What would you do if it was your job to create the look of a truly grassroots uprising? Wonky lettering. Off-beat slogans. One thing I noticed was that the signs — most of them — were on uniformly sized white poster board. I'd go with more unfolded boxes — corrugated cardboard — and spray-painted old sheets. And the sign-holders were densely packed in front of the speaker's podium. That's photogenic, but lacking in chaotic energy.
I was merely driving by the protests, so I can't comment on the mood. Were they angry? But these are people who just had a big political win 4 days ago — the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. They could be happy. Whatever. I'm not a source of information as I was 14 years ago, during the anti-Scott-Walker protests.
I remember when that mild-mannered character was "Hitler":
[T]here were many, many signs comparing Walker to Hitler. It was a standard meme at the protests. The protesters displaying signs were not shunned or corrected by other protesters. It was the norm. Meade and I would approach individuals with Hitler signs and ask them to explain, and invariably, they defended the comparison. For example, this woman, holding a sign depicting Walker with a Hitler mustache and hair, questioned by Meade, snips that Walker is "like Hitler." Here's a young woman with a sign depicting Walker as Hitler, who, asked to explain, says "He doesn't do nice things." Here's an "Adolf Walker" sign with a swastika. Here's a protester with the sense to cover her face....
I can first-hand report one slogan from yesterday's anti-Trump rally: "IKEA has better cabinets." I memorized it because I thought it was so dumb. That's grassroots-looking. But then I googled the phrase and saw it as a book title — a book title from 2020: "Ikea Has a Better Cabinets: The Anti-Trump Coloring Book" (Amazon Associates link). If you're looking for more "homemade" slogans, you might want to explore the world of adult coloring books. Just from that linked Amazon page:
Posts
83 comments:
These cheesy dimwits. Their pronouns are “re” and “tard”.
Hands Off reminds me of the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" lie that launched a thousand riots. Hands Off what? Cutting waste, fraud and self-dealing in government?
What you've discovered, Ann, is the "anti-Trump economy": There's $$$ to be made catering to these mentally ill whack jobs.
Sell them hate. They will pay any price for it and no amount of it will ever satiate them. There is a HUGE market in dopamine hits ripe for exploitation amongst these blue hairs.
Don't eliminate the hate ... milk it for all it's worth.
Are they chanting "Hey hey ho ho Trump and Elon got to go"?
Because that has to be the most effective way to win the hearts and minds of the American people.
Any minute now we will be back to the Stone Age…any.minute.now…
Cornflower
Raw Sienna
Burnt Orange
Sepia
Cerulean
I want my Raw Umber back.
Peach?
Flesh!?!
Don't even ask.
I'll trade you a Macaroni And Cheese for a Peach.
don’t look for brains 🧠 in
wackadoodles of teh woke
there is no “there” there
I want Donald Trump Colorforms!
Like the Batman Colorforms set I had as a kid, replete with heroes and villains.
If Trump really were Hitler he’d unleash his storm troopers to break a few heads. Alas, the storm troopers — calling themselves “Antifacists” to fool the gullible people who desperately want to be fooled — are on the side of the self-described anti-Hitlers.
These protests are great for using cell phone data to track who is participating, then to use that information for money laundering campaign donations.
See, if you know who is marching, and you know their cell-phone number, you can start sending them individualized texts that hit on their number-one issue: Trump hatred.
These are motivated buyers, guys.
Create a non-profit NGO that has a fake anti-Trump bias and use the cell phone data you collect from marketers to target these people for donations, which you of course launder into your pocket as you and your family members are the organizers of the NGO and also its employees.
Completely legal, and it's how Democrats get rich on Trump hate.
Can you estimate how many were in attendance at the rally? Was it dozens, or thousands?
"But these are people who just had a big political win 4 days ago — the Wisconsin Supreme Court election."
i'm Not from Wisconsin.. BUT:
that "big political win"..
That was Replacing a Liberal Justice, with ANOTHER Liberal Justice..
Right?
i mean.. RIGHT? That's what it was, wasn't it?
That seems more like Holding the Line; NOT a "win"
please educate this ignorant Iowan
Gotta admit--my first thought was that "IKEA has better cabinets" was a thoughtful comment on the tariff situation.
