GayPatriot

The Internet home for American gay conservatives.

Of Handcuffs, Buckets, and Tape

by

So, we’ve all seen this picture by now:

It’s of the six servicemembers who were protesting Don’t Ask Don’t Tell the other day in front of the White House.

This isn’t a post about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. It’s not even (really) a post about politics. I have a question, though: What’s the deal with protesters handcuffing themselves to stuff? Call me an old fuddy-duddy*, but usually these civil-disobedience stunts make no sense to me.

Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer is protesting against the Post Office:

Kramer, handing out anti-mail pamphlets, with a dummy dressed as a mailman with a bucket on its head: “Here you go. Mail is evil. Pass it on. Hey, mail blows. Fax it to a friend.”
Woman: “Why does this dummy have a bucket on its head?”
Kramer: “Because we’re blind to their tyranny.”
Woman: “Then shouldn’t you be wearing the bucket?”
Kramer: “Yeah. Move along, Betty.”

Also reminds me of the “NOH8” campaign in California, marked by these sorts of pictures:

Now, I get the “NOH8” thing, and admire it from a marketing standpoint (even though I think it’s callously simplistic, unnecessarily antagonistic, and likely part of the reason that side lost, but nevertheless). What I don’t get is the tape over the mouth. Were gays in California being silenced? Their voices not being heard? I could imagine this would make sense if that were the case, but it wasn’t about gays being denied the right to vote or something like that. After all, it was a political campaign in the first place, and gay people were definitely being heard (I could hear them from overseas where I was deployed at the time!). And besides, as I recall, it was those in support of Prop 8 who was shouted down, belittled, called a “hater”, and otherwise shunned from polite conversation. Shouldn’t (as with Kramer) the tape have been on the other side’s mouth? Dunno how you’d put that into an ad campaign, though.

Anyway, nothing monumentous, just a random thought that came into my head today. See what happens on one of those rare Colorado days when it’s not sunny outside?

-Nick (ColoradoPatriot, from HQ)

*We all know what happened last time!

Comments

  6. #1: “Progressives love to imagine that they are being silenced and oppressed… it goes with the victimhood fantasy.”

    Yup, V the K, because for the Left, victimization = heroism.

    #4: “Victimhood has never been so TRENDY!”

    Wow, no kidding. I had no idea that so many young, skinny, beautiful people were being oppressed and silenced. How great would it be to get hired as the photographer’s assistant where one of your primary duties would be removing the duct tape after the shoot? Now hold still, this won’t hurt a bit…

  8. Wonder if Bouska will be including Justin Robinette, Tarheel hotty who was booted out of his position of Duke’s College Republicans.

    http://www.dailytarheel.com/content/leader-duke-college-republicans-forced-out

    “Comments were made directly to me and my executive board before and after the meeting concerning my sexual orientation, calling me a supporter of the faggot center, calling me ironic, calling me disgusting,” said Robinette, who is gay.

    but ‘It’s not even (really) a post about politics’.

  9. the new chairman of the chapter, said Robinette disrespected members of the board, deliberately ignored members of UNC’s College Republicans, did not attend events and used the organization’s funds for personal use.

    Robinette described the reasons held against him as “petty” and said most had occurred prior to his re-election as chairman on March 16.

    “There’s a defense to mostly all of them,” he said. “Those were mostly dummy reasons.”

    …Robinette used the chapter’s funds to buy Polo shirts and wrote them off as incidental purchases in February.

    “He threatened to eliminate us from the board,” Boyle said. “He treated us like second-class people.”

    So you have a guy who isn’t even denying the charges against him — charges that sure sound like firing offenses to me — yet he isnt even denying them, hes simply excusing them.

    Sorry, he needs to do better than, “Yes I was disrespectful to the board, yes, I ignored members, skipped events and used the groups money to go on a shopping spree….but they’re REALLY firing me cus Im gay!

    But yes, he sounds like a PERFECT addition to the victocrat ad campaign!

  11. You know, I saw that story about the kid at Duke on 365gay and I immediately thought something didn’t smell right about it.

    As far as the handcuffing goes, I sort of get it. Civil disobedience has always been about increasing visibility and awareness (IMHO). In that vein, these sorts of actions/stunts can help raise awareness of an issue.

  12. The news story about a bunch of gay protesters handcuffing themselves to the White House fence immediately made me think of Glynis Johns’ “Sister Suffragettes” number from Mary Poppins, in which we learn that “Mrs. Pankhurst” has chained herself to the Prime Minister’s carriage.

    I can’t really explain why I would make this particular mental association, except for the obvious facts that (a) I’m a man who likes the rich, satisfying flavor of penises, and (b) Mary Poppins is a musical starring Julie Andrews.

  14. …made me think of Glynis Johns’ “Sister Suffragettes” number from Mary Poppins, in which we learn that “Mrs. Pankhurst” has chained herself to the Prime Minister’s carriage.

    I remember the suffragettes in the movie, but I dont remember anyone chaining themselves to anything,

    Clearly, its time for me to watch Mary Poppins again!