Goodbye WalMart

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Re: Goodbye WalMart

Post by Bruenor »

Walmart didn't just say "Please don't open carry in our stores" THEY JOINED A BLOOMBERG GUN CONTROL GROUP. heck it's in black and white on their Corporate Policy page (See my previous post)

Had it just been please don't open carry, I would probably have continued to patronize them, but joining the Bloomberg funded Everytown's "Responsible Firearm Retailers" program has me no longer shopping there. No they won't notice the loss of my business, They certainly will not notice a loss of business from you continuing to shop there.
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

Post by bignflnut »

Mr. Glock wrote:I'm going to make a suggestion, sort of a topic for discussion. It was pretty easy to bash Dick's, and it was appropriate. That was virtue- signaling, plain and simple. But, in the end, Dick's is doing just fine. Sure, a few folks are saying they could have been more profitable if they didn't throw the People of the Gun overboard. But, in the end, their stock is fine and their sales are fine. Soccer moms don't care.

Wal-Mart won't even feel you not buying groceries there. To their defense, they didn't do a full virtue-signaling Dick's move, they tried to split the baby.
Please, let us be clear. WM went full on Anti. They're with Soros/Bloomberg/Anti-American. No neutrality in this. They're solidly on the other side.
Mr. Glock wrote:It's kind of the same thing with YouTube, Google and Facebook. They are going to push the anti-gun envelope because they can. Who is going to stop them? Turmp. Good luck, he's not 2A not matter how much you like him.
Yep, they're all Antis, POTUS just trying to have it both ways. The difficulty is getting people to see that, because the winning KoolAide is powerful.
Mr. Glock wrote:Why can major corporations make these move? We've lost the narrative.
We have not lost the narrative. We still tell the better story, because we tell the Truth. People want self-defense capabilities and freedom. Yes, there are weak sheep out there who are lost. Yes, they want the nanny State. You think we've lost because the media has aligned against our freedoms and the NRA has joined them. We just haven't found the national voice for our position, yet.
Mr. Glock wrote:And what do we present? Some dumb butt open carrying an AR with full kit and body armor into a WM just days after the El Paso massacre. Looks great, huh? Holly and Charlie will just run to our side I'm sure.
That's not fair. You know that's not us. How about S. Willeford, the dude who chased a church gunman with HIS AR?
Mr. Glock wrote:Or, we can sit on our hands and post to the choir "Tuck, Tuck, too bad no one likes us"
"The Choir" needs some encouragement, clearly. They need to know and understand the truth, their plight, the next twists and turns in the plot, in order that they may more effectively engage against Soros' assault.
Mr. Glock wrote:That's my two cents. Don't pee into the wind, find a way to make a difference. A real long-game difference. We've lost the short game.
I've been the resident tinfoil nattering nabob troll for 10+ years. I'm not playing the short game.
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

Post by Mr. Glock »

This is a really in-depth post that covers a lot of ground, so I want to respond & expand on my thinking:
bignflnut wrote: Please, let us be clear. WM went full on Anti. They're with Soros/Bloomberg/Anti-American. No neutrality in this. They're solidly on the other side.
They didn't do the full Dick's virtue- signaling (destroying ARs, the CEO on the news making gun control statements). They went Fudd. Or, if you like Fudd + Soros. Why? Because that is the easy path for corporations today. They are dipping their toes in the water because it is less risky than standing firm. That is a result of the popular culture today. If it was easier to stand firm, they would have done so. Canary in the coal mine here. I'll add NASCAR to this too, because is it now easier for other corporations to use that as cover to make even more detrimental moves (Heck, if WM can do X, we can now do X+Y+Z).

