Boycotts Are Funny
by Cam CannonWho else finds protests and boycotts a little, I don’t know, funny?
I remember when I realized that protests and boycotts first began to amuse me. There was a Domino’s Pizza down the street from my house in suburban Atlanta. This must have been about 1985, and some pro-abortion group got wind that the dude who started Domino’s gave money to anti-abortion causes. Well, this stuck in their collective craw, and they went and made them some signs, and proceeded to picket the location near my house.
Then the anti-abortion groups decided they’d counter protest, and they made up some signs of their own, and there everybody was holding up conflicting signs and ranting and raving. Thankfully, nobody got hurt, but more to the point, not one mind was changed as a result of this protest. My daddy, God rest his Georgia-Bulldog loving soul, pointed out the obvious, which is, “Nobody goes to Domino’s to order a pizza.”
I don’t mean to (abortion is wrong) endorse any side (bombing clinics doesn’t help), but if I was annoyed with this protesting crap at 15 (I mean 7) can you imagine how I feel about it at 38 (I mean 30)? The Domino’s illustration, um, illustrates that the practice of boycotting and protesting proves to be irresistible to causes from the left and the right. To wit, here are my Top Five Funniest Protests. In no particular order:
5) Corner of Hollywood and Cahuenga, 2004: The night that Bush beat Kerry, and the signs were out in full force. He had stolen the election, see. Voter intimidation and disenfranchisement had forced countless numbers of minority voters (really, nobody bothered counting because it was a bunch of bull) to vote for the evil Republicans. You know…the party that pushed the Civil Rights Act through in 1964, but had in years since turned malevolent and evil – look, I’m not going to recap the speech from Matrix Reloaded for you. They’re evil! Not to mention the voting machines. They don’t work! They’re not trustworthy! They’re made by Republicansssssss! Cut to: 2006 Mid-Term Elections. The Democrats thumped the Evil Ones, and what do you know? No one raises a stink about the voting machines or disenfranchisement.
4) Prop H8 Protests, Los Angeles, 2008-Present: Those opposed to Prop 8 took a long time to get organized on this one, which is odd for a group that I’m sure is decidedly non-Baptist. Once the smoke had cleared and they’d finished celebrating Obama’s historic election, they realized they’d lost another crucial battle. Hastily organized boycotts were planned at the Mormon Tabernacle on Santa Monica, where the protesters tore a page from the Baptist’s script, “Tell everyone that disagrees with you on this that they’re hateful people. Then they’ll vote the other way should this thing hit the ballot a second time. I mean a third time.” I don’t hate homosexuals. I do feel like the Evangelical movement has unfairly and incorrectly targeted them (see below), but I can’t bring myself to vote for changing the definition of a word that has had that definition for generations. Can I be swayed? Maybe, but calling me a hatemonger will not do the trick.
3) The Baptists Boycott Disney: This was sometime in the mid-1990s, a group of Baptists decided that there were secret messages in Disney movies, and that Disney (the company not the man) did nothing to stop homosexuals from attending their parks en masse. Subsequently, the rallying cry “It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!” was temporarily replaced by “It’s Spin and Marty, not…oh wait! It is Spin and Marty!” In the interest of full disclosure, I was a member of the Baptist church at the time, and we didn’t participate in the boycott. Not because our congregation was against it; no, I was a dissenting voice in that debate (dissension is Christian, I’d always say). But unbeknownst to those outside the Baptist denomination, the Baptist church is kinda what I would call Unorganized Religion. Most churches are independent and answer to no hierarchy. This isn’t why the boycott failed. It failed because it was insane. The mission of the Baptist Church, and all Evangelic faiths, is to win people over through examples of Christ’s love. The Boycotting Baptists, in my view, said, “Aw, the heck with that. Let’s piss off the gays real good. Then they’ll join our church!” It’s what my wife would call bass-ackwards.