But of course it's just the usual idiocy.
Also, my experience has been that IKEA's stuff is pretty solid, well-designed and practical.
These protests are as organic as covid.
I just watched Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, on CNN. She has an agricultural degree from Texas A&M and a JD from UT. Brilliant.
I visited with my mom, before wife and I head out on vacation, which is my way of saying I'm glad that politics doesn't consume my life like it does these protesters, paid or not, or those that would buy those books.
Hmmm. Flashback?
"Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear"
The handmade’s tail.
Temujin said...
" These protests are as organic as covid."
Billionaires are paying MILLIONS of dollars for Millions of people to protest other Billionaires.
In Heinlein's book FRIDAY, the system wide disturbances..
...riots.. assassinations.. economic collapse.. martial law.. WAR
end up being one block of SHIPSTONE CORPORATION divisions against another block divisions of the same corporation.
The protagonist (Friday), is a genetically enhanced 'artificial human', who lives in a group marriage (well, a line marriage)..
20 years ago, this book seemed not to be one of Heinlein's better ones..
NOW; it seems to be a look into our present world
half of the US government clearly seems to be bought and paid for by the Chinese..
If you look closer, you'll see that the Other half is TOO
- SAME SIGN -
It was a lovely day here in Boise yesterday, so my wife and I went out for a a ride. I didn't really know of the protests, but they were right by the capital, so we rode over to check them out.
I think that the only sign that my wife pointed out to me was the "Ikea Has Better Cabinets". She thought it was pretty funny.
This is just beginning. Wait to the layoffs begin.
They have begun. Wasteful BS gov jobs - sh*t can. Get a real job - grifters.
4 years of pure s h * t from Biden - and to the loyal left - it's as if it never happened.
All the photos of the protests I saw featured a lot of old, White people.
The old white folks in B-town gathered to boohoo on a certain intersection & I read on nextdoor it wasn't a large crowd. I was happy to see some push back on that platform. Non-leftists are getting braver about speaking out.
The boo hoo /can't lose - /think they own power / Democracy only belongs to leftists /- are now calling Elon a Felon.
The left's collective fever dream is to place any and all who disagree /or are disloyal to them - in a Gulag.. or an Oven.
As they call the rest of us Nazis.
oh, did i mention?
that the SHIPSTONE Corporation was a (THE) supplier of solar power?
Organic/carbon protests. Abort.
" Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, on CNN. She has an agricultural degree from Texas A&M and a JD from UT. Brilliant. [emphasis added]"
Terrible.
Couldn't Trump have found someone with real Ag experience who *wasn't* also a f'n lawyer? This is not to claim that Rollins, of whom I know nothing, could not have escaped law school without becoming intellectually or ethically corrupt. But I do hate hate hate reinforcing the notion that in order to work in government you have to be a lawyer.
I don't agree that the coloring books are meant as gag gifts. The TDS afflicted appear to enjoy feeding their hate. On Tiktok any video with a large number of comments will have a negative comment about Trump. The video could be about babies, dancing, fish....Even when out doing mundane tasks you will hear people bring up Trump out of nowhere. In the supermarket someone will randomly announce to their co-shopper "this sauce is orange like Trump". It feels like Trump is on their mind 24/7 no matter their activity I don't recall seeing this phenomena with any other human.
"Ikea Has a Better Cabinets: The Anti-Trump Coloring Book"
You'd think the left would be chagrinned to contain members with gray hair who buy coloring books.
Cacimbo writes, "It feels like Trump is on their mind 24/7 no matter their activity I don't recall seeing this phenomena with any other human."
That's getting close to a textbook definition of psychosis. Demented and/or crazy, that's the Democrat's key constituency.
#HateLovesAbortion
Side gigs are a necessity for many people in this day and age. Don't be disrespectful of the ways people earn their daily bread. Admire the paid protesters' entrepreneurial success.
Kirk Parker:
I was at a NE cattlemen’s dinner in Kearney about six years ago. I was at a table of farmers and they didn’t know I was a lawyer. One guy was talking about the then Chancellor of the University of Nebraska - Kearney. “He’s smart. Lawyer smart.”