Look at the momentum. Nothing stands still, it is either moving forward or backwards. Do you really think a pro-gun position is on the rise in the US? We've already lost the fight here, so let's figure out how to get in front of the culture issue, rather than fighting a rear-guard action. Rather then piece-meal a response to a single corporation (over and over again as this spreads), let's use that work/resources to change the popular culture that makes those decisions so easy. Don't treat the symptom, treat to root cause.

bignflnut wrote: Yep, they're all Antis, POTUS just trying to have it both ways. The difficulty is getting people to see that, because the winning KoolAide is powerful.
Agreed. But what do we do to actually shift the culture when the mainstream media, the POTUS and Social Media are all aligned against us? That is the real fight.

bignflnut wrote: We have not lost the narrative. We still tell the better story, because we tell the Truth. People want self-defense capabilities and freedom. Yes, there are weak sheep out there who are lost. Yes, they want the nanny State. You think we've lost because the media has aligned against our freedoms and the NRA has joined them. We just haven't found the national voice for our position, yet.
The recent WM and NASCAR moves show that we lost the narrative. I think we lost because the culture has shifted too far away from individual rights and responsibilities, which is what freedom demands. Just look at the repression of free speech these days, speaking of an other enumerated right under attack. In that particular case, do you think it is more effective to boycott left-wing anti-freedom of speech websites that have a paywall? Or, are you going to invest in countering their reach?

If we have no national voice for our position, then we are losing. The NRA (whether good or bad) was able to bring pressure on a national scale, no longer. In the truth vs feelings battle, feelings are winning big time. It's easy to feel, and the national culture validates that position. Look at the lack of critical thinking on college campuses, and how popular socialism has become with many of today's under 30 crowd. Do you think those snowflakes are going to magically develop the skills to compare and contrast what they see as controversial (i.e. the truth) or are they going to step into line with the popular culture?

bignflnut wrote:That's not fair. You know that's not us. How about S. Willeford, the dude who chased a church gunman with HIS AR?
Fairness has nothing to do with popular culture. Do you think Charlie and Holly know about Willeford? It doesn't matter why they don't know, but they don't. That is reality of the situation.

bignflnut wrote: "The Choir" needs some encouragement, clearly. They need to know and understand the truth, their plight, the next twists and turns in the plot, in order that they may more effectively engage against Soros' assault.
Yes, exactly. What is the best way to do it? Spend time and resources In a way that makes no actual difference but makes them feel good? Or, to take actions that actually have the potential to make a positive difference over time in popular culture?

bignflnut wrote: I've been the resident tinfoil nattering nabob troll for 10+ years. I'm not playing the short game.
True. And I enjoy your perspective, even if I don't always agree with it or your source material. But, and I mean this as a compliment, you are a rare bird in today's popular culture. You have to reach the popular culture on their terms, not your own.
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

Post by Chuck »

Mr. Glock wrote:This is a really in-depth post that covers a lot of ground, so I want to respond & expand on my thinking:
I want you to know that I am paying close attention to your words and thoughts, as I try to do everyone's,
Valuable thinking
Thank you
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

Post by bignflnut »

Mr. Glock wrote:Look at the momentum. Nothing stands still, it is either moving forward or backwards. Do you really think a pro-gun position is on the rise in the US?


