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May
Day, 2004
So, Bob
and I were at Union Square hanging out with friends and watching
the Bush protesters set up their base at the center of the Square.

I
took Bob's picture here with Joseph, one of the three main guys
involved with the Stop The Police State Coalition (read
more from him here). These guys have been setting up shop here
for over a year now every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

For
the first time (at least what I've seen) a group of Pro-Bush
demonstrators (yeah, I know. What the fuck!?!) showed up at
Union Square, chanting with signs and banners, with big fun letters,
catchy slogans and silly drawings on them.

I
was really impressed. It takes a lot of guts to show up in Lower
Manhattan wearing a pro-Bush sentiment on your sleeve.

I was most impressed by the "W is 4 Women" one.
That made me smile.

So the two sides came face to face at the southeast side of the
Square, and shouting ensued. It's always been the anti-Bush group's
policy to let anybody come up and speak on the megaphone, no matter
what the statement or cause. None of the Bush supporters would go
up and use the opportunity.

Both sides shouted at each other for 40 minutes or so, and after
a lot of persistence, one Bush supporter got up and read an essay
on how wonderful it was to live in America, with hardly even a mention
of George "Women" Bush's name. There was no violence,
just lots of shouting and arguing.
Then the police showed up.
Within
seconds they had stormed the crowd and hauled away four anti-Bush
guys; Posr, Joel, Geoffrey and Jason.
It
was incredible how quickly the three were taken down and buried
under the pile of police.
It
went from being such an interesting exchange to utter chaos. There
was just no need for it.

Bob & Geoffrey; taken earlier that day. Geoffrey was hog-tied,
thrown into a police van and charged with 3 counts of assaulting
a police officer (felony). No pro-Bush demonstrators were arrested
that day.

