Bumper Sticker Dissonance?

My wife reported seeing a car with two interesting bumper stickers this morning. The first was the famously tolerant COEXIST bumper sticker (ubiquitous on the backends of Priuses here in the People's Republic of Charlottesville).  Example below:

On the back of the same automobile was a bumper sticker reading:

Protect Our Children: Kill a Pedophile

Hmmm. I could find no images on the internet of this bumper sticker, so I'm wondering if it's home-made. Presumably most of the religious beliefs depicted on the COEXIST sticker are against pedophilia. (OK, OK. Some traditions can be more flexible on this point.) 

I noted an earlier study that found that cars bearing bumper stickers tend to harbor aggressive drivers.

Disclosure: The only bumper adornment I have on my car is a Darwin fish. Image below:

Comments

[albo]

Co-exist or I'll shoot you.

[Naga Sadow]

I want all three, Ron. Make it happen.

[joe]

The Jesus Fish Wars are getting out of hand.

I'm starting to see cars featuring a Darwin fish mounting a Jesus fish from the rear.

GET RIGHT WITH JESUS YOU GODLESS FUCKS !

[Naga Sadow]

joe,

LMAO! Unfortunately I live in Mississippi still. I don't want to get harassed by old people who fear their lifetime of sin and are trying to look for something to make up for it.

[Warren]

Back in 07 I put a Ron Paul sticker on my car. But I sold that car this past March.

It's not my habit to adorn my car with stickers. If I were to do so, I'd go with PEACE. But I don't want people to think I'm some kind of slimy little communist shit twinkle-toed cocksucker

[Episiarch]

I noted an earlier study that found that cars bearing bumper stickers tend to harbor aggressive drivers

When you so desperately need total strangers to know your beliefs and positions, you have problems.

I'm starting to see cars featuring a Darwin fish mounting a Jesus fish from the rear.

Please tell me this is true and not just a joke.

[Josiah]

Little brother wants a Jesus fish tattoo, so I figured I would get him one and get me a Darwin one at the same time (without the words, just feet). He can always add feet later. In any event, thanks for keeping me from having to actually search for the image.

[libertymike]

The most glaring dissonance is reflected in the fourth symbol.

[BDB]

Joe, I've seen one of a Jesus fish mouthing a Darwin fish thats mouthing a Jesus fish. Truly meta.

[Derrick]

Intolerant people should be shot.

[Soda]

I'm starting to see cars featuring a Darwin fish mounting a Jesus fish from the rear.

Please tell me this is true and not just a joke.

Oh, I've seen these too.

[jayjayhawker]

I see the coexist bumper sticker all the time on campus. I find it funny, because in a technical sense we already do coexist. I think what those who have those stickers really want is peaceful coexistence......something a bit different.

But hey, keep putting bumper stickers on and you can make it happen.

On an unrelated subject....truck nuts...the worst car decoration ever....order some here if you sexuality issues:

http://www.nutsfortrucks.com/

[Ryo]

The Jesus on Darwin on Jesus thing reminds me of when I briefly flirted with the idea of a Calvin peeing on a Calving peeing sticker. I nixed the idea when I realized it would tag me as a water-sports enthusiast.

[libertymike]

Coexist? After the X-factor is wiped from the face of the earth-genocidal, socialist cess pool that it is.

[Marc]

When you so desperately need total strangers to know your beliefs and positions, you have problems.

Spot the irony.

[mark]

If you Darwinists would only wake up to the TRUTH, that the Earth was created a mere 6,000 years ago, THEN we could coexist. Until then, go to hell!

[libertymike]

Derrick-

Start with the leaders and supporters of the fourth symbol.

[Lefiti]

There's nothing wrong with a watersports fetish, Ryo. Donate now!

[Soda]

On the Coexist sticker: a simpler version that only includes the Muslim crescent, the Christian cross, and the star of David was a big part of U2's Vertigo tour in 2005-2006. I think Bono saw it in Chicago or somewhere in the midwest and thought it was the tits. I guess someone thought other religions (and gender?) should be included and so you get that new one.

There are tons of Jesus fish variations though. The FSM fish and the Cthulhu fish come to mind.

[Episiarch]

Spot the irony.