Of course not! Have you read anything I've written? I've been called every name in the book because I am not positive and bright and shiny about the latest electoral victory. That said, I do think people are tired of the political fighting leading to zero solutions. Some who are able to break from the hypnotism of the MSM are coming to the understanding that "you're on your own".
Mr. Glock wrote:We've already lost the fight here, so let's figure out how to get in front of the culture issue, rather than fighting a rear-guard action.
A1. If you're going to engage the Cultural Issue, you'll first have to overcome the RKBA groups insistence that they remain "single issue orgs". The War is much larger than that.
A2. If you're going to engage the Cultural Issue, you'll first have to overcome the RKBA groups insistence that they remain "religiously neutral". Neutrality is a myth and theocracies are inescapable, the only question is which god will be worshiped.
Mr. Glock wrote:Rather then piece-meal a response to a single corporation (over and over again as this spreads), let's use that work/resources to change the popular culture that makes those decisions so easy. Don't treat the symptom, treat to root cause.
Mr. Glock wrote:Agreed. But what do we do to actually shift the culture when the mainstream media, the POTUS and Social Media are all aligned against us? That is the real fight.
I recommend the back half of a Voddie Baucham presentation called "Cultural Marxism" to understand what you're up against. They've captured all the robed institutions: Judicial, Political, Theological, Educational. IF you're truly in this for the long game, IF you desire to engage & #WintheCultureWar, these are your primary objectives. There is no plan B.
Mr. Glock wrote:In the truth vs feelings battle, feelings are winning big time. It's easy to feel, and the national culture validates that position. Look at the lack of critical thinking on college campuses, and how popular socialism has become with many of today's under 30 crowd. Do you think those snowflakes are going to magically develop the skills to compare and contrast what they see as controversial (i.e. the truth) or are they going to step into line with the popular culture?
Properly, you're pinpointing the educational aspect of the culture war. Agreeing that this is a long war, you need to understand where the institutions of education are, and stop feeding them capital/your children.
bignflnut wrote: "The Choir" needs some encouragement, clearly. They need to know and understand the truth, their plight, the next twists and turns in the plot, in order that they may more effectively engage against Soros' assault.
Mr. Glock wrote:Yes, exactly. What is the best way to do it? Spend time and resources In a way that makes no actual difference but makes them feel good? Or, to take actions that actually have the potential to make a positive difference over time in popular culture?
I've laid out the objectives. Can you already hear the churches, the RKBA groups, the men that lead corporations, etc, passing the buck? Can you hear them saying they can't swallow the whole elephant by themselves? The wailing and moaning at the mere mention of the goals? Be honest, how many people, on the PRO RKBA side, pull the ripcord after the robed institutions point and won't read any further?

Certainly, there will be those that differ with me on the primary objectives and we haven't even begun to discuss the time and efforts necessary to achieve them! It's not difficult to see how we've arrived at this position. I reject any plan B, because I understand what made this nation great and what it needs to reclaim its former glory. The Culture War is a battle of philosophies: Cultural Marxism vs Individual Liberty.
Mr. Glock wrote:But, and I mean this as a compliment, you are a rare bird in today's popular culture. You have to reach the popular culture on their terms, not your own.
I appreciate the kind words and have no quarrel with you personally. Having no desire at all to make this personal in any way, you realize that this is precisely the seed, planted in WM, that has now born fruit. When we accept their rules of "neutrality" / "acceptance"/ "inclusiveness"/ "open mindedness" / "officer safety" / "public safety" / "prohibited persons"/ "background checks", etc., we have disengaged the war, surrendering any future argument. Unless and until we are willing to stand apart from the deceptions of popular culture, the losing streak will continue.

Thank you for engaging in the civil discourse. Thank you for your kind words and sincere desire to keep freedom alive.
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

Post by AlanM »

I haven't read this thread closely but I do have an observation.

IF, and I suspect there WILL be, there is another mass shooting at a Walmart or any other retailer that has posted as a CPZ, there are going to be law suits up the wazoo.
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

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bignflnut wrote:
Mr. Glock wrote:We've already lost the fight here, so let's figure out how to get in front of the culture issue, rather than fighting a rear-guard action.
A1. If you're going to engage the Cultural Issue, you'll first have to overcome the RKBA groups insistence that they remain "single issue orgs". The War is much larger than that.
A2. If you're going to engage the Cultural Issue, you'll first have to overcome the RKBA groups insistence that they remain "religiously neutral". Neutrality is a myth and theocracies are inescapable, the only question is which god will be worshiped.
And...I disagree with this part of your post (I think, I will expand). Although I understand your point from a Natural Rights into Constitutional Rights perspective, and that the Founding Fathers were largely Christian, they approached Christianity in many different ways. I will be forthright and say I approach this issue from a small "L" libertarian viewpoint, and I think that viewpoint has more merit in winning the 2A war in a highly diverse country like the US than a traditional/more religious viewpoint. The US isn't the homogenous nation it once was (this is both good and bad, of course, and depends on your outlook on many issues as to which is which), but that means a traditional religious approach is not an effective way to target today's popular culture.

