Yellow Curl Hurl
 

In 2001 it was US flags. Real, magnetic, or sticker.
Today, its yellow ribbon magnets. Why?

What does slapping a magnet on your car do? Tell the person behind you that they should support the troops? What, exactly, do you think the masses of people that have put a yellow ribbon magnet on their car have done to back their own suggestion? Turn the made-in-china magnet on its side and you not only make a statement about your support for the war, you turn it into a religious one, also. This "I care more than you do attitude" combined with plastic patriotism takes it to a higher level that requires the least amount of effort needed to fit in with the largest group of people possible that results in no change. Its nauseating.

Of course, sometimes its not the sticker, but the location you place it when you put even less thought into your support for the men and women that serve our country.

http://fox.org/~vince/out/troopsupport.jpg

Fill 'er up with regular, please.

Man, lighten up a bit.

:yellowr: :redr: :usar: :tealr: :blackr: :apurpler: :blackr: :usar: :redr: :yellowr: :apinkr: :blackr: :apinkr: :tealr:

well, there is that view of course. most of the folks who have put those emblems on their cars probably really are just trying to make a visible statement of support for the troops. this isn't the first war that yellow ribbons have been seen, only the first time someone was smart enough to make it a magnet and sell it to people.

I second that... lighten up, dude. Maybe these people are putting the magnets on their car because they really want to show their support for the cause. Thinking that they do it because they think they are better than everyone else is a really judgmental point of view.

Do people put college stickers on their car because they want to make everyone else feel bad because they didn't go there or because they have pride in their institution?

No, they show they're putting their kids through college and if you hit them they'll sue for every dime they can get. Also if they hit you...forget it, they're broke. :)

The magnetic ribbons....they show how helpless people feel about what's happening. For or against, they have no power to affect what's happening and have to resort to a pathetic magnet to make a statement.

I think you cut to the quick there.

What about paint damage from electrolysis (sp)? I had magnetic stickers on fridge & dash of my old truck, paint came off underneath.



"Lack of proper prior planning on your part does not constitute
an emergency on mine."

I also think there is a presumption that buying one somehow benefits the troops (literally - like donating to the USO). I don't really mind the stickers all that much - I think most folks are just showing their support which is a nice thing to do.

I'm a little less enthusiastic about the plethora of wristlets out there. Lance Armstrong's was first one I noticed (the yellow one that *eye roll* John Kerry wore throughout the campaign). Now there are green USO ones, red ones, orange ones, pink ones. And I have my doubts that much if any of the money paid for it actually reaches the supposed destination. I think they have turned into a fashion statement for teenagers and oldsters who want everyone to think they are hip/cool.

I'm a little less enthusiastic about the plethora of wristlets out there. Lance Armstrong's was first one I noticed (the yellow one that *eye roll* John Kerry wore throughout the campaign). Now there are green USO ones, red ones, orange ones, pink ones. And I have my doubts that much if any of the money paid for it actually reaches the supposed destination. I think they have turned into a fashion statement for teenagers and oldsters who want everyone to think they are hip/cool.

Well, this was my idea: if you want to really do something for the troops, why not have a similar system to the Armstrong yellow bands? What if you got something in return for having a care package sent to our fighting men and women? On display, it would actually mean something and would show that you did something to help make a soldier's tour better and let them know you're thinking of them. Then, just like the Armstrong bands, it would serve to let others know about it and propagate the meme.

At that point, that fashion statement of it wouldn't bother me. (I haven't seen any of the USO ones floating around, only the yellow ones. What do the orange and pink mean?)

A while-we're-on-the-subject link for sending care packages: www.AnySoldier.com. Whatever you sent is distributed to soldiers who typically don't get anything sent to them. You don't get a goodie in exchange, tho but if you include an email address you might get a note back but don't be offended if you don't.

As for the other colours, I have no idea - I have just noticed them adorning the wrists of teenagers in the area.

Pink bracelets are for breast cancer... the others - no clue. I've only seen pink and yellow.

Support Our Troops Wrist Band

http://www.7-eleven.com/images/assets/sot_band_D.jpg

The ribbons on the car are a sign of an asshole driver. The more ribbons, the bigger the asshole.

There's flag-patterned ("God Bless the USA", also "Support Our Troops") and yellow ("Support Our Troops"), pink (breast cancer), black (POW/MIA -- this means the driver is a conspiracy theorist and probably also has PTSD), but they all mean "asshole".

