antis feel about the RKBA then we better understand how an anti thinks.

 

[tn 1911]

The message is very clear......for both sides of the fence. Why then give the anti guns side more ammo?

Michael

 

[Sean Smith]

Make the hand other than lilly-white and the message would be clearer to the masses. I'm not talking PC, I'm talking maximum visceral impact.

 

[Amish_Bill]

If you really want to be "inclusive".... take my rifle vs manacle idea above and make the rifle arm ambiguously dark and the manacled hand old worn and euro-caucasion-whitish.

 

[Sean Smith]

That will just make people think "right-wing Nazi."

 

[Ol' Badger]

Hey,
Try a M1 Garand in the picture.

Also, I realy realy hate those Nizi pictures of them shooting people and posing for it. It just makes me sick to my stomach every damn time. Makes me sorry to be a member of the Hunam race! So Sad now.

 

[CaesarI]

On second thought

On asking my mad artist skills friend, some ideas came across:

Me: "so we're workin' on ideas about how the image might be modified to make the message more clear and I recalled that you know more about that kinda stuff than I do. So I thought I'd solicit you for suggestions."
Her: "arrow from slavery to freedom"
Me: "have an arrow pointing from one to the other"
Her: "possibly"
Me "how then does one convey the bit about the firearm being the tool that's making the difference?"
Her: "Morgan...why does it matter"
Me: "in a very, very small way it helps the cause."
Her: "a poster like that isn't going to make a difference. No, it's just something else for someone to ignore, and if it's not clear, people are more likely to look at it. It's not the greatest poster and if you make it clear, no one will spend anytime looking at the meaning."
Me: "hadn't thought of that"
Her: "Now, they at least have to consider the possibilties and decide for themselves which it is intended to mean."
Me: "you're smart "
Her: "No, I'm an artist"
Me: "a smart artist?"
Her: "People feel smart when they think they figure things out and they will remember what they come up with."

Thus: keep the post as is.

-Morgan