Bumperstickers and Patriotism: How do you respond to the slogans?

[Sparkly]

Have you seen these bumperstickers, and do you make assumptions about the people who have them?

- Part of the American flag with "God Bless America" (sometimes shaped like a ribbon)
- Part of the American flag with "United We Stand"
- Yellow ribbon of "Support Our Troops"

These shouldn't piss me off. So I'm really pissed off that they piss me off.

Why do I see these as propagandized signals of "Get behind the Preznit, No Dissent" or blindly nationalist "Get behind every mission of America including the bloody blunder in Iraq," especially when they are combined on one bumper? The frequency of their combination with B/C stickers has even gotten me glaring at plain American flag stickers! I hate it when I do that.

I DO love my country, I DO care about our soldiers, I DO wish there were a level of unity and respect overarching the differences both in Washington and among us common people. That's why I'm so pissed at being pissed -- these should be themes I embrace.

I want to get one of each of these and put them on my car, along with an anti-Bush* bumpersticker (suggestions welcome)! That's something I've never seen.

Are these bumpersticker-slogans the ultimate in Republicans' skill in "framing messages" -- now even the flag and the military symbolize BushCo and their violent zeal for power? Or is it just me making faulty assumptions? What do you think?

[RevolutionaryActs]

1. The 'Support Our Troops' one pisses me off, its like an order, if it said

'I support the troops' or something like that, I wouldn't care, but it comes off like an order and I don't like that. x(

Edit: typo

[Sparkly]

7. That's interesting

Makes sense. I don't think "I support the troops" would convey the same get-in-line message. "Exactly what is it you're telling me to do?" I sometimes wonder.

Electing John Kerry was the most significant think we could do, yet I've never seen that bumpersticker with a Kerry one, or any anti-Chimp one for that matter.

[Somawas]

9. I did. Once.

And after the convention did not find it incongruous at all.

[Bjornsdotter]

2. I'm guilty too

I often feel exactly as you do...and I ask myself the same questions.

It really shouldn't bother me but it does. I have also noticed that many of the cars that have these stickers also have a "W" sticker.

<sigh> You are not alone.

Cheers,
Kim :toast:

[njdemocrat106]

3. I got a yellow ribbon on my car

I support the troops, and I want them home right now. Bush, on the other hand, can go stick it where the sun don't shine.

[Sparkly]

16. Where did you get it?

I'm looking for those and a plain American flag online, and can't find a site whose other products I want to support...

[hollowdweller]

4. Your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore. They're already

overcrowded from your dirty little war. You know Jesus don't like killin' no matter what the reasons for. - John Prine

[Newsjock]

5. It's not just you

I'm finding that even commuting to work is becoming downright annoying and unpleasant thanks to all those bloody ribbons -- especially on large SUVs.

And you're absolutely right -- we have lost our flag. It's going to take a massive effort to reclaim it, and we're going to have to be as ruthless as the Republicans about twisting language.

"The Democratic Party: American Values"

[Jack Bone]

6. I've got the yellow ribbon..along w/

my Kerry/Edwards,Gore 2000,Rolling Stones Red Tongue and a MoveOn.org Mission(crossed out)NOTHING Accomplished sticker on the back of my Jeep...

I'm a vet...and I support our troops now, as I always have & always will...but I also support STRONG Democratic principles & good Rock&Roll...I know it's Only Rock & Roll(But I Like It)

[Sparkly]

8. That's the idea!!

What about a flag one for your collection?

How about a "Support the Troops" along with a "Democratic Underground" one on my Honda?

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Ya gotta fix yer Honda's muffler first ........ k?

:hug:

[Sparkly]

11. Shut uUup!! And do your Christmas shopping...

http://irregulartimes.com/exprogressive.html

[freeplessinseattle]

12. I accidentally responded to one once when I hit my horn by accident

while in a parking lot, and so startled the woman beside me that she almost poked her eye out putting on mascara, I did an apologetic it was an accident wave and she glared at me, then when I got out I saw some big R/W/B striped thing about troops, I wish I could remember, I just glanced but had the impression of "now that makes no sense". anyway, I didn't feel so bad anymore about scaring her and interrupting her primping. I could just see her on the battlefield, "oh, no, this sand is just hell on the lipgloss1"

[Sparkly]

13. LOL

:)

[atommom]

14. I have the same response ... a wave of intense irritation ...

because in my neck of the woods, I've never seen these on a non-Republican car. I'm thinking that I might need to buy this one for my car, in retaliation:



http://www.cafepress.com/irregulargoods.10943203

[Bluerthanblue]

15. love means being WILLING to say " sorry....

but you are messing up-

loving someone/thing sometimes means stopping them from getting into trouble- like grabbing someones arm as they step out into oncomming traffic while putting thier money into thier wallet after using an atm-

or not inviting an alcholic friend to go to a bar with you-

or, for me, it was leaving an abusive marriage- i loved my kids- and i wanted them to have a '2 parent' home- i kept 'hoping' things would 'get better' but staying was only dangerous for me- it was hurting my kids, and even my ex- who was unable to control his rage, or his addiction- it's people who 'go along' with smiles on thier faces, rather than having the courage to 'stand apart' from the 'popular' crowd who often demonstrate REAL love-

Though it's not easy- especially when it seems so 'hopeless'- and 'uphill'.

Maybe a slogan should be BECAUSE i support the troops, i oppose this war.

[tokenlib]

17. My response is "Support the Troops, Bring them Home."

Just got it at Northern Sun Merchandising in Minneapolis. And I've been telling everyone that it is my response to "all those damn ribbons". www.northernsun.com has all kinds of greast stuff. And I just love the new yard signs and buttons they have that have the same message.

Excuse the ad--but anything that helps us express ourselves in a positive way..

[ragin_acadian]

18. I'm new here, so I don't know if I'm preaching to the choir

but the "support the troops" bumpersticker was mentioned by Chomsky as being jingoistic:
support the troops = supporting the policy
personally, I thought supporting the troops was....sugar rationing, gas rationing....things like that, but apparently it means: eat cheeto's, don't engage in critical thinking (unpatriotic!), CONSUME!
anyway...if you support the troops, you should support the policy....and if you don't support the policy, you don't support the troops....yer...Unamercan. Terrist. or mebbe' yurpeean.
or at least that is the purpose of the message: another thing I have noticed is that a lot of people take the "ribbon" sticker that you can buy at gas stations (try and convince me that it isn't manufactured in "Crush dissent" China) and turn it 1/4 clockwise on their SUV's, thus making the ribbon resemble the fish that whackjob leviticus pickers put on their pickup trucks.

[Bluerthanblue]

19. Buy several-

and cut them to spell the word peace-
My son said that putting the ribbon on in a certian way represents the letter p for peace= got me to thinking, you could actually 'cut' them to spell out peace on the back of your car -

cut the left tail for p
cut the left tail and add it to the right for e
cut the right tail and make turn the loop to make an a
cut the ribbon before the tail and turn it on it's side for c
ditto the e above-

silly maybe- but worth a try?

[democratreformed]

20. You have let them do exactly what Wes Clark said not to.

I have the ribbons on my truck. I do support our troops. I do support our country. It's just that my support does not extend to the current administration and their policies.

I wouldn't have them for a long time. Then, I decided that I would no longer let them take away my love for my country. I will no longer let them assume that, because I'm a Democrat, I don't support our soldiers.

So, I now display them proudly. This country is MINE too.