Not that a traditional culture/religious approach wouldn't be correct for a certain segment of the population. It just doesn't cover the required number of citizens to make it matter on a population-size level.

I, for example, think that rolling abortion, gay marriage, immigration or other hot buttons into the 2A debate is a loser. I am single-issue in this perspective because I welcome the diversity of all legal citizens to own and carry firearms. And, by extension, to support the 2A. And thus support my right to bear arms. I'm selfish that way. Its sort of "You do You, and I'll do Me. And everyone is ok with 2A."

I'm not taking about winning the culture ways to get back to a certain way of life in this series of posts. I'm talking about winning the culture wars in terms of 2A (only) in a highly diverse and fragmented society.

Freedom is a noble endeavor, and we all should work towards it. But freedom takes work, and today's culture doesn't think that is sexy any longer. AOC would still be bartending if that wasn't true.
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

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troy bilt wrote:Sounds like some think Walmart is to big to fail. Not me. I'm out.
They can continue to succeed (and they probably will) without my support. It's a grain of sand on a beach, but it's MY grain of sand.

I typically buy from Target Sports or SGAmmo, with a slight preference for SG (SG is a small family-owned business, Target Sports typically is the one to make an offer I can't refuse).
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

Post by M-Quigley »

AlanM wrote:I haven't read this thread closely but I do have an observation.

IF, and I suspect there WILL be, there is another mass shooting at a Walmart or any other retailer that has posted as a CPZ, there are going to be law suits up the wazoo.

Which retailer has recently posted as a CPZ?
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

Post by DOA33 »

Will i didn't see this coming especially in KY but here we are. Guy OC in Walmart was waiting by the ammo counter waiting for help and someone called MWG. I've been to this Walmart a few times. Guy gets nationwide banned from Walmart.

https://www.facebook.com/dadsondutysurv ... zUyODM1Mw/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

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DOA33 wrote:Will i didn't see this coming especially in KY but here we are. Guy OC in Walmart was waiting by the ammo counter waiting for help and someone called MWG. I've been to this Walmart a few times. Guy gets nationwide banned from Walmart.

https://www.facebook.com/dadsondutysurv ... zUyODM1Mw/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
What bothers me about this incident is that the LEO is acting as an agent for Walmart. He is the go-between to get the customer to sign the no-trespassing agreement.

That agreement is a civil agreement between the store and the customer. A LEO should not be involved in mediating or as an agent for a store.

This entire scenario looks like extortion.
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

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Mr. Glock wrote:We've already lost the fight here, so let's figure out how to get in front of the culture issue, rather than fighting a rear-guard action.
Unsurprisingly, I misunderstood this comment.
You continue to say that we've lost the narrative, so I thought you were zooming out to the more meta Culture Wars, saying we had lost RKBA.
Mr. Glock wrote: I'm not taking about winning the culture ways to get back to a certain way of life in this series of posts. I'm talking about winning the culture wars in terms of 2A (only) in a highly diverse and fragmented society.

Freedom is a noble endeavor, and we all should work towards it. But freedom takes work, and today's culture doesn't think that is sexy any longer. AOC would still be bartending if that wasn't true.
Taking this at face value, and allowing that I may be misunderstanding, again, I hear you asking how to make Freedom and work sexy or culturally acceptable. I continue to restate that accepting their terms, playing on their battlefield by their rules, trying to agree with them on the basis and framing of the conversation is the fatal flaw. Making it "sexy", making it palatable, trying to appease them - however you want to phrase it - this is where the battle is lost. Think about it for just a minute...they're saying "Do Something" and we agree that the State/the law, is the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to happiness but by it. There is no limit to the power of the Savior State and bans are simply the only way forward... If we're going to start there, how do you propose to get to a place where the State has less power, allows freedom to the Citizens and upholds the Rights we have to self-defense in a retail location, government building, home, place of worship, etc? If you begin by agreeing with the State worshipers on who the Savior is and the power vested in Him, how are you going to stand against their dogma?

