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by Anonymous User on Thursday July 18, @08:08PM EST (#1)
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What is the purpose of these bumper stickers? They might attract smiles from people who agree with you, but they will accomplish absolutely nothing otherwise. It's not like a slogan is going to magically convince a communist to change his values.
A more effective bumper sticker would point people in the direction of literature that actually has the ability to do just that:
"Reason, the Highest Virtue, Read Atlas Shrugged."
"Read Farrell's The Myth of Male Power."
"Read Farrell's Why Men Are the Way They Are."
At least those bumper stickers introduce people to books that promote (at least by implication) individual rights and freedom.
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"What is the purpose of these bumper stickers? They might attract smiles from people who agree with you, but they will accomplish absolutely nothing otherwise."
I dissagree. The "Sick of Male Bashing in the Media", have actually done more than raise smiles or smirks. And since the web site is printed on the lable, well anyone of us can tell a person about those books, which is also an extreme nessesity and your idea can be utilized of say printing up a bumper sticker that says "The Myth of Male Power, by Warren Ferrall". The message has to get out there somehow and men have to stop being ashamed of being a men's rights activist. In fact if someone asks all you have to say is "I'm a men's rights activist", then wait for them to ask you what its about, instead of telling them. Its a counter manouver that or (reverse pyschology) cops use this tactic all the time. Basically curiosity killed the cat. You have to remember when people hear it for the first time they sometimes have to 'digest it' but they will have heard it.
You can say it calmly and nonchalontly and keep it simple every time trying to bring up the major issues first. Here is some mock dialogue.
John: "Hey Dan, whats the bumper sticker for? What does it mean 'male bashing in the media'?"
Dan: "There is a growing population of people who feel that the media happens to present men in a very poor light, and I happen to agree with them."
John: "Ya but they do that to everyone."
Dan: "Well I tend to dissagree, there are a lot of books and studies coming out on the subject in the past few years, and basically they are saying that men are inequavically looked apon as dummies , fools and murderers etc...Maybe when you watch tv try and take a notice at how the men are almost always represented."
Remember you don't have to convert someone in one day, all you have to do is point them in the direction. And the more they ask, well the more you will have to be prepared. But try and set up the conversation where they come to you, where you manipulate its course by not giving to much information at once but saying the essential parts.
Even at parties or at the mall. The idea is not to be to overbarring but straight to the point. As my belief is that the truth will be to hard to deny. We don't have to force this on anyone. Im telling you , you will be surprised by the amount of people who will agree with you and say "Ya, you know I see that all the time, how do people think thats fair?" , I have heard this several times.
At a party. Sometimes you will have to time it just right to get your 'soundbite' in there, but sometimes you can just say it right out of the blue.
Dan: "Well, Im a men's rights activist what can I say, men are not getting fair deals in court, as well as many other areas."
Now you can and should say this nonchalantly, but if someone presses you, tell them you are serious. Now if they have some questions or arguements well you will have to have your homework done. And I can not stress enough the nonchalant delivery of your statements and keeping to the essential statements.
Such as, Dan: "Men should really know what exactly they are getting into when it comes to marriage."
Socialite: "Why? What do you mean?"
Dan: "Well look at whats going on over in England, all those girls are just marrying the guys with money then divorcing them in like two years and taking the guys money, its huge."
Socialite: "Ya but look at how many guys are beating their wives."
Dan: "Actually I dissagree, and violence is wrong but if you want to get into it There are studies that show overall violence could be reduced if they started to look at how women are violent. I just think they have to look at the whole picture and be fair about it and certainly you have to double check research that relies on grants and funding, they tend to be a tad biased."
* * *
The bumper stickers can start all these conversations, as well as yourself. This is what raises awareness on a low budget and thats what we're working with here. All this along with the law suits and letter sendings, I believe we have to get to the general public more and more.
Tact and negotiationg skills will help tremendously. Even a quick sound bite like "Hell, Im a men's activist, Im tired of being raked through the coals just because Im a man." Can make a major difference. It may be gradual but you do things like setting up a 'flag' as it were, and people know where you stand, and you minght find them coming to you about it. You don't have to appear as a radical, just some guy who feels a bit concerned about the way things are going. If you say this to 30 people in one week as tactfully as you can while getting key issues across imagine. Lets just say there are 1000 men's activists willing to do this, thats 30 000 people in one week that have at least heard the soundbite, one month is 120 000 people who have heard it. Now, lets say since you put up that 'flag' of who and what your are you have come acrose 4 people that are seriously in agreement with you. So the next month looks a little bit more like 5000 men's activists with 30 people a week, thats 150 000 a week that are hearing that sound bite 600 000 thousand in a month all tactfully dissarming in conversation , with a possible 20 000 people will to continue.
The bumper stickers are conversation starters and we definately need to talk about this.
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Dan Lynch
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