2) March 18, 2003 – Franklin and the 101, Hollywood: Bush is Hitler signs were everywhere. A guy had a sign that read, “Honk if you Hate Bush.” This was only days before Operation Iraqi Freedom, so these protesters were true believers, baby. Also, not many cars were honking – some, but not a majority by my recollection. Honk if you hate Bush guy leans over to my car and implores me to honk. Nah. He yells at me, tells me he’s going to kick my ass. The light turned green and I went to the Grove to see “Dreamcatchers” starring Thomas Jane.
1) The one I drove past on Sunset Boulevard the other night: This happened across from the Beverly Hills Hotel. It might not even be amusing – maybe these protesters were fighting the good fight, and had their hearts in the right place. I don’t know because I couldn’t get a good look at their signs, and I really tried. I think they said something about Hospital on them…but I dunno. It was dark. I was going fast, for Sunset, anyway.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
91 Comments
This is why I loved the group Protest Warrior. They were the most punk rock thing we had going. They'd infiltrate leftist protests with signs reading things like "Except for ending Slavery, Facism, Nazism and Communism, WAR HAS NEVER SOLVED ANYTHING."
“It’s Spin and Marty, not…oh wait! It is Spin and Marty!”
OK, that's pretty funny. Really, without gay people as a talent pool, Disney would not only never make another animated feature, they'd have to close their retail mall outlets. I just figured "Gay Day at Disneyland" was part of their employee benefits package.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I'm kind of with you, Cam. The sight of people marching in place with hand-lettered signs is not likely to make me rethink my position on any social or political issue. I generally have one of two reactions:
1) If it's a position I disagree with, it's "Get off the street you morons";
2) If it's a position I agree with, it's "Get off the street you morons, you're giving the movement a bad name."
OK, one reaction, with a nuance…
eh, I don't know that I can agree with you on this.
First of all, I think protesting on the left is a bit different from protesting on the right. So I will address what I know: attenting conservative "protests". When you say that it won't cause anybody to change their mind, you are correct in that nobody will walk by and have a different opinion by the time they get to the other side of the street. But it does accomplish a couple things:
1) Let's people on the left know that there is opposition to whatever the issue is. Too often the left is allowed to repeat some mantra w/o the right ever disputing it, which ends up allowing it to become an assumed truth. Example: "we lost the Iraq war". It was repeated so often by the left and disputed so little by the right, that it became a given. Even though now here we are today having won the Iraq war.
2) Let's conservatives know that there are others out there who agree with them. Most conservatives have an actual life and don't center their lives around partisan hysteria. Not to mention that movies, tv, school, pop culture, etc, all lean to the left. So it is not uncommon for conservatives to think they are surrounded by people who disagree with them, causing them to just give up. Protesting (or whatever) with a group of like-minded people gives some hope to the cause. I think this site itself is a great example of that, actually.
I understand your general point that people who are always outraged and protesting stuff are annoying. But I don't think that a blanket statements about all protests can be made.
Now as a boycotting baptist I have to admit that your recollection is not entirely correct. It was actually over the promotion of homosexuality at their parks (gay days or whatever), I don't remember it having anything to do with their movies. It was a little more organized and as equally insane. My family (which my dad is a SB minister) went to Disney World during this time and bought droves of Disney movies. So, you weren't exactly the only dissenter! This was hilarious BTW.
So why not call the piece "Protests are Funny?" I think the Baptists were boycotting Disney because they also gave spousal benefits to same-sex partners. (It failed, IMHO because the Baptists got tired of their kids crying because they couldn't have their Cinderella gowns and Mickey Mouse jammies or watch the Lion King anymore.) Personally, no matter how much I might disagree with a street protest, as long as it remains peaceful I kind of get jazzed that we can protest so freely and easily here. And that means to freely be a jackass (naked PETA fir protests, or Phelps and his crowd who I really wish would just die already) as well as to stand up for serious causes you believe in.