A lot of the time - most of the time - I start to post and then stop myself to read the posting thread. By the time I get to the end I no longer feel like posting. I'm guessing that's a win/win
I noticed the faux-authentic fake-handmade signs, too, as I passed the New Haven protest. By traditional lefty protest standards, very few signs had Internet addresses or organization names on them.
While some of the motivation behind the sign strategy may be to make the protests look more organic, the bigger reason probably is that the unions and NGOs that usually organize these events are worried about too many people looking into how these events get funded. Lefties may not understand much about economics, but they do understand cash flow!
As was the case in other areas, it seemed that the New Haven protestors were largely older white people. This seemed particularly strange, since the rally was held on the New Haven Green, which is in the center of the city, literally across the street from Yale. There seemed to be very, very few students. Yale is inaugurating its new president this weekend, so maybe the word went out to avoid creating too much bad publicity. It feels like some dogs aren't barking.
new sign seen ... Under trump and republican policies they will be eating the cats and dogs! trump is bringing country back to the days of his Covid governing ,a complete world fuk..2200 market drop just like good old days of trump and Covid.Wake up people.
"I thought the idea of adult coloring books was relaxation and stress relief! Why would you color to stir up your anger? "
Are you kidding? I read comments on other sites about the rage against Tesla's. There is no logic in these people. But they get some perverse dopamine hit by shared rage.
Hell they probably put the coloring book pages on their refrigerators.
Do protests actually achieve anything or change anyone's mind anymore? The '60s civil rights protests worked because the goal was to show that Black people were ordinary Americans like everyone else; the goal was to fit in. Protests today are full of screaming angry people intent on showing ordinary America how far off on the fringe they are.
The protests were organized by The Indivisible Project. According to their 990s they have received well over 50% of their funding from two sources: The Open Society Action Fund (Soros) and the Tides Foundation. Not exactly grassroots.
Howard asked...
"Are they chanting 'Hey hey ho ho Trump and Elon got to go'?"
After 25 hours, I would think that Cory Booker is the one who really has to go.
The problem with "chaotic energy" is that would be more in line with Trumpian energy. Can't have that.
Millions voted for Trump. And the newspaper headlines today say "thousands protested". Ah well, what are you going to do when Astroturf is in short supply. Or I could call the "thousands" "election deniers" and get with the Dim program.
Tom T. said...
"Do protests actually achieve anything or change anyone's mind anymore? The '60s civil rights protests worked because the goal was to show that Black people were ordinary Americans like everyone else; the goal was to fit in. Protests today are full of screaming angry people intent on showing ordinary America how far off on the fringe they are."
Back in the 1990s, a local African American group got together and protested against a black African government that was committing atrocities against a disfavored black African group in that country (*). I remember thinking that there weren't many protests lately where I was on the side of the protestors.
(*) The protests were controversial within the local African American as many felt that black people that, whatever the issues were, they needed to be "kept in the family." This was back when Africa was seen and the Garden of Eden and a lot of black guys were wearing the Africa necklaces.
The Hitler comparisons bypass the work needed to condemn someone I don't like. Not liking someone doesn't quite have the gravitas (there's a blast from the past) needed to persuade anybody. So, Hitler is a one punch. No discussion needed. Hitler is a cost benefit shortcut. All upside with no downside. Put Hitler in whatever it is you don't like and as if magically, everybody else is supposed to agree with you. 'It's got Hitler, don't go there'.
Hitler comparisons are safe and effective.
The Handmade Tale
I can first-hand report one slogan from yesterday's anti-Trump rally: "IKEA has better cabinets." I memorized it because I thought it was so dumb.
Especially when you consider the people that FJB hired, that these same people didn't have a problem with. On the plus side, since Brandon is no longer in office, the circus can staff their sideshow again.
It was a nationwide, organized protest event called 'Hands Off!'
From the website:
"On april 5th, we rise up
They’re dismantling our country. They’re looting our government. And they think we’ll just watch.
On Saturday, April 5th, we rise up with one demand: Hands Off!
This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights—enabled by Congress every step of the way."
https://handsoff2025.com/about
Not having a coherent reason for hating Trump makes it very difficult to know who agrees with you, and who doesn't. Hitler becomes a convenient shibboleth. A way to undoubtedly identify like-minded friends. Just going to a rally doesn't quite do the job, like holding up a Trump is Hitler sign.