Wow, that's a fair amount of bitterness over what is basically a bumper sticker that you don't have to worry about scraping off. Someone cut you off and that made you feel inferior or what?

BTW, we have one on our van. Mrs. Dar picked it up somewhere. And while I do have one, I am not one. So your hypothesis is provably incorrect.

Here's how stupid the ribbon thing has gotten...
 

You can get the graphical list here.

1. NEW Ribbons related to the Attack on America, September 11, 2001
2. Support Fair Reparations for Slavery
3. Colorectal Cancer Awareness
4. Support Spay and Neuter
5. Pancreatic cancer research
6. Promote Behcet's Disease Awareness
7. Q Ribbon - Responsible Journalism on the Internet
8. Blue Ribbon - International No Diet Day
9. Mint Green Ribbon Awareness of Abuse
10. Stop Animal Abuse Purple Ribbon
11. Support Christian Rock
12. Ribbon Awareness
13. Purple Ribbon for Cancer Awareness
14. Pink Ribbon - Breast Cancer Awareness
15. Red Ribbon AIDS Awareness
16. Tartan Ribbon for people in Scotland with AIDS
17. Prostate Cancer Awareness
18. Metallic Gold Ribbom for Childhood Cancer Awareness
19. Lung Cancer Awareness Ribbon
20. Leukemia Awareness
21. Teal Ribbon - fight Ovarian Cancer
22. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness
23. Melanoma Awareness
24. EB Awareness
25. Green Ribbon - support of children and persons with optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) and septo-optic dysplasia (SOD)
26. Support for those dealing with Alzheimers
27. Lukemia - Help save Alana
28. Green Ribbon - Support Organ Donation
29. Silver Ribbon Support Children with disABILITIES
30. Violet Ribbon Artists Against Racism
31. Black and White Ribbon - Victims of Church Bombings
32. Awareness of Crohn's, Colitis, and all IBDs
33. Multiple Myeloma Awareness
34. Anti-Racism Web Page Orange Ribbon Campaign
35. Make a Wish Foundation
36. Zero Tolerance For Child Porn on the 'Net
37. Remember the Innocent (Columbine HS)
38. Blue and Silver ribbon - In Memory, Columbine HS
39. End School Violence
40. Purple Ribbon - Religious Tolerance
41. Remember Matthew Shepard - the green ribbon
42. Blue Ribbon Against Child Abuse
43. Pro-Woman Pro-Child Pro-Peace
44. Blue Ribbon Campaign for Free Speech
45. Yellow ribbon - Light for Life Foundation
46. Pro-life ribbon
47. Chemical Injury Awareness
48. Awareness for EI/MCS!
49. Youth Mentoring International Foundation
50. Free Les Whaley
51. Web Site Individuality
52. Carnival Worker Rights
53. Protest Everything Ribbon Campaign
54. Glitter Ribbon in support of ribbon campaigns!
55. The Pale Brown Ribbon Campaign ("Break Chain Email")
56. The Florescent [sic] Clear Ribbon Campaign ("The ribbon campaign against ribbon campaigns")
57. UFO Ribbon Campaign (UFO free speech)
58. Less Crap Online Brown Ribbon
59. Stop the Leeching Neon Green Ribbon Campaign
60. Anti-Gravity Campaign
61. The Orange Ribbon July '98
62. Stop Hating Leonardo DiCaprio
63. Grey Ribbon - Open ICANN Board Meetings
64. Black Ribbon - Suppressing Hippie-Dom Worldwide
65. Support Amish on the Internet
66. Kesri Ribbon Project
67. Against Circumcision
68. Liberty Round Table Green Ribbon
69. Support Veto 4 Fathers
70. Fuschia Ribbon - I am a Pro-life Feminist
71. Rage Against Chain Letters
72. Pagan Girls
73. Orange Ribbon for families with loved ones in prison
74. Mothers Against Drunk Driving
75. Ironic Speech Online Butt-Ugly Plaid Campaign
76. Fighting to bring back The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
77. Red and White Ribbon - Justice for Christopher Barkman
78. Remeber the RMS Titanic
79. Ban the Blink Tag!
80. Yellow Ribbon: Operation Just Cause for POW's/MIA's
81. Teens Agains Smoking
82. Fight Against Decaf Coffee!
83. psychadelic ribbon - Keep sifl and olly on the air
84. Polyamory Awareness
85. Van Halen 1977 Warners' Demo Awareness
86. Free Terri Martin!
87. Protect the Flag
88. Capitalist Ribbon
