Althouse: "So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign..."

May 4, 2006

"So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign..."

16 comments:

jeff said...: Yep.

What does the woman's sign say other than "Stop"?; 5/4/06, 3:29 PM
Anonymous said...: Wow, performance art! Cool.; 5/4/06, 3:35 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Jeff: It's a rebus for "Stop and smell the flowers." If you click on the pictures you can get to a larger size.; 5/4/06, 3:38 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Here's the extra large size.; 5/4/06, 3:40 PM
Bissage said...: I'm heartened to see the youth of Our Great Nation taking a stand and calling for a renewed commitment to the enforcement of our salutary fire codes.; 5/4/06, 3:40 PM
Paul Rinkes said...: Jeff ...

I think it's "Stop and Smell the Roses, Branches and Other Springtime Ephemera" ... if you click on the picture and go into its location on flickr, you can blow up to original size.; 5/4/06, 3:40 PM
Fitz said...: You know originally it was the Catholic Church first came out “against inflammatory signs”. I believe it was Eusebius who codified it at the Council of Nicea in 320A.D.
This is probably some Johnny come lately Evangelical trying to crest the wave.; 5/4/06, 4:18 PM
XWL said...: Maybe he's deaf and is protesting against inflammatory hand gestures?

(insert Scalia reference here); 5/4/06, 4:35 PM
Bad Penny said...: I need context. I don't get this.; 5/4/06, 5:16 PM
Sanjay said...: Ooooh, that sign makes me SO MAD! SO, SO DAMN MAD!; 5/4/06, 5:17 PM
P_J said...: Is this like those ironic 70s-style t-shirts that are sooo cool right now? Like, meta-irony? I'm with others here - I don't get it. Were people from Westboro Baptist in Madison?

Fitz - Ha! Actually, this is a Protestant reformation of signs. The message of non-inflammatory signage was corrupted by Rome in the Middle Ages and rejected at Trent, launching the 17th century inquisitions and wars of religious messages. And while Vatican II loosened the Church's stance on signs in the vernacular, it's still a point of contention.

"Christianorem contra signa infesta!"; 5/4/06, 5:46 PM
altoids1306 said...: *shrug*

If they want to waste their time holding signs telling other people what to do - sure, why not? They're even considerate enough to stand on those elevated structures as to not block foot traffic. They don't seem to be making much noise, and it's a beautiful day, so why not enjoy it outside holding signs?; 5/4/06, 5:52 PM
MadisonMan said...: It baffles me that some of the commentariat doesn't understand these two.

Shouldn't they be studying? Maybe this is a final project, however.; 5/4/06, 6:46 PM
Joan said...: I love it. Thanks, Ann!

Fitz, Pastor Jeff: bwah!; 5/4/06, 7:05 PM
Finn Alexander Kristiansen said...: Kids will do anything to skip a final. And my bet is, it was just a creative way for him to finally hook up with the gal behind him, who he has longed for for some time now. "Let's make non-inflammatory picket signs and hit Wendys for a burger after," he texted her from his dorm while updating his myspace page.

(Like Jesus was never inflammatory and never annoyed the crap out of people.

As if the apostles were not totally annoying, cursing towns and shaking dust off their feet.

Or Moses, what with killing Yul Brynner's first born. (HEY! He was pharaoh!).

Or the prophets, constantly warning everyone that they were on the eve of destruction and better live right.); 5/4/06, 9:12 PM
brian said...: Bad Penny and Sanjay:

At the place where State Street (popular shopping/cafe district) intersects the UW campus at Library Mall, religious "fanatics" frequently appear holding, well, non-mainstream religious signs.

As I made my way through the hordes of students already assembled, I came across a sign telling me that Jesus rejects fornicators, drunkards, Muslims, Buddhists, Roman Catholics and “lesbos and homos,” just to name a few. Source: Badger Herald, 4/18/06.

It's somewhat of a tradition for students to gather and shout out questions challenging these people. One of Ann's old posts notes this.; 5/4/06, 9:52 PM