I encourage you to watch the interaction between Senator Cruz and three Anti's over 90 minutes. He's respectful, let's them prattle on about their emotions: pain, anxiety, fear, anger, grief, etc. and then he offers a path forward to "do something" about bad guys getting firepower. They'll have none of it. They "Yes AND OUR BILL" him over and over, disregarding his objections. God Bless Senator Cruz for his efforts, but giving these people the first 20 minutes is all you need to know about who is setting the agenda by framing the issue. They have the WHY and challenge us on WHY NOT (instantly dismissing our response). In doing so, they seem to take the moral high ground, and WE AGREE WITH THEM. We don't have a WHY, because we don't believe, religiously, that our Rights are absolute, that adhering to them jealously will result in human flourishing, and that we SHOULD be a moral and religious society capable of self-government. THE American Philosophy is built on a religious frame, deny this at your own peril.
The Principle

1. The traditional American philosophy teaches that Man, The Individual, is endowed at birth with rights which are unalienable because given by his Creator.

The Only Moral Basis

2. This governmental philosophy is uniquely American. The concept of Man's rights being unalienable is based solely upon the belief in their Divine origin. Lacking this belief, there is no moral basis for any claim that they are unalienable or for any claim to the great benefits flowing from this concept. God-given rights are sometimes called Natural Rights--those possessed by Man under the Laws of Nature, meaning under the laws of God's creation and therefore by gift of God. Man has no power to alienate--to dispose of, by surrender, barter or gift--his God-given rights, according to the American philosophy. This is the meaning of "unalienable."

One underlying consideration is that for every such right there is a correlative, inseparable duty--for every aspect of freedom there is a corresponding responsibility; so that it is always Right-Duty and Freedom-Responsibility, or Liberty-Responsibility. There is a duty, or responsibility, to God as the giver of these unalienable rights: a moral duty--to keep secure and use soundly these gifts, with due respect for the equal rights of others and for the right of Posterity to their just heritage of liberty. Since this moral duty cannot be surrendered, bartered, given away, abandoned, delegated or otherwise alienated, so is the inseparable right likewise unalienable. This concept of rights being unalienable is thus dependent upon belief in God as the giver. This indicates the basis and the soundness of Jefferson's statement (1796 letter to John Adams): "If ever the morals of a people could be made the basis of their own government it is our case . . ."
We've simply disposed of the above, and with it, the moral high ground. We've moved from this battlefield of individual freedom to the secular humanist arena, where there is no absolute, objective, transcendent truth greater than my personal facebook page and emotional experience. They have the moral OUGHT, which is why they seemingly own the narrative. We can't explain why people OUGHT to be free to make individual choices in the temple of secular humanism (cuz it don't make no sense). Let's be honest, in a culture that ritualistically kills 2,400 innocent babies a day, what do you expect? They call good evil and evil good. How are you going to defeat that without opposing its root?

Make no mistake, the secular humanists are running our society as a theocracy. They WANT the family to die! THIS is why chaos reigns.

You made the comment that the nation was no longer homogeneous. Was it ever? Immigration has always been important to American Life. In the past, we've encouraged assimilation to the American Culture. We had a culture that we expected people to ingest and uphold. Now, that culture has been tagged as lethally racist, bigoted, homophobic, patriarchal, etc... to discourage assimilation and take people away from the religiously jealous adherence to our absolute Rights that shall not be infringed by the State. Your problem isn't fragmentation or diversity (Cultural Marxist buzzword), it's mis-education. We've stopped discussing our Rights as absolute. We've given our kids to the wrong Savior.

Now, the State is the culture. The State is the Savior instead of the enemy of our freedom, in today's culture. We're all heretics and infidels to say otherwise. Need proof? Advocate for homeschooling and watch yourself be de-humanized instantaneously. Suggest that our Rights are absolute, instead of inherently pliable and granted permissions by the State. Tell someone that intentionally killing a baby in utero is murder, and that the State should justly punish this evil to prevent its flourishing.