89. Stop Calling Those Annoying E-mails "Spam"
90. Free the Software Market From the Microsoft Monpoly!
91. Support Breastfeeding
92. Stop Abuse Against Our Truckers
93. Cyan Ribbon in support of Microsoft and calling for a Free Market in Technology
94. Polly Klaas Foundation
95. Orange Ribbon Fight the Fingerprint!
96. Black Ribbon - Mouning for the death of America's freedom
97. Addicted to Genealogy
98. Yellow Ribbon No Taxes on the web
99. Online Freedom Federation - Allow Star Trek fan pages
100. The Sick Ribbon Campaign to Ban McZee
101. The 'No Film of Phantom' Campaign
102. Dublane Ribbon Appeal
103. IGHA "HorseAid Purple Ribbon Campaign"
104. Light blue ribbon to show support for the safety and well-being of all children
105. Adopt a Greyhound
106. Support the Color Green
107. Applied Solipsism - the only philosophically proven "who cares"-campaign
108. Cow Appreciation Campaign
109. Support Novac's Ribbon Page
110. Teal Ribbon Campaign for Actual Reality Online
111. White Ribbon - men working to end violence against women
112. Boycott Under Construction Signs Orange Ribbon
113. Saoirse - Release Irish Political Prisoners
114. A Dedication To Jonathan Larson
115. The Rocko Ribbon Campaign
116. I'm Sorry Ribbon Campaign - for people to show their solidarity with the Aboriginal people of this country for the whole "Stolen Children" episode
117. Don't let them downgrade Pluto's status to a moon!
118. Green Ribbon for Latin American Unity
119. Aqua Ribbon in support of social movements for freedom
120. Yellow Ribbon Banana Eagle Awareness (page is mostly in Finnish)
121. Shoes For Industry
122. Asian American Studies in Higher Academia
123. Time for Peace in Ireland
124. The 6-U Green Ribbon World Wide Web Campaign
125. Be Nice to Newbies Campaign
126. Quake Community Green Ribbon Campaign
127. Anti-Politically Correct Brown Ribbon Campaign
128. Anti-Red Ribbon Campaign
129. In Memory of Mother Theresa
130. In Honor of Princess Diana
131. Chombos Chocolate Ribbon Campaign
132. The Bluemchen Addict Orange Ribbon
133. Crimson Ribbon for Unity in Diversity
134. Purple Ribbon for Draconic Equality
135. Ribbon-O-Matic!
136. Support Paula Jones Lavender Ribbon Campaign
137. The Anti-Color Ribbon Campaign
138. Join the PUCE! Ribbon Campaign to fight internet piracy!
139. Free Beer Online Brown Ribbon
140. Green Ribbon Responsibility in free speech
141. The White Ribbon Campaign for Responsibility in Free Speech
142. Stop partial-birth abortions
143. Ban the Stupid! Avocado Ribbon Campaign
144. Multi-colored ribbon against ribbons campaigns
145. Plaid Ribbon - Page Designers for Environmental Preservation
146. Anarchist Black Ribbon Campaign
147. Boycott PackardBell
148. Green Ribbon Campaign for Free Italian Internet Market
149. Black Ribbon - Stop censorship in Singapore
150. Yellow Ribbon For citizens who were imprisoned in Iraq
151. We are NOT nerds! The Lime Ribbon
152. Gray/Silver Ribbon - help fight Diabetes
153. Remembering those in TWA flight 800 in July, 1996
154. Rainbow Ribbon to help Peacelink
155. The Puke Green Ribbon - ending pointless and moronic stuff on the web
156. Another view on censorship!
157. Green Ribbon - Help Find Missing Children
158. Yellow Ribbon - Free Harry Wu
159. Yahoo Sucks
160. Affordable Internet Access In New Zealand
161. Polka Dot Ribbon for proper use of language on the Internet
162. Ecru Ribbon Campaign: Pez Free Speech on the Internet
163. Chrome Ribbon - keep idiots off the Net
164. Scotland Against Nuclear Dumping
165. Canada - support legal firearms
166. Support for the Loyalist people of Ulster
167. Help Preserve Homepages on OPEN.ORG
168. The purple ribbon - Help stop violence
169. Invisible Ribbon Campaign
170. Green Ribbon - Save the Dragons
171. Cow Liberation?
172. Purple Ribbon - Support the Aboa Camarilla
173. Hemp Green Ribbon Campaign

Well, I got a red one from the Red Cross for donating blood. I sure as hell hope it all went to the red cross!

