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Old May 8, 2013, 12:29 PM   #1
saskuach
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Fun gimmick for rallies

Hello everybody,

The usual caveats apply; sorry if this isn't the place to post this or if I missed the applicable forum rules, etc

I thought of a gimmick that we might use at the next rally or protest... with a twist. Please read and let me know your thoughts. I'm fully prepared to get laughed down for this idea, but thought I should share anyway.

What I'm thinking follows along these lines. Since gun control rallies are usually small, the prevailing wisdom on gun communities is to avoid the area so as not to give the impression of there being all too many gun control supporters present. This is sound advice I can stand behind since we don't want to leave any room for the media to interpret our presence as further support.

After some general pondering on the subject of personal freedom in our nanny state, I had an idea. Why don't we mock them? I don't mean in the open carry style of protest where pro-gun community members show up openly carrying guns. All this does is give the gun control crowd ammunition such as "Peaceful moms for common sense gun control are intimidated by armed thugs". What I propose is mockery by joining the protesters and supporting their message. Specifically, the gimmick involves joining the protesters as caricature personas. Let's show up dressed as brown shirts and carry signs saying "Gun control for the ze fatherland". Or dress up like scumbags wearing wifebeaters and backwards caps while holding signs like "I want my victims unarmed". Let's do something unexpected and funny that isn't directly gun-related.

I fully appreciate how low and dirty a tactic like this is. If anybody reading this is offended by this, feel free to call me out and tell me how not so wonderful I am.

Thanks for reading.

TL;DR version:
Let's crash a gun control rally while dressed as nazis and rapists.
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Old May 8, 2013, 12:50 PM   #2
Alabama Shooter
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Quote:
Let's crash a gun control rally while dressed as nazis and rapists.


I fully appreciate how low and dirty a tactic like this is. If anybody reading this is offended by this, feel free to call me out and tell me how not so wonderful I am.
That is almost as stupid as the armed march on DC idea. I say almost because it is not illegal.

I guess you forgot all about this guy?



I don't see a single posititve upside.
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Old May 8, 2013, 01:04 PM   #3
Gaerek
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This is called sandbagging, and it's a pretty common thing to do. Basically, someone opposed to whatever is being rallied for pretends they're one of the people rallying, and then they carry signs that either take the form of a Reducio ad Absurdum argument, or a Red Herring. An example would be people holding racist signs at a Tea Party rally. It's a bad idea. You'll be spotted immediately. For it to work, the media has to be on your side (and in this one, unfortunately, that's not the case for us). In the end, it will hurt the argument more than help it.
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Old May 8, 2013, 01:05 PM   #4
Glockstar .40
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we are law abiding hard working men and women, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives that happen to enjoy firearms and our freedom. why would we degrade and make fools of ourselves to make a point that the constitution already made? thats exactly what the antis want to see but thats not who we are
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Old May 8, 2013, 01:29 PM   #5
dakota.potts
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An obvious, and I mean OBVIOUS caricature of a prisoner might work. I'm talking black and white stripe uniform type thing. Not a Nazi. Leave the Nazi stuff at home. Don't invoke Godwin's Law.
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Old May 8, 2013, 01:36 PM   #6
Evan Thomas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dakota
Leave the Nazi stuff at home.
And leave it out of the discussion, please. No more.

I'm moving this to General Discussion. It's pretty marginal for this forum.
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Old May 8, 2013, 02:00 PM   #7
bumnote
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Quote:
I'm talking black and white stripe uniform
If you'd have to pick a costume then that's the one. Anyone dressed in a wifebeater tanktop, backwards cap or pants that were even remotely baggy will be labeled as a racist portrayal of stereotypes by detractors and some media outlets, even though folks from every race or economic background dresses like that.
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Old May 8, 2013, 02:10 PM   #8
Brian Pfleuger
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I'd consider this very "low road" behavior.

I'll fight the fight by being honest, upstanding, factual, calm, rational and "professional" in deed and word.

The enemy can make fools of themselves. They're only playing for the choir and the genuine "middle-ground" are unimpressed.
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Old May 8, 2013, 02:30 PM   #9
g.willikers
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You could dress up as a lamb, without upsetting anyone, and maybe still get the message across.
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Old May 8, 2013, 03:01 PM   #10
Skans
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I could see myself doing something like this at some event or cause I really didn't care about. Like for some dumb wacko environmental cause - save the owls, horn-towed Junebugs, or anti-nuke rally.

However, I care too much about the 2nd Amendment to poke fun at the antis absurdities at a rally.....not to say that I wouldn't be tempted, I just don't see anything positive coming out of this.
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Old May 8, 2013, 03:18 PM   #11
Spats McGee
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This is a monumentally bad idea, for reasons already expressed.
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Old May 8, 2013, 04:34 PM   #12
Tom Servo
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Stereotyping, lying, and false-flag manipulations are the tools of the other side. We don't need to stoop to that. We shouldn't stoop to that.

Furthermore, imagine the fallout if one of these folks was caught and exposed. It would affect all of us.

It's a terrible idea, and I truly hope nobody has plans to do any such thing.
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Old May 8, 2013, 04:50 PM   #13
LockedBreech
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Their message is already losing steam, fast, and receding back to the usual noisy, whiny, but ineffectual characters like Feinstein. No reason to re-light the fire by coming across as immature or insensitive. And you know the slightest possible hint of racism, sexism, or classism that could be inferred by the rabidly anti-gun media would be, and loud. Cover story on HuffPo loud. All over Facebook loud. No reason to give them that opportunity. Keep writing representatives and senators, funding pro-gun organizations, buying guns and ammo, and being respectable people. Nothing more.
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Old May 8, 2013, 04:52 PM   #14
Spats McGee
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And nothing less.
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Old May 8, 2013, 04:52 PM   #15
LockedBreech
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And nothing less.
Big +1 to that. Just hand-wrote a senator and re-upped my NRA last week.
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Old May 8, 2013, 05:06 PM   #16
Mike Irwin
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Let the other side resort to cheap tricks and vacuous pageantry.

If we truly believe our fight for our Second Amendment rights is just, we do not, and should not, resort to morally bankrupt tactics such what you propose.

Put your energy into constructive displays of support for the Second Amendment, and you will do a lot more for yourself and every other gun owner.

I think you've gotten a pretty good idea of how others feel about this idea, so I don't think this thread needs to go any farther, and shouldn't as it has too much potential to break down into something ugly very quickly.

Thank you all for maintaining an even keel, but closed.
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