Look, if anyone should see the big picture, it's churches and proRKBA orgs. Yet, they want to continue agreeing to the Anti-Family terms of battle. Not even the most persecuted in our society comprehend the war being waged against them. They still want to sit down and agree to the Statist's definition of and solution to the problem. How do you expect them to win when the State is god?

Thank you for clarifying the scope of the question at hand and keeping the discussion civil.
Last edited by bignflnut on Wed Sep 11, 2019 10:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

Post by bignflnut »

High Power wrote:What bothers me about this incident is that the LEO is acting as an agent for Walmart. He is the go-between to get the customer to sign the no-trespassing agreement.

That agreement is a civil agreement between the store and the customer. A LEO should not be involved in mediating or as an agent for a store.

This entire scenario looks like extortion.
Yup. The State is not neutral, nor its laws. They're upholding somebody's Rights and there are some here who insist that companies can do this and much more to an individual because the property rights of the business exceed the Natural Rights of the individual. Find that in a State or Federal Constitution.

No expectation of the corporation to assimilate to the American culture, but they have deep pockets and can buy their way into legal prominence.
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

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bignflnut wrote: I continue to restate that accepting their terms, playing on their battlefield by their rules, trying to agree with them on the basis and framing of the conversation is the fatal flaw. Making it "sexy", making it palatable, trying to appease them - however you want to phrase it - this is where the battle is lost.
Ah, here is the miss. I say that we need to engage with popular culture on today's battlefield. But you hear me saying that we appease, fight by their rules and let them frame the conversation. No, not at all. That is a losing proposition, and very poor strategy in any endeavor.

What I'm saying is that we take the rules & norms of popular culture and, through strategy and then tactics, use them to get our message across in a way that popular culture accepts. Same absolute rights Pro-2A message but different messenger. We try to push facts and logic (eat your vegetables!) but we'd probably do much better by understanding today's environment and using it to our advantage (I have free ice cream! Sure, it's got some veggies in there but it's ice cream!).

Here is a quick example. I'm not sure this exact thing would work this way, but I'm showing an example of my thinking. So, we all know that many Hollywood celebrities are Anti-2A and big hypocrites about it. Liam Neeson making bank on shoot-em up movies but campaigning against 2A. Chelsea Handler tweeting that her security guards don't use "semi-automatic" weapons. And the Kardashian that was robbed in Paris and immediately bought herself an A+ security team. And they have a bully pulpit of Twitter etc and fame to spread their view points; to those who follow them (many following mindlessly or ignorantly) those celebrities seem like an authority figure.

Traditionally, we try to counter this with Truth and Facts. Absolute Rights, Founding of America, charts, data. And all this gets lost. It's like eating your vegetables. Or, some people attack the celebrity directly, in terms of their life choices or similar, which just makes their faithful followers defensive and thus not willing to hear other viewpoints.

But what if there was a way to use a popular culture norm to diminish their preaching to the masses? In this case, ridicule. Along the lines of "Great for rich celebrities, hard for real regular folks who can't afford their own security team", that sort of thing. But done in a happy warrior way...we are poking fun at hypocrisy, we can't take these folks seriously, we have ice cream.

Heck, half the Mayors Against Illegal Guns were indicted (and many convicted) for out and out law-breaking. At least one for trying to bring a gun on a plane (IIRC, might be wrong). But they want to take the people's guns? Ha Ha. Insert ridicule here.

I'm not speaking of personal attacks. I'm not speaking of reacting from a negative position or using a negative tone. I'm speaking of framing the message in such a way that popular culture says, "Yea, why is that celebrity telling me we need gun control? He/She now lacks the authority to pontificate on this topic with me."

