The other day, I was stuck behind a car with Massachusetts plates and a remarkable collection of peace-oriented bumper stickers. I snickered at the naivete expressed by the various sentiments, but one of them stood out — and I think I found one more truth in one than the owner intended.
The sticker is here. For those who don’t want to go look, it’s a stylized form of the word “COEXIST.” From the description:
Every letter has a symbol that represents a system of thought: The crescent and star for Islam; the pentagram for Wicca; the relativity formula for science; the star of David for Judaism; the Karma Wheel dotting the i for Buddhism; the Tao symbol for Taoism; the cross for Chrisitianity.
I doubt the designers intended it this way, but I think it entirely appropriate that the Islamic star and crescent comes first, and is largest. These days, with the vast majority of current conflicts having an Islamic element on at least one side, it certainly seems as if Islam has the most to learn about peaceful coexistence.
I looked at a bunch of the other stickers on the site. Boy are they barking moonbats! I guess they don’t care about the truth. “Jesus was a liberal, Hitler was a conservative”?!? Come on! What a bunch of BS!
That is very scary. I haven’t seen that specific one, but many similar stickers.
I like:
“You can’t hug a child w/ nuclear arms”
Mark Steyn wrote a column about this very bumper sticker a while back. Look at the fourth paragraph for a somewhat more detailed treatment than Jay Tea’s.
Bono has used and talked about a bandana with this stylized word during each concert in the current U2 tour.
I’ll believe that Islamic nations believe in “coexistence” when there are churches in Riyadh and Jeddah.
Thanks for pointing that out to me, Billy. It’s nice to see that I can, sometimes, think just as well as Mark Steyn — if a couple months behind.
The car I saw was in Massachusetts, with MA plates, but wouldn’t it be ironic if Mark and I had seen the same Toyota and had the same thought about the bigger-than-the-rest crescent?
J.
Back in December, the Saudis held the fifth in a series of “National Dialogues”. It focused specifically on the issue of tolerance. You can read more here.
I gotta say I do enjoy pulling in front of these people so they can read my Jeep’s backside.
“Peace Through Superior Firepower”
“Don’t Tread On Me”
“Crime Control – Not Gun Copntrol”
“Massachusetts – Live Free or Here”
“Gun Owners Action League”
“RKBA”
And, I don’t know why I didn’t pick up the “Ted Kennedy’s Car Has Killed More People Than My Gun” sticker at the gun show a couple weeks back. It was only a buck.
I’m surprised no one around here (Boston) has called the cops to report me.
Ooops…prufreeding iz yur frend.
Mr. Burgess,
I’ll believe it when they say it in Arabic in their domestic media. Lots is said in English for our benefit.
I think I could live with just the exist part.
I guess we’re all intolerant bigots if we don’t like this bumper sticker.
I forgot to add this:
As much as I despise left-wing bumper stickers, in general they’re more creative, engaging and clever than a majority of right-wing bumper stickers (yes, they do exist).
Right-wing bumper stickers just lack…um…chutzpah. Magic. Pizzaz. Any semblance of a design element. Clever thought. Poor font choices. You name it. And who would want to put many of these ugly stickers on their nice car(s)?
So here’s just a nutty, turn-the-tables-on-them thought:
Maybe our hosts could have a Best Right-Wing Bumper Sticker contest. Choose 20 or so of the best ones, print and sell them for a few bucks and give the proceeds to charity (yeah, yeah, I’m being a goody twoshoes). Might be kind of fun, though. I’ve got few friends in the print business, and more than a few designers at my call.
My first entry: “Mean Liberals Suck”
I haven’t commented here for a good long while but I am still a daily reader. Wizbang is my blog of choice for many reason.
I work with the biggest group of liberals in Raleigh NC. One co worker was denied a state inspection sticker because of all the liberal bumper stickers that adorn his rear window (lending credence to the fact that liberals are idiots because the are BUMPER stickers) and the one that gets my dander up is the “A village in Texas has lost its idiot” I swear I just want to snatch up his 28 year old ass and smack him around a bit.
He sports the Greenpeace tee shirts and a “why can’t we all just get along” mentality that makes me want to hurl.
I cculd create a novella about the boy and his misguided interpretation of why liberals are idiots but the comment section would probably run out of space.
oops..that should read I could create a novella of his misguided interpretations. That is why liberals are all idoits.
Sorry about that. It’s 6am for cryin out loud. My tyoing hasn’t caught up with my thoughts (ha)
I’ve seen that sticker here in this very blue city of mine, and it pisses me off no end. I can tolerate the moonbattedness required to be into Goddess religions, but when you try to tell me that Islam would be tolerant of hippie polyamourous Wicca chicks with tattoos and bare flesh, you’re just insulting my intelligence.
Bruce, I’m with you – I enjoy passing such folks, although my stickers are not as numerous nor as impressive as yours (I agree with Peter that we need more witty stuff). I just have a little red-white-and-blue elephant symbol and a “Fight Terror/Support Israel” sticker.
Are you people blinded by your predjudice? The point of the Coexist sticker is to promote peace between the groups…not add fuel to the flames of hatred. Do you enjoy this ignorance?