I agree. They are funny. Who honestly takes any protest PETA does seriously? Or when you see pro-union clowns protesting the construction of a building that isn't using union workers? The buildings always finish and always open for business. I've always wanted to partake in a protest that I have the opposite view on and hold up a sign that is completely unrelated. Like if it's a "No blood for oil!" protest, hold up a sign that says "Bring back Quantum Leap!" or something like that.
I don't boycott… I just make other choices.
I think that for a lot of people protests are a social event… but I don't care for crowds, so…
Tom, my sister-in-law worked for many years in the disability department for Disney insurance (it doesn't exist anymore, it was outsourced to MetLife). She shocked me when she related tales of cast members who would file insurance claims that involved injuries which included gerbils and light bulbs. I didn't want to ask how these incidences occured on the job or why. In some ways it's not the happiest place on the Earth (or is, depending on your "life-style").
It's not funny (except in a black comedy, utterly embarrassing sort of way), but the Westboro Baptist Church should be on the list. These idiots somehow decided that protesting the funerals of soldiers would get their message across of hate for gays. They've protested pretty much everyone, whether on the Left or Right. If nothing else, you could cite one of the times they tried to protest a military funeral, only to be thwarted by the Patriot Guard (a group of motorcycle riders who travel to protect the families mourning their losses).
Like I said, these sick scumbags aren't funny, but they are a perfect example of protests gone way, way too far.
I used to love driving by the Anti0War protesters at Laurel Cyn and Ventura just to flip them off.
Good times
[...] Download added an interesting post on Boycotts Are BFunny/BHere’s a small excerptWho else finds protests and boycotts a little, I don’t know, Bfunny/B? I remember when I realized that protests and boycotts first began to… [...]
I think that for a lot of people protests are a social event…
Hey, losers and rejects need love too. Others are there because they want to be in charge of something. Anything. And what easier pickings are there than losers and rejects? I'm not speaking from animus. Years before I cared anything about politics, or protests, I couldn't help but notice how many losers and rejects that were always at these things. Does that make me judgemental? You betcha!
Guess I'm just a h8ter.
[...] Big Hollywood added an interesting post on Boycotts Are FunnyHere’s a small excerptNot because our congregation was against it; no, I was a dissenting voice in that debate (dissension is BChristian/B, I’d always say). [...]
Isn't there a saying about wickedness flourishing when good folks do nothing…Protests are the way some of us good folks try to do something….Sort of like this blog…I have personally had the opportunity to share my views with those on the other side in ways I never would have if I were not standing toe to toe with them on a sidewalk in America…I love a good protest and God bless those that care enough to take time out of their busy lives to make a statement…
I totally agree with you nowadays about public protests. It's really interesting, when I was a kid and would watch programs about the Vietnam war protests, I would think "wow it's amazing I live in a country where the average person can stand together with like minded people, make their voices heard, and influence the government's decisions."
Then one day I saw K-Mart workers picketing their store while on strike and realized, these people are really just deadbeats. You wanted more pay? Try working someplace other than K-Mart. My views on the anti-war protests have changed to reflect that as well, these people have nothing better to do than block traffic and yell in peoples faces. The so-called "peace" movement uses some very un-peaceful rhetoric to push their agendas.
Protests are amusing. In college I was required to attend a local Democrat rally (for the 2004 elections. To be fair, the Prof. also made us attend the Republican rally). Not being a Democrat or a liberal, I decided I would go and protest. I had a friend make signs, one saying "Kerry Waffles: A Tastier Flip Flop" and the other "Vote Kerry Nov 3" which was the day after the elections. I also bought a cheap toster and waffles from wall mart, so I stood there offering people free waffles. Everyone loved it, even the head of the local branch of the Democrat Party, except for one woman who told me where I could shove my waffles. Which made me laugh even more.