Another example of a shibboleth is listing your pronouns on your online bio.
Hands Off! seems a very entitled view of things, entitled to the money and the power.
A consensus on what is the direction of improvement has been lost.
Simply arguing for more government ignores its failures. Of course just any change will not make the existing system better. But we can fix mistakes as we go if we can agree on what is an improvement. There seems to be powerful interests bent on preventing that agreement.
There were only some many handmade signs to go around.
" They’re looting our government."
Looting the government of what? Money? How did the government get it in the first place?
One of those "protests" was in Watertown, Wis. (!) yesterday. The Jefferson County Scanner (Facebook) reported, "Watertown- Church and Main St- subject involved in a fight.
PD on scene requesting EMS." This is the location of the "protest." Someone else posted, "I'm not sure what the protest is about but I see that there is a bus parked near The Globe apartment building It's sounding like they were brought in from locations unknown to cause trouble? It seems that we have enough problems and healing to do amongst ourselves than to tolerate this imported chaos."
I don't know who from which side was hurt, but this is not the way (for either side) to make friends and influence people. Well, you may influence people, just not the way you intend.
I'd like to go to the rally with a sign that just says "Handmade" and wear one of those red Handmaid's Tale robes.
Dave Begley,
Sorry, that's unresponsive. My comment did not refer to intellectual ability, but rather to intellectual (and ethical) honesty. If you and some others escaped law school without it having yours destroyed, great--this is not meant as a personal slur against you or against our Ag Secretary.
Rather, it's meant as a warning about the very strong propensity for that kind of educational track to lead to people becoming symbol manipulators par excellence, who confuse glibness with eloquence or intelligence (Hello, Obama!), who think talking is superior to doing and trumps all.
As far as political office, I consider having a law degree to be a strong warning sign, that needs other evidence to compensate if a person is to be considered fit for office. The military has this right - - or at least before Afghanistan used to have it right - -they do have JAGs, that is a necessary function, but they are never part of the chain of command.
n.n., We share a consciousness. I wondered where it came from.
Does 'Hands Off' endorse the idea of a tax boycott?
DOGE has fired many IRS workers, so maybe an understaffed agency might not catch you. The Senate has not confirmed Trump's nominee for IRS commissioner, so maybe no one is minding the store. If you really believe that Elon is stealing our money from the government- then a honest protest would be to stop paying taxes. Its easy to tell your payroll that you want zero dollars withheld. Yes the payroll people will report to the IRS that they did not withhold- but lots of people do that- retired people, part time people, joint fillers when one partner is making a lot more than the other. Or just not file next week on April 15.
Why not protest to hurt them where it hurts?
These protestors want you to feel like an injustice is being done to them, but many have wholeheartedly supported and even demanded censorship, cancellation, de-platforming, firing, de-banking and even imprisonment of opponents.
"I'd like to go to the rally with a sign that just says "Handmade"..."
Something like this, maybe?
"hurt them where it hurts?"--- typo on my part- butt ewe git da jist.
There are adult coloring books for adults to color and there are "adult coloring books" that are comical or satirical and use the "coloring book" format as part of the gag. You don't buy them to color in the pictures but to support the cause. It reminds me of the comedy bits in "Mad" magazine in the 60s which presented adult concerns in formats Boomers enjoyed in the childhood.
There were a lot of bussed-on hired protestors too.
JamieRoberto: good catch. And Tides Foundation was started and is primarily funded by Soros' foundations too. So all the money comes from Soros.
Interesting videos available from X of large numbers people in Muslim garb with Palestinian colors in DC. Protesting what? Trump’s inadequate antisemitism, inadequate support for Hamas and other terrorists. Any power Democrats have at the polls is due to cheating and to support from anti-Americans like these, Antifa, BLM, trans activists, Soros, illegal immigrants and useful idiots.
Kirk Parker said...
"The military has this right - - or at least before Afghanistan used to have it right - -they do have JAGs, that is a necessary function, but they are never part of the chain of command." The military has this right - - or at least before Afghanistan used to have it right - -they do have JAGs, that is a necessary function, but they are never part of the chain of command."