Spot the meta-irony.

[John]

Maybe he was just commenting on the duality of man?

[dhex]

if i had a car i'd want a calvin sticker peeing on john calvin, cause that'd be funny and true at the same time.

[PC]

"Protect Our Children: Kill a Pedophile"

How can you have that and "Coexist" on the same car? What about Catholic Priests?

[joe]

John wins this thread @ 11:49.

Nice ref.

[R C Dean]

Speaking of cognitive dissonance, don't miss the fine print:

"Profits help fight hunger, fascism, and social injustice."

[sage]

On my POS pickup I have three stickers. One says "DARE to think for yourself", the other says "Pigs Shouldn't Rule" and the one I printed at work says "[/NANNY STATE]" (you have to substitute < and > for this post). Not sure if too many people around here get that last one, but I do, and that's what I care about.

[R C Dean]

You know, now that I think about it, a bumper sticker that just says

"Profits help fight hunger, fascism, and social injustice."

would be teh awesome.

[Mike]

"I could find no images on the internet of this bumper sticker, so I'm wondering if it's home-made."

Really? Seems like I should be able to find something with a quick google search and OH MY GOD!

[Tacos mmm...]

I'm starting to see cars featuring a Darwin fish mounting a Jesus fish from the rear.

Please tell me this is true and not just a joke.

It very much is. It's part of the mounting fish wars, which began with the Jesus fish, followed by the Darwin fish, leading to a Jesus fish eating Darwin fish. Now people are buying both, and positioning the Jesus fish as the receptive partner of the Darwin fish.

Myself, I have a cthulu fish, although I also like the flying spaghetti monster fish. The Dagon fish is the rarest that I've seen.

[Boston]

The Darwin Humping fish

http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/product563.html

[Lefiti]

The Darwin fish is cute, Ronald. But you need another sticker to indicate that you're a market fundamentalist. Maybe the Amway logo?

[ed]

Which symbol is for us atheists? Were we left out again?
Every year at this time it's the same thing: The War On Atheists?.
Where's our Bill O'Reilly?

[Mike]

Lefiti has read this thread and DOES NOT APPROVE.

[ChiSailoe]

I'm a fan of the JollyFish (and wore one to the vatican to protect me from superstition). If I actually owned a car, I'd think about a bumper sticker that said "Peace. Or Else."

[Lefiti]

Don't you love atheists who become true believers in this or that utopian ideology? Maybe it's just something hardwired into the true-believer brain. If it isn't God, it's the proletariat or the market, or space aliens. Contribute now.

[prolefeed]

Best bumper sticker I've seen in Kailua: "If you're gonna ride my ass, do it right and pull my hair."

[Er?k Gabhran Boston, Esq.]

What does it mean that I have one of the "equality" bumper stickers except that, instead of an equality symbol "=", mine has a greater than symbol ">"?

[Tsu Dho Nihm]

I have a Cthulhu fish. I want a Cthulhu fish eating either a Darwin or Jesus fish. Actually eating both at the same time would be better.

Cthulhu Fhtagn!

[P Brooks]

But you need another sticker to indicate that you're a market fundamentalist. Maybe the Amway logo?

That was actually funny.

[sage]

What does it mean that I have one of the "equality" bumper stickers except that, instead of an equality symbol "=", mine has a greater than symbol ">"?

It means that some of us are more equal than others.

[peachy]

My favourite is the tool-using Darwin fish, complete with opposable thumb.

[Tonio]

Ron Bailey, have you considered the possibility that the at least one of the two stickers was added to the vehicle without the driver's knowledge? Heh.

[pinko]

Actually, on the issue of aggressive/dangerous driving, the most solid direct correlation is between the presence of American flags and ribbon magnets and aggressive driving. There is almost always one or the other or both present whenever anyone cuts me off or runs me off the road.

[bumbper]

my bumperstickers:

1. Legalize Freedom
2. Ron Paul for President

[Alice Bowie]

Oh Yea...

We're suppose to Co-exist with

1.. The self-proclaimed chosen people of god
2.. The Conquistadors
3.. The Islamos
4.. The Jesus Freaks going around America getting Pharacy Jobs so that they can block Condoms and Birth Control

[a name before submitting the f]

The Darwin fish is trademarked? By whom?