Protests do acomplish one thing, they bring attention to what ever the issue is, for good or ill. Like Anonymous's protests of Scientology, it got the word out about that crazy group (Scientology, not Anonymous, although Anonymous is crazy, its a different kind of crazy then Scientology).
I have to agree that calling everyone that opposes you a hatemonger will not sway people to the gay marriage side. It wouldn't surprise me if there were Mormons and other churchgoers who were ready to tolerate gay marriage in CA, but were turned off when they saw their church picketed in really a hateful, bigoted way.
My crystal ball says if this comes up on ballot again, it will repeat its loss and by a greater margin.
My wife purposely puts on C-SPAN (not the BookTV one) on the weekends in the hopes that they'll be showing protests. If they do, she calls to the kids and me, "Come on guys, let's watch the morons!" She then likes to count how many "guest" speakers at the protest bring up other things to protest about. "Free Mumia!" at an anti-prop 8 protest…
I want to join your movement.
My three favorite protests from the last 3 years (all in D.C. which I live near, so I'm at the Mall a lot and see a lot of random protests).
1. A lone woman marching up and down Constitution Avenue in a hot pink outfit with a bullhorn and billboard on her front and back chanting about impeaching Bush and Cheney (she actually had a checklist on her billboard and the top name was checked off, I can't remember who that was — maybe Libby) — I crossed the street to avoid her.
2. So, various neo-Nazi groups marched on the Capitol last year for some reason, not sure why, that's not the funny part. The funny part is apparently Anarchists are big opponents of Nazis and some anarchist group had somehow gotten together a counter-protest. But, being anarchists, they weren't really very organized. So as my family and I walked around the National Mall that Saturday we would occasionally come across small groups of random anti-Nazi anarchists with construction paper signs that said "no Nazis," looking like they were supposed to be somewhere else but they couldn't figure out where that was–they were very charming in their earnestness and I appreciated that they felt that someone should be protesting neo-Nazis.
3. my all time favorite protester is the man camped out in front of the White House with the "Live by the Bomb, Die By the Bomb – No Nukes" Tent — he was there 15 years ago when I came sightseeing as a college student and he was there the last time I walked past the White House. Got to admire the tenacity.
In the city where I live, a KFC opened up in one of the most liberal neighborhoods in town. Of course, right away animal rights protestors set up shop outside with non-stop demonstrations against KFC's cruelty to chickens. PETA even opened an office across the street to help facilitate the cause.
That was a few years ago. The protestors and the PETA office are now gone; the KFC is still there.
As a police officer, I was assigned to perimeter security for the vice presidential debates, held at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. We arrived at our post around 4PM. As I looked around, I only saw Obama/Biden supporters, decked out in ACORN and public service employee union t-shirts. I began to wonder where the McCain/Palin supporters were. I then recalled the time of day and realized that the Republicans were all still at work.
Special bonus points went to the drunk lady in the ACORN t-shirt, wielding a bullhorn and shrieking delightful bon mots such as; VOTE FOR JOE BINEN-HE'S BETTER THAN OLD WHAT'S HIS NAME! ON NOVEMBER 6TH YOU GOTSTA GET OUT OF BED AND GET YOUR VOTE ON! ON NOVEMBER 6TH, BEFORE YOU POST UP (street slang for going to the street corner your gang controls and selling narcotics) YOU GOTTA GO VOTE! The RNC needs to hire this lady next election cycle, just to (further) confuse Democratic voters. What I really loved was the respect and acceptance shown to this "womyn of color" by the white liberals who merely rolled their eyes instead of correcting her on her repeated mispronounciation of Biden and her repeated misstatement of the correct election date.
Where do I sign up?
Oh, yeah, the Westboro in-breds. I remember them!
The Patriot Guard is too mild for my tastes. Have the buddies of the fallen hero in attendance, then let them loose.
No more protesters.
A guy (I assume) who goes by the name "Cum Cannon" on a site called Big Hollywood is going to sneer at people who, for better or worse, believe in something and have the unmitigated uncoolness to try and do something about it. You, sir, are part of the problem.