- pie (short a pint)

Thanks for the link, Beestie -- its good to see such a group doing such things. I just found out that a collection of people at my office are selling girl scout cookies and that its possible to buy boxes and have them shipped over. Along with an enclosed letter, I don't think I could think of anything that could provide such comfort as that. (Well, maybe plane tickets home...)

Another one today, white ribbon, "Pray for our troops". As with religious bumper stickers, counts double on the "asshole driver" scale.

Brown ribbon: Prostate cancer awareness.

No, I'm making that up, nobody gives a shit about prostate cancer. Err, no pun intended.

As with religious bumper stickers, counts double on the "asshole driver" scale.

Umm... is it that you notice that people with these ribbons drive badly or something else?

Here I thought it was just people that drove SUVs and Volvos...

People with prostate cancer probably give a "shit". People who have family members with prostate cancer probably give a "shit." Fans of Jerry Orbach, Law & Order's detective Lenny Briscoe give a "shit."

Yes. My point is there's little in the way of organized campaigns to do anything about prostate cancer, the way there are about other cancers (particularly breast cancer). The reasons being twofold

1) It only affects men and
2) It's too closely associated with the ass.

Its not support of anything but fashion driven commerce and that's what is sad.

There are lots of organized campaigns out there for a lot of random diseases and causes that only effect 1 out of a billion people. Whatever it is still impacts their lives and it is really insensitive to say that there is no reason for others to care about it.

Guess what? I have men in my life that I care about, ie - my husband, my dad, my grandfather, many male friends - thus I should care about prostate cancer because if one of them got it, it would effect my life.

Granted, some people care about really crazy stuff... but i'm not going to discount them for being passionate about whatever cause they are passionate about.

It's like on the Simpsons, when Marge and Bart played in the Krusty the Klown Charity tennis tournament to aid victims of Balcony Collapse. Bart essentially says that he hopes that BC will be wiped out in his lifetime. Weird infliction to have a charity tennis tourney for, but if that's what someone is passionate about, more power to them.

I really don't understand the vitriol and passion with which some posters dislike the ribbon or sticker or magnet campaigns.

The whole point of these campaigns is to show you support them, financially or with your vote, or whatever. If someone doesn't know what your specific ribbon is for, then they can ask, and perhaps raise the awareness of the public just one person at a time.

Most of us know what yellow ribbons and pink ribbons are for, because we were made aware of them. IMO there is nothing wrong with the ribbons or stickers or magnets.

true dat.

just as bad as those little fucking chrome fish thingies that say jesus in them......i like the one with feet that says darwin....

every time i get behind some schmuck rolling along 5 miles per hour under the speed limit, there is invariably a yellow or half yellow/half stars&stripes ribbon on the back.

some opportunist out there is getting rich on these things.

I saw an excellent one the other day, just a plain old fish with the phrase "n'chips" inside.

NPR profiled Colorado Springs and it's rep as a "conservative christian" town on Monday night, I think. They talked a little bit about the guy who came up with the Darwin logos. Apparently, he lives down here and runs a business selling stuff like that. He has a bumper sticker saying "I have no problem with God, it's his fan club I can't stand".

http://www.evolvefish.com/

sweet. bookmarked.

http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/media/S-GodPretend.jpghttp://www.evolvefish.com/fish/media/S-318.jpg

i love it

and one for OC: http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/media/S-DarwinThumb.jpg

oooh, ond look: http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/media/S-325.jpg

The whole point of these campaigns is to show you support them, financially or with your vote, or whatever. If someone doesn't know what your specific ribbon is for, then they can ask, and perhaps raise the awareness of the public just one person at a time.

