I BELIEVE IN Q
I'll get to the heading above eventually but for now I want to tell you a story.
A fiction based on true events and real people. None of it is true. Ok this part is true. This all started as a idea for a sign responding to neighbors' unwavering support for Trump and his ongoing lies. VOTE! or your neighbor speaks for you!
I was also thinking about universal political villain symbols.
We need to take a page from the GOP and focus on the entirety of their party. It is no longer MAGA REPUBLICANS. The GOP is on board with free and fair elections only if they win.
We need to take a page from the GOP and focus on the entirety of their party. It is no longer MAGA REPUBLICANS. The GOP is on board with free and fair elections only if they win.
Gun Vending Machine 1 - October 2020
As with any art, a message can be open to interpretation. The intention of the piece is to start a much needed dialogue about gun rights in the USA. Guns are a right, but the interpretation of the intricacies of the 2nd Amendment are up for debate. The piece is reflective of the gun culture that has developed in the United States since its inception. No, you can't currently obtain a gun through a vending machine, but it will resonate differently depending on the viewer. There will be those that feel the premise is so ridiculous that it is an obvious parody. Some will be offended by the notion that guns could get to a point where they are so readily available. Others, that the current restrictions in place prevent such things from even becoming a possibility.
USER NOT FOUND:
There are several implications that could be made regarding the way to be 'approved' and able to purchase a gun. If there were the ability to get approved instantaneously or purchase a gun on demand, enthusiasts would be interested in theory. However, this approval would be dependant on a database of gun owners and purchases, which is a highly contentious and heavily debated topic. Would GUN advocates be more likely to commit to a registry if it expedited their own purchases or simplified the process? There is also the topic of universal ID. Several other possibilities were entertained for the 'purchase and approval' process on the machine, including a key fob, QR scanner, a finger print reader, and arguably what would have been the most controversial, a color reader. The latter being illustrative of ongoing discrepancies of minority gun ownership versus white or caucasian gun ownership: highlighted by the Mulford Act ( which was supported by the NRA: https://www.history.com/news/black-panthers-gun-control-nra-support-mulford-act ) All these other 'scanner' options were ultimately abandoned for a simpler, more universal message, avoiding any shameless, immoral interpretation or duplication of the technology for nefarious purposes.
Gun rights are a complicated issue. Some individuals bring up the idea that people should be able to buy guns to protect themselves from the government itself. Giving up your guns is the first step towards authoritarianism. However those same individuals are also quick to mention those who rebel or protest against that same government are anarchists: the protestors should submit to the current practices of the government authority, regardless of questionable policies. In that line of thinking, there is also an irony to displaying the Gadsden Flag and a Thin Blue Line or Blue Lives Matter flag. The two are ideological opposites, the police enforce the government: believing that the government should tread on others but not you is inherently unethical and un-American.
The right and ability to protect yourself and your family is probably the best argument for gun rights. If that is the case, then mental health should play a large role in being able to purchase a gun. Suicides are often discounted from research statistics, but it should be highlighted... the risk of dying by suicide is 4 to 10x higher in homes with guns. Would gun owners be less likely to keep a gun if they were aware of themselves or their children being more likely to use it against the original intentions? Aside from that why is gun education and gun training not a universal prerequisite for ownership? Shouldn't those who buy and own guns know how and when to use them?
Despite the multiple arguments on gun control, law abiding, mentally stable citizens should still be able to acquire a firearm. Education, discussion, debate, and compromise should be all be a part of moving forward. Hopefully pieces like this will help develop the conversation.
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Within the overall presentation of the vending machine, there are many allusions to pop culture, political history, and current events. As with the overall theme of starting a dialogue on guns, these items are meant to spark the interest and emotions of the viewer, and hopefully allow for a gainful exchange of ideas on an expanding number of topics.
Gun Vending Machine 2 - November 2022
Why release this now?
I realized a few things:
Visual items are the focus of my energy more and more over the years.
I wanted to be timely in the other messages on this page.
I realized I had a lot more to say... and now had a way to it.
The original idea was based on an intention to release it on July 4, 2020. There have been a lot of additions to the overall meaning of this piece since that time. The election was OVER.
Wait, the election? 2 of the sides (of the vending machine) have political commentary beyond the NRA very oversimplified GUN issue. I don't know why, but I was under the delusion that Trump would eventually disappear.
'Left or right, they're both the same'
'Both sides have always been corrupt'
They are trying to ELIMINATE the other side. They're trying to convince you that there is going to be a CIVIL WAR IF THEIR CANDIDATES DO NOT WIN.
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HOW DOES FASCISM HAPPEN?
If you are still supportive of the Republican party:
YOU are the fascists. GET THIS IN YOUR HEAD.
We are scared of you enforcing your beliefs on us.
They're always saying that the government will come into
your house in the middle of the night, try to take your weapons, and
tell you what you can or can not do. This is WHAT THEY WILL DO.