A protest I remember reading about years ago had me in stitches. Apparently while running for President at a stop Ronald Reagan met some crazies all chanting – so what does Ed Rollins do but start acting as a conductor and helping them chant. That must have **really** pissed them off.
"Phelps and his crowd who I really wish would just die already"
Its like John Becker said: "The good ones die and the annoying ones linger on."
"Bring Back Quantum Leap"
Be careful, if I see you I might think you are being serious and try to join in the protest. I love that show!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYxFiVMc2vI
Lighten up, Francis.
Clever pun on my name, though.
The westboro Baptist Church is probably the only group in America that has succeeded in pissing off every corner of America (except the ACLU).
They have protested at teh following funerals:
-Gays
-AIDS victims (Gay or not)
-U.S. Soldiers
-The Coal Miners who died
-Tried to protest at the Amish girls' funerals (Fox News radio host made deal to stop it)
-Mr. Rogers (No kiddin')
They also picketed Billy Graham's revivals saying "God Hates Billy Graham."
Oh, and they say Bill O'reilly is going to hell for his "persecution" of church members.
The smartest thing the pro-life movement ever did was to realize that it doesn't help their cause to annoy people. That's something the left has yet to learn… but then, their ideas aren't really convincing unless you add a little force, are they?
Scientology? Is there a problem with Scientology? I just signed some forms from them. They showed me a video with Tom Cruise on it…. hold on, there's someone at the door.
My favorite protest (if that's what it's called) is watching the Libertarian convention on CSPAN. Loads of fun, much chaos.
Every Friday night in my home town, there is a group that protests Bush (what now?) and the war. It wasn't too long before military vets started protesting the protesters on the opposite corner. This has gone on for years. Last year, on Halloween, a group of us decided to stage a Pirate/Ninja protest on the remaining two corners. We chose sides, dressed up, and made signs. We had fun and made people laugh…including the vets. Interestingly, the Bush/war protesters did not think it was funny and walked over to let us know. Apparently their free speech was more important than ours.
… sneer at people who, for better or worse, believe in something and have the unmitigated uncoolness to try and do something about it …
Or are desperately in need of jobs. One or the other.
Whatever happened to them? They could have been left or right, I would have loved them for the sheer hilarity of it all.
OK, man, that's funny
Wish I could have seen that.
"March 18, 2003 – Franklin and the 101, Hollywood: Bush is Hitler signs were everywhere. A guy had a sign that read, 'Honk if you Hate Bush. This was only days before Operation Iraqi Freedom, so these protesters were true believers, baby. Also, not many cars were honking – some, but not a majority by my recollection."
The honking thing expressing hatred of Bush sure had changed by 2006. I remember getting nasty insults when I protested the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In 2006 people were honking and honking and yelling "Thank you" from their cars. Luckily they followed up by voting lots more Democrats into Congress. But I have to admit, I don't think the protests were the cause. Bush created change all by himself.
BWAHAHA! That was amusing. Hopefully our usually sane friend Andrew was teasing…………I was going to bring up the Anon. people doing the Scientology protests. I agree with them, and support that whole heartedly. More people need to know about that crap. As for protests, I know that a lot of conservatives have been having no more porkulus protests, and are planning to have Tea Parties all over the country, tomorrow, I think. So, I think those are valid points. I have never been the protest type, but I am o.k. with it, I guess. Some will always be stupid, there are stupid people in this world. I grew up as a Southern Baptist, in Alabama and Georgia, and remember the Disney protests, I never knew anyone who actually went ot one, though. In my early 20's before I realized how awful abortion really was, I went with a pregnant friend to a clinic in ATL to see about an abortion, and got hit in the head with a sign by a protester. The wooden stake part is what made contact, and I had a huge goose egg. The woman that whacked me was like 75. I was actually afraid of her though, they had a mob of about 25 people. I did the math.