Agreed. My problem with the majority of the yellow ribbons: not a dollar, not a dime, not a cent goes towards supporting anyone other than the company that placed the order to China to have them cranked out of a machine. You have to look very hard to find a yellow ribbon maker that donates any of your money to making a soldier's tour better. To me, they are the epitome of America: they require no work (you just buy 'em), they don't mean much (none of your money goes anywhere), they're tacky as all hell, and just like honest troop support found throughout the public, the trend is as temporary as the magnet that holds the sticker to your vehicle.

Write a soldier a heartfelt letter describing your appreciation for what they do for the country or spend $5 on a magnet at a gas station? Send a care package to someone in Afghanistan or stick a nylon cutout of Calvin peeing on Osama's head to your window? Wave and cheer at a Welcome Home parade or make a hidden political statement with a sticker? Current issues of such severity, I always thought, should be treated with a lot more respect when so many lives of Americans are on the line. I'm positive that the people that try to make a statement with these stickers and magnets mean well, I just think that its all effort in the wrong direction.

...or, who knows? Maybe soldiers that come home and see the highways swamped with vehicles that have yellow ribbon magnets on them feel honored and warmed by the sight. Maybe families that have sent their son or daughter to Iraq feel a sense of community as they're sitting at a stoplight? Maybe those little images of crosses, twin towers, yellow ribbons, terrorist hunting permits, crying eagles, and American flags do a lot of good and I just don't see it?

I hate these things because I see them as fake passion.

This only signifies that the person heard about the war on the news and they feel bad about it, but they're too shallow to actually do something about it. They want to feel like they're a part of something, but they don't actually care enough to be bothered to send a care package, or join the army themselves. That requires real commitment, which most likely that person doesn't have on this particular issue.

Of course this is certainly not true of everyone, but I think it's true of many.

I don't really mind the ribbons so much, though. It could be that that person has a son or daughter in the military. It's the American flags that bother me. One is never enough, it seems. It must be either three flags, or the entire back window of their car must be one big flag (usually with a giant eagle overlooking it, with cleverly crafted ripples in the flag).

I know -- they love their country. But if I put a giant "The Matrix" logo over my back windshield, people would think I was a tool (ha ha ha -- yes yes, I know - I am one anyway). No one cares if I like the Matrix. If they did, they'd ask me -- they wouldn't look on my car. Sure, maybe if I participated in the making of the movie, that would make it okay. That would signify a pride in my work. But I didn't help make the movie, so I would just be a sad fanboy.

A Color Guide to Wristbands

A yellow wristband shows you're against all types of cancer.
A yellow wristband, in certain hospitals, also means "do no resuscitate." (But if the medical team misinterprets your anti-cancer bracelet, hey, at least you died for a good cause.)

C'mon Kit, there's nothing wrong with a tastefully applied flag on the trunk lid. :haha:

It makes the car look like a massive, rolling coffin. Creepy.

I caught a yellow ribbon yesterday that, at first, I almost wrote off as being normal until I noticed that part of it was black. I finally caught up to the vehicle to see that while it look identical, written in the same script-like font were the words "Support Pittsburgh".

For what?

Steelers, I guess? :confused:

Oh, Lance, what have you started?

I'm rather fond of the little fetus logo on them. It kinda looks like Beavis.

Are you in or out!? Join the righteous club house!

I live in a city with lots of military personnel, so these magnet ribbon things are all over the place. Hey, whatever floats your boat, but I REALLY hate the ones that say "God Bless the USA." I read that as saying "God, we don't give a shit about anyone else. Just help those of us who happen to be Americans." Stupid. :yeldead:

it's kind of funny how intolerant some can be regarding those that they view as intolerant.

And I think it's kinda funny how intolerant some can be about those they think are being intolerant regarding those they view as intolerant. :rollanim:

God is always on "our" side.

Doesn't matter which side you are, or which god you mean.

In WWII there were posters throughout Britain assuring "God is on our side."

There were posters throughout Germany that proclaimed "Gott mit Uns."

I really think those metrospy people are a bunch of liberal weenies that are just trying to make fun of and financially exploit conservatives ... who typically have more disposable income, so it's a reasonably good marketing ploy.

I thought this was clever. I have a pin somewhere that says 'My goddess can beat up your god."

And that goes to show how silly that concept really is.

Because they lost the war, or because they had faith?

Or because "faith" can be used to justify any cruelty or inhumane act?

I can "tolerate" righteous junk fashions, I'm not ripping off someones arm or ramming their SUV, but I have trouble respecting it.