August 05, 2004
Moonbat bloggers going nuts over gun t-shirt
Kevin at The Smallest Minority points out the hysteria that liberal blogs are going through this morning over a t-shirt that suggests buying multiple guns of different types.
Seems they're reading more into the message than what's there. After all, the libs seem to think they have to "protect" us "disadvantaged" minorities from the "eeeevil" conservatives...
The barking moonbat wing of the Left has gone bugshit over Rachel Lucas's favorite T-Shirt. Well, Glenn Reynolds owns one, (I own one, too) so Atrios thought it must be racist, and wrote a post about it. Here's his take:And boy did the commenters run with it...Now, Glenn's a gun fan and I imagine he's just celebrating the joys of guns, or whatever, but this shirt is no joke. There's a serious subtext here which is totally obvious to me that I think should be pointed out. Now, I don't think everyone who has purchased a shirt like this has purchased it with the subtext in mind, but nonetheless the message is clear.And your problem with that is....? But no, it means "celebrate diversity" by buying a bunch of different guns. (The "fucking guns" is a dead giveaway that Atrios is not a "gun fan." Please pardon my stating the obvious.)
The caption is "celebrate diversity." The colors of the caption are
commonly used pan-African colors: red, yellow, and green. While, for many, the "joke" (though, I'm not sure why it's funny) is that here diversity is a diversity of guns. Ha ha. But, look, the clear message here is that the way to celebrate diversity, particularly that pan-African diversity, is to buy a bunch of fucking guns. In other words, celebrate diversity by arming yourself.
You'll note that the shirt doesn't say "Hey white folk! Celebrate diversity!" Nope, it's an equal opportunity shirt! Everybody join in! All colors of the rainbow, you too can join the nation of responsible citizens who own guns! It's not just for white crackers anymore!
But the commenters ran with it.
I read a much darker subtext into that.And believe it or not, the comments went downhill from there.(A)nd, I presume, shoot as many pan-Africans as possible, maybe even a few queers, since the colors are also reminiscent of the gay flag.
Welcome to more and more fascism.
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I thought it was more sinister than even your interpretation. I read it as "Celebrate Diversity -- kill a black person."
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...it says to me "kill the black, brown, yellow, red, ...". Sometimes I wonder if women and non-whites just get it, because they have encountered it so much.
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Right wingers equate guns with power.
Mao: Power grows out of the barrel of a gun.
This, the right wing endorses greatly. This is why they are always sore losers in elections.
For the record, I support everyone legally owning guns. I'm happy that we have that right as Americans. I've got no problem with the t-shirt. I think it's kind of humorous. And I think the Moonbats who have their panties in a wad need to get a collective life. Far away from me.
Posted by mhking at August 5, 2004 09:06 AMMy dad would absolutely LOVE this shirt. I ought to get it for him.
Posted by: Expertise at August 5, 2004 10:56 AMCould these moonbats get any more ridiculous?
It still kills me that they consider Glenn Reynolds a conservative Republican gun nut. The guy readily admits he's a liberal, but the problem is he is a liberal with some conservative tendencies. And this drives them absolutely crazy.
I love it...
Posted by: Tman at August 5, 2004 11:14 AMLiberals are obsessed with race. They recognize their own prejudice, feel guilty for it and then think everyone else has the same thing in their hearts. That's why they are always blaming others of racism, "celebrating diversity", and promoting preference for people of other races.
I only read Atrios stuff for the first time today. He is irrational and twists things out of their context so much, it is a wonder people could actually take his writing seriously. I am not a great (or even a good) writer, but I hope people take me more seriously than that knucklehead.
Posted by: Joel (No Pundit Intended) at August 5, 2004 11:17 AMTman, Glenn may say he's a liberal, but based on his writings I'll bet it's more of a classical liberal or libertarian bent than modern liberalism.
David,
I agree completely. It irks me that modern liberalism has highjacked the word from its intended meaning.
Hopefully people like Glenn and others (myself included) can take it back.
Posted by: Tman at August 5, 2004 12:17 PMThat a "liberal" would see that t-shirt and think it means "Celebrate Diversity -- kill a black person" may be rediculous, but it's not unexpected. They see "racism" everywhere.
Support a war on Islamo-fascists and they'll call you a racist. Support lower taxes and limited Federal government and they'll call you a racist. Support school vouchers, oppose abortion, believe in the seperation of powers of courts and legislatures, wear a flag pin on your lapel, fill in the potholes on Main Street, and, oh, oppose the racial profiling of State college admissions "diversity" programs and they'll call you a racist.
I know plenty of lefties and it's not a debating tactic to them, they really believe it! They really don't understand how righties look at these things, so lefties ascribe nefarious motives to righties by rote.
The first time I saw that shirt -- months n' months ago -- I knew immediately that some liberals would think it had a "dark subtext".
Par, meet Course.
Posted by: Tuning Spork at August 5, 2004 01:02 PMThe sky is falling! The sky is falling!
And they call US conspiracy theorists? Laughable.
Posted by: Deb at August 5, 2004 01:03 PMWhen I first saw the ad for this shirt, at least six months back, I sniggered and giggled, and then forgot about it.
NOW that it's a cause celebre, I have abso-dam-lutely gotta have one of these things.
I'll save it for special occasions, when only the best offensive wear will do.
I know!
When I go back to San Jose, CA to visit, I'll be sure to where it! Then, all the moonbats can get rightously offended so they can feel better!
Oh.....Gimme A Break!
Posted by: Ward Gerlach at August 6, 2004 12:19 AMA famous communist radical writer--you'd properly place him in the Soul Patrol--whose name escapes me once complained radicals have no sense of humor. More proof he's right.
Posted by: LCVRWC at August 6, 2004 07:58 AMI've *got* to start getting my thoughts together. What *really* cracks me up is these might well be some of the same moonbats who saw the red, white, and black at the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler's blog and thought, "Nazi!"
Me, I see red, white, and black and think, "Chicago Bulls!" and "New Jersey Devils!"
Posted by: LCVRWC at August 6, 2004 08:02 AMMichael, found your blog via your comment in Kevin's post. Glad I did, now into the blogroll with you.
As was mentioned above, I saw this shirt a while back and found it to be quite funny. Strange though, I got no racist hatred from it whatsoever. I guess there's something wrong with me. Anyway, I am definitely getting one now. Should go over big in Cambridge or Jamaica Plain (ultra-socialist enclaves in the Peoples Republic of Boston).
Posted by: Bruce at August 6, 2004 08:37 AMReminds me a little bit of the looks I got in NYC about ten years ago when I wore a t-shirt I bought in Norway with a drawing of a spear-holding Viking standing on top of a dead whale with the text above the whale reading "Save the Whales" and the text below the drawing of the whale "For Dinner". People were visably shocked.
Posted by: RP at August 6, 2004 02:37 PMKnow what? I'm a straight white guy who owns guns. And the t-shirt in question.
I'll bet my in-laws-of-color will be very surprised to learn that I'm secretly plotting their demise.
Just when you think you've seen every possible version of tinfoil-hat paranoia, they go and top themselves.
Posted by: Alan S. at August 6, 2004 02:54 PMWow, I better tell my friend at work about that subtext. He wears his all the time. He's black.
Posted by: Ted at August 7, 2004 04:54 PMDoes anyone know where i can purchase one of these t-shirts. i think it is a great t-shirt and thats not being a racisit facist bastard i just like the shirt.
Posted by: Peter at September 18, 2005 10:56 PM