OK, another more recent entry. Today some lone guy at the busy street corner with disheveled hair holding up an "Impeach Bush" sign.
That BDS takes awhile to work its way out of the system, it seems…
The unfunny comedian David Cross, who apparently is a frequent protestor, has also said the same thing. He was talking about how he goes to a protest to actually voice his opinion on the cause at hand, but most people just used it as an excuse to sit in a circle and play their bongos.
Don't worry, I was teasing. I've heard enough about them to know better…
When I was younger, I did a year in Memphis (8th grade) which sounds a lot like Alabama/Georgia. I remember the Disney protests as well. In fact, I remember lots of protests. Apparently, almost everything I enjoyed doing was letting the devil invade my soul. Who knew?!
By the way, I had a case years ago that took me down to Columbia, Georgia (on the border with Ala). You know, it totally reminded me of the Dukes of Hazard! Very friendly, but also very rural.
Yeah, there are some nutjobs there, but we sane libertarians want a limited fiscally responsible government just as much as conservatives. Social issues aside, libertarians and conservatives have a lot in common.
Maybe he's got dial up?
You have to do that again, and bring a camera next time. Hilarious!
Have helped out Deb and Mac (on the good guys' side) from time to time, but haven't been over there since the election. Have the lefties finally packed up ship and gone home?
Some pretty funny protest signs:
http://www.cracked.com/article_15850_25-most-nons...
I had a similar situation in 1989 when I was going to provide pizza (out of pocket) for an office party. When the secretary informed me that I couldn't use Dominos for their stance on abortion, I said said "Fine, you want to dictate what pizza will be provided, you pay for it." Needless to say, we wound up having Dominos pizza. It's funny how the facile liberals want to talk the talk, but not walk the walk. And I should add, said secretary ate more than her share of the anti-abortion pizza. I guess reality kicked in.
Protests never work…but they are a testament to the freedom of speech. Unfortunately, not very many respects this freedom of speech.
2) If it's a position I agree with, it's "Get off the street you morons, you're giving the movement a bad name."
I remember seeing an abortion documentary years back that dealt a lot with the protesters. I'm sure it should be taken with a grain of salt, since it was mostly negative towards the Pro-Life folks (and done by the MSM), but the images of angry, mean protesters with hateful signs, chanting slogans that were anything but examples of God's love, were quite haunting. The very end of the film was a quick flash of some moron in a trench coat in the crowd who muttered something threatening, then pulled the coat to the side to show a gun.
My exact thought was your #2. Their attitudes did everything possible to push my sympathies to the other side. I'm sure there are wonderful protesters who are kind and out there with the sincere wish to change people's minds, but their cause is greatly damaged by the ones who are out there to let everyone else know they are sinners and about to burn in Hell.
It also would seem to be a great place to meet liberal (wink, wink) young women.
Yes, Columbia is rural, and I suppose Hazardish. I grew up in that type of environment, so it isn't that much of a culture shock for me. Baptist churches are really diverse. I never heard all of those extreme messages that everything was bad for you at my church, but I remember visiting some that were a wee much. The most frightened I have even been, was in a rural Pentecostal church and the ginormous rattlers were brought out. After seeing them remove a few 6 footers from a box, I learned that I do have really fast reflexes. I didn't even want to know what type of sins one had to be denouncing there. The best part of that whole experience, though, was right at the first of the preaching, when an old woman in her 80's leapt over a pew. I still don't know how she did that. Divine intervention?? LOL>
I lived in Austin for many years and was there during the attempt by Al Gore and his lawyers to hijack the 2000 presidential election. The little lefty neo-commies were there in force down my beloved U.T. and protested in camera shot daily. The entire national press was set up, camped out and had cameras rolling during evening news, primetime east coast time 3:00 Central. So when downtown, which was daily, I'd circle the block, honk the horn, smile like I agreed, then comboed a Toyota 4×4 horn blast (meeeep) with a center finger. The confused, bewildered looks on the little future Obama supporters faces, priceless! Ah, good times….