***********
Your mistake is in confusing JAG people acting "qua" lawyers, and government officials with legal education performing executive, administrative and legislative functions. The latter at least have experience relating to how "things get done" in government, in Washington.
Even the armed services has legions of lawyers working outside JAG:
Per Claude AI, here's one example:
Office of General Counsel (OGC) - Each military department and the Department of Defense itself has an Office of General Counsel staffed with civilian attorneys who handle various legal matters. These are typically career civilian lawyers (not uniformed JAG officers) who provide legal advice on matters like:
Procurement and acquisition
Environmental law
Employment law
Intellectual property
Legislative affairs
You also ignore the fact that in a country built on the idea of "the rule of law" has to have people with the education and experience to carry out the laws, and to prevent others from evading or breaking them.
Do you propose we choose judges or DOJ people with no legal educaation?
As for lawyers being "symbol manipulators", you are essentially complaining, "they trick us with words".
Not a good look.
Hands Off Don’t Shoot
I assume the vaguely penguinish bird with Don't tread on me have something to do with greenland. No penquins there but maybe some other penguinish type bird. Puffins or something. Though puffins don't exactly look like penguins. But this is the smart crowd right?
Kakistocracy said...
This is just beginning. Wait to the layoffs begin.
4/6/25, 8:49 AM
Once tens, or hundreds of thousands of people are laid off, their income will drop dramatically.
Because there is less income to spend, the price of goods will naturally fall. Simple economics.
Anticipate $1.99 dozen eggs. Dollar a gallon less for gasoline. Rental housing down 20%. etc.
Sun is shining, good times ahead.
Howard- LOL!
What? The left had big protests across the nation? I have never seen that before!
Anti-globalization
Anti Iraq war
A day without immigrants/ La Raza
Occupy
Hands up don’t shoot
Women’s March
BLM
Antifa
George Floyd
(Biden in office, so a little pause)
Pro Palestine
Anti-Tesla
“Hands off” the new one which seems like it was named before they knew what they were going to protest about
oh noes...anyways, yes the jags turned out to be on the side of the terrorists at Gitmo, the ncis would frame a good man like
senior chief gallagher, because he wanted to teach his recruits to kill the enemy,
Do protests actually achieve anything or change anyone's mind anymore?
From my personal experience? No.
Years ago when I worked for the state Legislature (for leadership), I had a late-evening call with my mom.
"You must've had a busy day today."
Why do you say that?
"There were protests and protestors - thousands of them - all over the capital campus. I saw it on the news."
Never even knew they were here, Mom.
And it wasn't just that day. If they didn't screw with my parking space, I never paid them any attention. And neither did most legislators.
Schedule an appointment with your legislator? That gets their attention. Rant and scream on the capital steps? You may get a speech from a sympathetic pol. Otherwise, you're ignored.
That's some great pop culture analysis and detective work there professor, however neither Madison or national media know or would GAF if they did. The average reporter/journalist/shill would not mention it. All politics today is fake & gay and exist for the benefit of The Democratic Party™. BTW: I noticed the same pattern in Michigan in 2016. All the Clinton/Kaine yard signs were either orange SEIU, blue & white United Auto Workers, & or US Flag© themed teacher's union were professionally mass produced, whereas most of the Trump/Pence stuff was DIY. I came to believe that DJT would win Michigan by early October. DJT's national election victory surprised me though. Being that this is Ann Arbor I can't ever put up any kind of media because it'll immediately get trashed or vandalized or worse. Life in a one-party town doesn't make participation a good idea unless you like picking wet toilet paper out of your trees and shrubbery or receiving unexpected pizza and Chinese food deliveries at all hours. If you know you know.
From the post:
" I'm not a source of information as I was 14 years ago, during the anti-Scott-Walker protests.
I remember when that mild-mannered character was "Hitler":"
I remember when Nixon was Hitler...and Reagan...and Bush pêre...and W (scoring extra points as chimpy mcBusHitler).
You have to wonder if most of the "protestors" are just conning the sponsors out of a few hundred dollars and a free bus ride around the country. Most of them can't even explain what they're protesting.
Could be just a bunch of laid off Gov't employees doing a side hustle.
In the future Everyone will be Hitler for 15 minutes.
Gilbar: comment of the decade.
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