[John]

Joe is the one guy who got the Full Metal Jacket refference. No. Joe wins the thread.

[Zeb]

I believe that the coexist sticker is meant to suggest that perhaps people of different religions ought to peacefully coexist. It is not saying that all of the symbols represented are used only by people who promote peaceful coexistence. But why let that get in the way of a good Jew-bashing. Israel sucks, I get it, but the star of David has other meanings other than intolerant Zionism.

[R C Dean]

I find it odd/revealing that the peace symbol gets equal billing with the religious symbols.

Really, the "o" should have been a circle/slash, for the atheists.

[Pro Libertate]

What, no ?*?

* That's a hammer and sickle, which now doesn't show up in my browser. Damn you, Mozilla!

[Neu Mejican]

Protect Our Children: Kill a Pedophile

This reminds me of the controversy over Bodycount's "Cop Killer."

Meaning is not a direct formulation from the words in a sentence. In the context of the other bumper sticker, I would tend to interpret this as a comment on the ridiculousness of the message conveyed with a literal reading.

But who knows.

[phalkor]

favorite bumper sticker is a spoof of a PETA sticker

"I love animals, they're delicious!"

[Fidel \"Lefiti\" Castro]

I have a Che Guevara air freshener hanging from my rear view mirror.

[Tonio]

Pro Lib,

The hammer and sickle shows up just fine for me, and I seem to be able to cut and paste it [?] (look between the square brackets).

How'd you do that, anyway?

[Tonio]

Really, the "o" should have been a circle/slash, for the atheists.

There are several symbols commonly used by atheists and secular humanists, but never seen the circle/slash (representing the null set) used this way.

The most common symbol is a red letter "A" in a typeface with a curlicue on the foot of the left vertice of the letter.

The symbol used to mark the graves of humanist military personnel is a stylized atom with three electrons orbiting the nucleus.

[Pro Libertate]

I do it through my doctrinally pure adherence to Marxism? Wait, no, that can't be right--I'm a libertarian.

I do it using the following code: &?9773;.

[Pro Libertate]

Crap, wrong "pound" sign. Let's try again: &#9773; .

[Ganja Blue]

So you're admitting that Darwinism is a religion? 🙂

[libertymike]

Zeb-

Please. Are we whining about facts not in evidence?

[Lefiti]

Damn it all, my ass is bleeding again.

[Invisible Finger]

Best bumper sticker ever:

Who are you to tell me to question authority?

[MayorOmalleySuxs]

http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/product563.html
Fish-style

[Dog\'s New Clothes]

Pro Lib,

Did you know that 9773 is ? and 9774 is ??

Coincidence?

[Pro Libertate]

No. Everyone knows that the web is run by libertarians. Well, it was, anyway.

I'm fuming over my inability to see some special characters. This is a bug that is new to Firefox 3. I demand my special characters!!

By the way, I've already tried to change the encoding to no avail.

[R C Dean]

PL, they aren't showing on my Explorer, either.

[Pro Libertate]

What is this? A communist plot? Don't tread on my special characters!

Dang it, I may have to move to Opera.

[alan]

Disclosure: The only bumper adornment I have on my car is a Darwin fish. Image below:

Personally, no meaningful representational forms of anything beyond a license plate on my car, or even most of my clothes as well. If the guy behind me wants to know what I think, he can pull up at the next stoplight and ask (forums are different peeps, you come here for the low down).

[AnonCowHerd]

All the symbols are visible in my Firefox browser (3.0.5) on Win XP and OS X.

[shecky]

They're showing up on my Mac running Firefox 3.

[Pro Libertate]

I don't get this. I'll check and see what my home computer is doing. Grumble.

[bubba]

I wonder if the "COEXIST" displayers understand that they are themselves displaying their intolerance of religion as it is currently practiced.

Kind of like "bipartisan" means you STFU and agree with me.

[Stevo Darkly]

I refuse to deface my bumper with a sticker.

If I ever feel the need to sport a bumper sticker, I'll tape it in my rear window. Thus far, I've only done so with two home-made stickers:

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE
ARM THE DOVES

and

I'M APATHETIC AND I VOTE