I make it a habit to ignore all protests, regardless of the cause. I'm sorry, but I have no interest in them, because I've never seen one, not one, that made me think, "Hey, they're right! I never considered that." And I've never seen one that wasn't self serving in one way or another.
When they start protesting protests, I might consider joining in. Until then, it's background noise, static. I just turn up the squelch.
They're led by a Democrat — of course they think God hates Billy Graham.
libertarians and conservatives have a lot in common.
Like our mutual inability to get a sane candidate to run for office.
I've heard this from ER doctors. The things they end up extracting is pretty twisted. Of course, I'm not sure any of those happened on the job.
Hey Ed, hold this lightbulb for me. Can't Vern, my hands are full. I've got an idea Ed, hold tight.
WBC is so reprehensible that it is poor taste to try to tack them to either the right or left. They're their own little corner of filth. I say that as someone who grew up in Kansas and is quite familiar with their antics. They're a pack of lawyers who intentionally try to get sued among other things to make money. Whether or not they actually believe the things they say they do is open for debate, but their "congregation" is mostly family members and people married to family members if that gives you an idea of how significant they really are.
Yes, we are having a tea party and march out here tomorrow morning. Mainly because the Senator in question no longer answers her phone and leaves her voicemail box full so that her constituents cannot reach her with their concerns over what is happening in our Congress. Last Saturday, we protested a Representitive who is behaving the same way. I would hazard a guess that if we were allowed access to even the staffers of the two, people out here wouldn't be frustrated enough to march, but they aren't listening to us anymore.
My husband works at an animal pharma plant where they do animal testing. If PETA ever pickets, they plan to have one guy who owns a gorilla suit dress up in it and come running out of the building chased by two others with a syringe who inject the "gorilla" and drag him back inside.
That would have been awesome to see and be a part of.
I find it's the prop 8 boycotts that are amusing. Both those who supported and those who opposed the proposition used boycotts and protests extensively before the vote, and then continued afterwards to express their disapproval of those organisations that chose the opposing side. All very well – it's a perfectly legitimate means of expression, and can be an effective means of applying pressure. The funny part comes when both sides then start accusing the *other* of using protests and boycotts as if they were some filthy underhanded trick – Christian news started reporting on how prop-8 opponents were organising boycotts of Christian-owned businesses because their owners donated to support prop 8, while more liberal news sources carried stories of how churches and conservative pressure groups have instructed their followers to boycott any company that had opposed the proposition. Both sides condemning from their opposition the very techniques they used themselves – and indeed continue to use right up to this day.
Couldn't tell you.Thankfully, we moved
I think the funniest protests are when people can't spell (see http://gawker.com/5007897/lurn-to-speek-english-m...
Oh yeah! They came down to my church and protested my church one Sunday (an elected official in our legislature wrote legislation making it illegal to protest at funerals 2 hours before or after the event)! I consider that as a badge of honor! Those kiddoes are crazy and mean! Don't try talking to them, they'll just spit on you!
Sounds like a fun (yikes) church. When they brought out the snakes, you should have held up a giant mongoose! (assuming you had one on you of course)
I'm sympathetic to many libertarian views, though I think sadly their party has been hijacked by the pot people. Also, I think we as a country would be better off it they joined the Republican party and pushed that Party in the right direction (pun intended).
Well said Tom. I plan to steal that line.
You have got to video tape that and put it on the net PLEASE!!!!!!! Tape it from the crowd, I'd love to hear the mindless commentary!
In honor of your father.. GOOOOOOOOO DAWGS! SICK'UM!
http://xkcd.com/470/
Instead of protesting, go back to the methods that work: sit-ins. If you don't like Gay Days at Disney, go anyway, hop on a ride, and refuse to get up. They don't have enough security to drag everyone, individually, off every ride.