And, that would be a win. Unfortunately, this takes some common cause and some money. Soros and Bloomberg give the money to the other side, and thus consistently frame their message, strategy and tactics. This is why the RKBA must focus only on 2A issues. To wander into other areas creates fragmentation in the face of a unified opposition. For example, if you have a RKBA group that pushes 2A and also a position on abortion (doesn't mater which side), those who don't agree on the abortion issue (and, nationally, that's a 50/50 issue) will drop out. So, now we have a half-eaten hot dog. But, by sticking with RKBA only, we have a glorious piping-hot full sausage sandwich.

I think maybe NRA TV et al was swerving (almost accidentally it seems) into this approach, with Dana Loesch and Colin Noir. But the NRA badge is polarizing (maybe better had it been positioned as a start up-sort of thing), and the NRA TV et al attacks too negative and personal against their targets. There were no Happy Warriors, just angry warriors. Not only are angry warriors like eating your vegetables, they are cold and limp right from the refrigerator.

And that is the crux of my message. Take their authority from them by using their own popular culture rules. Freeze their public persona in what is their true and unflattering light. Some of my more adroit readers will know where those ideas originate in popular culture....good ideas are good ideas where ever they originate.

bignflnut wrote: How do you expect them to win when the State is god?
The emperor has no clothes. Let's make fun of State overreach. Undermine their authority (in terms of gun control) with ridicule. Ladle out ice cream with tidbits of vegetables in it.

And, hope that someone, somewhere with enough funding to execute gets this same idea. Or, fingers crossed, may even read it here. Then we can have a piping-hot sausage sandwich.

And I like sausage. It's tasty. And then ice cream for dessert.

But, right now, all we have are those little appetizer weiner franks. I don't much care for those, they are bland and salty, but I'll eat them so as to not starve. And I'll hope for sausage sandwich and ice cream tomorrow.
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DontTreadOnMe
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Re: Goodbye WalMart

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bignflnut wrote:
Mr. Glock wrote:Why can major corporations make these move? We've lost the narrative.
We have not lost the narrative. We still tell the better story, because we tell the Truth. People want self-defense capabilities and freedom. Yes, there are weak sheep out there who are lost. Yes, they want the nanny State. You think we've lost because the media has aligned against our freedoms and the NRA has joined them. We just haven't found the national voice for our position, yet.
We're telling the same story we've been telling for years. The only difference now is that our loudest most influential voice (the NRA) is embroiled in an internal controversy and less capable than ever in responding. Even if you didn't like how they responded before, anything the other groups did on a national level, politically, amounted to zip. They might as well have done nothing, and their presence still hasn't risen to the level to change that.

You don't think we're losing the narrative? I just saw this on Reason: 28% of Democrats, 15% of Republicans, 10% of Unaffiliateds Would Support Bans on Pro-Gun-Rights Organizations
"Among all likely voters ... 18% think it should be against the law to belong to pro-gun rights groups like the NRA."
That includes 15% of Republican voters. There's good news there (50% still have a favorable impression of the NRA) but the fact that almost 1 in 5 likely voters is okay with the idea of making it illegal to belong to a pro-2A group, and that includes about 1 in 6 Republicans? That ought to be shocking.

If you think that what you perceive as "the truth" told the same way we've been telling it is going to keep us from universal background checks and other restrictions, I think you're in for a surprise in the very near future.

People want self-defense capabilities and freedom? Yes, but they also want safety. They continue to be comfortable with TSA procedures despite the fact that the TSA's own tests show that they fail at finding weapons 95% of the time (the last time they actually provided numbers). We've got cameras all over the place that capture our images and do facial recognition. Companies like Ring Doorbell allow the police access to people's recordings without a warrant or even asking the owner. A few people make noise, but our society as a whole is fine with it because why? Safety.

People want to be safe, and they want to feel safe. They're willing to have their own rights trampled for it, so yours and mine? Yeah, no problem. I agree with bignflnut that our stale narrative is quickly losing ground, especially in the face of these high-profile public shootings that no large pro-2A group has offered any new solutions for.
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