True story: After Bush won the second time, at my university, all the liberals gathered on the mall for a pity-party bongo circle. At one point they started holding hands in a circle and singing. A couple of Campus Republicans saw this, and started playing Duck-Duck-Goose with them.
Illustrates which party knows more about having fun, don't you think?
We can always hope.
I'm organizing a boycott of Coke because the Obama administration prefers it to Pepsi. Who's with me?
It kind of makes me proud that people in my generation, which many people refer to as 'slackers' can get motivated about something.
I'm organizing a boycott of Pepsi because their new logo looks like a rip off of Major League Sailboating. Who's with me?
I'm Southern Baptist and I've never been to an anti-gay (or anti-anything for that matter) protest.
I think people mistake the support for legalization as carte blance to toke up whenever you feel like it. The actual logic is that it isn't any more harmless than alcohol, which is perfectly legal, regulated and heavily taxed. What the "pot people" don't get is that wearing hemp clothes and dreadlocks hurt their cause, because it perpetuates the negative stygma that is associated with MJ.
HOPE for CHANGE…it worked for the liberals.
The only anti-abortion protests I have seen locally were basicly just a bunch of soccer moms and grandmothers standing in front of a clinic and chatting and waving to passers by. There may have been a few praying the rosary, but that was about as subversive and dangerous as it got. I guess those protests dont make for good lead-ins for the evening news. My favorite protest however was the attractive young lady from PETA who chained herself naked to a sign outside the Barnum and Bailey Circus in downtown St.Louis. It was pretty chilly that morning so I wasnt sure if I should have laughed at her or tipped her a dollar.
To clarify a bit on #3, the boycott was called by the Southern Baptists, the "organized" Baptists who actually have a convention, not the Independent Baptists who basically govern themselves church by church without any overseeing body. That said, I was a member of a Southern Baptist church at the time (am now Independent) and no one in our church gave a flip about the protest that our convention had decided we should all participate in. Heck, our assistant pastor and his family had season passes to Disneyland.
1) That's pretty damned funny.
2) I am changing my boycott to the American Sailing League because its logo mimics Major League Baseball. Who's with me?
Who takes a PETA protest seriously? Over half of the Democrats currently serving in the Congress for starters. That is what makes them dangerous.
Consider this a protest post, or maybe it is a counter protest post. Anyway Go 'Ramblin Wreck. For all y'all Yankees or west coast residents that would be Georgia Tech, the in state arch enemies and coaching career killers of that state college with a bulldog.
On my side of town boycotting Disney was over the concern that Disney was secretly run by gays wearing feather boas who were using the wholesome Disney label to reach and corrupt our children. In fact, I learned that if you hold up the box for The Little Mermaid and look at it just right, you can see a part of the male anatomy in the background. But only on the original cases, the second run had been cleaned up. My daughters' friend taught us that one. The girls were about 10 years old at the time. Oh, my.
LOL! What he means is we fire coaches that don't beat Tech. Sort of a dubious honor for the Jackets, don't you think? Y'all boycotted winning football games against us for, what, seven years? Bring back Chan Gailey! Paul Johnson's too good. Did he get a lifetime contract for beating us his first year? That was a helluva game, and you sir, are a good man and a helluvan Engineer. Thanks for reading!
Just FYI:
It is amazing just how hard it is to spit when you break the jawbones of asses…
I also try at all times to avoid talking to animals outside my species…unless they're being aggressive and dangerous. I have a tendency to become quite vexed at such behavior….
Liked the story. I was at an amusing Prop 8 protest back in November near the Kodak theater…or was it several protests.
For the most part harmless, except to tourists who wanted to get somewhere, but it was funny how they all somehow thought Obama was going to help them out. If I recall, his policy is in line with most Republicans technically. Let the state's decide. Apparently CA decided. Who knew?
Looking forward to more stories Cam.
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
You must be logged in to post a comment.