Bush supporter who drew faces in her sign to illustrate
how there's no need to get all excited. The two O's in "look"
are kissing. Isn't that cute?
|
...he
loves you more than you will EVER imagine. Well, I sure
do hope you have learned something. |
PLEASE
READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH
Dear Mr. Bob Smith,
I would like to tell you what I think of your website. First
of all, are you a christian. It certainly doesn't seem like
it from you website. And if you think that the Bible is full
of lies and is a fiction book, you're VERY much mistaken.
As you can see, I do not approve of your website. Jesus died
for everyone so that when we die, we can lived forever with
him in heaven if we accept him as our savior. Otherwise we
would go to hell. Jesus suffered ALOT when the Romans crucified
him to the cross, but he did it for you and everybody else.
And despite your many flaws, (including your website) he still
loves you. Yes, he loves you more than you will EVER imagine.
Well, I sure do hope you have learned something. I will pray
for you to become a christian.
Thank you for your
time.
Sincerely, Someone who cares
Krystal Sarna
|
Hello Krystal,
I am a very proud Christian and DO NOT need lessons from a
14 year old girl on what a terrific person Jesus was! I'll
have you know that He suffered twice as much than what you
described! It wasn't just "alot" It was super a lot! So much
that I don't even think you could even put it into words!
Like very many a lots... and even more! In fact I heard that
He suffered more than everyone in 9-11 combined! I would say
that Jesus suffered more than every person whoever died a
painful death added up, times a thousand! And just because
He came back to life and has been living in Heaven for the
last 2000 years doesn't detract from that day of suffering,
except just a little. But it only takes away the tiniest raindrop
of pain from the one million oceans that He suffered... and
that's hardly anything. It's like taking away just one thorn
prick that He got from that crown. That's all! Even less than
that!
I heard someone
describe it once saying that if one grain of sand represented
your average crucifixion then there wouldn't be enough grains
of sand on the earth to show how much Jesus suffered! And
that includes if every star in the universe were made of sand
too.
But I dunno, I
still think that the dress up game is funny.
Bob
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What
WOULD bother you? An "atheist dress-up" magnet set done
in as poor of taste as your Jesus set? |
Bob, I heard about
orders for your Jesus magnet set being halted by Urban Outfitters.
I'm glad. I mean, is nothing sacred to you? Does it mean nothing
to you to dump on a belief that is near and dear to so many
people? I guess it's true that atheists don't have a conscience.
What WOULD bother you? An "atheist dress-up" magnet set done
in as poor of taste as your Jesus set? A tacky dress-up magnet
set featuring your mother or sister or other loved one?
There's a difference
between parody and crossing the line into utter disrespect
for other's beliefs. Your artwork is very good. It's a shame
you used your talents to produce the insulting Jesus dress-up.
Kylr
Kyle Owens
bobblehead@fastmail.fm
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Wow. What would
bother me? An atheist dress up page? Shocking! Oh, I don't
think I could even sleep at night knowing one of those was
out there. A tacky dress up page of my mother or sister? Gee,
my heart pounds right out of my chest with rage imagining
how furious I'd be about that. In fact, I can hardly stand
to look at any drawing of a loved one where they're being
made fun of and goofified. It makes me furious just thinking
about it!
My little cousin
drew a picture of my dad cross-eyed and a hammer bonking him
on the head and I flipped out! I grabbed the kid by the hair,
spun him around and hurled him out the living room window!
Oh that drawing made me SO angry!
I put so much weight
on the pictures people draw of things I care about. People
need to understand that drawing unflattering pictures of somebody
is one of the most catastrophic attacks that could ever happen
in somebody's life. And the anger I feel about those silly
drawings reflects how angry I get in other aspects of my life...
but it also shows how caring and righteous I am too. My little
cousin knows that first hand.
And Kyle, just
to prove my own bravery, I went and made a dress up page that
tested every ounce of my endurance. It's of me, an atheist!
After completing the
page I ran out my front door and collapsed onto my knees,
screaming into the sky for 9 and a half hours. My neighbors
called the police and I got a ticket for public nuisance.
Bob
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if
a Christian group made an offer to you to market it as
a real magnet set to be sold in Christian book stores,
would you agree? |
Ok Bob, you win.
The dress-up "revenge" page of yourself is a riot. I guess
I can't complain anymore. But...if a Christian group made
an offer to you to market it as a real magnet set to be sold
in Christian book stores, would you agree? I had fun positioning
the rats and headphones and knife and stuff around. Thanks!
But what if the
tacky dress-up page of your mother or sister bothered THEM?
Would it bother you that it bothered them?
Kyle Owens
bobblehead@fastmail.fm
|
What are we talking
about? My adult relatives being bothered by a tacky drawing
done of them? How bothered? Irked? Or up all night crying
for days and days? If the later then I'd be bothered, yes.
But not at you. I'd be bothered by them! Who cares!?!? It's
a drawing! You can't let every little idea that gets put onto
a piece of paper ruin your day!
Hold on a second.
What the fuck are you insinuating? Jesus is bothered by my
dress up page and that's why you're so outraged? He came back
to life Kyle! Isn't that wonderful!? What am I talking about....
He's in HEAVEN! He's fine! He ain't cryin' about it!
My God, I can't
believe I'm even humoring these ideas.
Let's cut right to the chase. You're buyin' into the whole
living-Jesus-up-in-heaven-bullshit? I'm sorry. I tried to
look at this from your perspective but I can't keep a straight
face. Do you have a problem? Are you actually impressed that
I'm able to tolerate the dress up page of myself? Do you think
I would mind at all if it had been designed by a Christian
group and sold in their book stores? I think that'd be wonderful!
I'd love it. The attention, free publicity, the laughter.
I wish they would do it, but they will not, because there
is no sense of humor over there. Just fear. Just people promoting
fear to other people. And your emails to me prove that you've
learned a lot from them.
Bob
|
I
don't know what Jesus thinks of your dress-up page. You'll
die to find out. Literally. ;) |
So Bob, in you
opinion, an artist who draws something that is in bad taste
is off the hook, and instead you'd blame the people who get
upset over such art...got it. Drawings have a lot of power.
Did you hear about the editorial cartoon regarding the soldier
Tillman? It's a cartoon which newspapers are not going to
run because the editors have deemed it too offensive.
I don't know what
Jesus thinks of your dress-up page. You'll die to find out.
Literally. ;) But Christians are the ones upset by it, but
you don't care. Yes, I'm impressed that you can laugh at yourself.
Christians DO have a sense of humor. I saw a bumper sticker
last week that said "April 1st is National Atheists Day".
You should market your "Bob set" to Christian retailers; it
would likely be a hit! An additional item you could add is
a branding iron. ;)
It's not always
about "promoting fear". But in cases where it is, did you
stop to think that maybe these people are trying to be nice
about warning you about the fate they believe you are headed
for? To them, it's a gesture as kind as pushing you out of
the path of a speeding train.
Kyle Owens
bobblehead@fastmail.fm
|
Kyle, have no doubt
that I've taken full responsibility for my art and have by
no means let myself "off the hook." I stand behind Jesus Dress
Up and have defended it since the day it was posted 4 years
ago. Beyond that I don't feel that I, as an artist should
be fined or punished or forced to do community service for
what I've done. For a newspaper to deem a comic too offensive
to publish is a completely different story. The artist still
had every right to draw it.
If your definition
of "not being off the hook" means an artist should have to
explain and defend his work, then the suggestion does not
pertain to me. My favorite part about Jesus Dress Up has been
defending and explaining it. It's a thrill getting yet another
opportunity to rub someone's face in their own ignorance.
It's fascinating having a debate with someone who thinks people
once lived to be 930 years old and others who were 20 feet
tall! I am delighted when I get to argue with somebody who
thinks dinosaurs are a hoax manifested by Satan and that at
one time donkeys talked. Defending my beliefs isn't a hook,
it's a priceless reward!
Oh but Kyle, I
was so very upset upon reading your quote from that bumper
sticker about April Fools Day being National Atheists Day.
Don't you realize how many people you offend when you tell
such a joke? Are you simply "let off the hook" for repeating
such an insensitive, hurtful bumper sticker? Words have a
lot of power Kyle. Enough power to destroy lives.
Christ! It's disturbing
how impressed you are with how I was able to illustrate that
dress
up page of myself. That says so much about you. It illustrates
the amount of fear you conduct your own life with and your
inability to laugh at yourself when it matters most. I also
hope that it's as obvious to everyone who reads this. I want
people to see how structuring a belief system around fear
completely fucks with every aspect of your life.
You're a naive,
ignorant coward, and I bet your personality reflects all three.
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I
strongly advise you to make a stop to this nonsence, it
will annoy many Christians. |
"Dress Up Jesus"???
Is this some kind of JOKE??? Are you making fun of Him? I
can see you have no faith in Jesus. I`m totally against this
game thing you made up. I strongly advise you to make a stop
to this nonsence, it will annoy many Christians.
Tamami Yamashita
t4m4m1@hotmail.com
|
Oh my God! No!
I'm not making a joke! I'd never joke about something like
that! I mean, Christ! I'm not out to annoy Christians!
Jesus.
Bob
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What
would compel you to dress Jesus up like satan, or a chick????????????? |
Hey dude sorry
to be the one (hopefully not the only one) to break it to
ya but your little Jesus dress up magnets, Distasteful. That
is one of the lamest things I have ever seen. What would compel
you to dress Jesus up like satan, or a chick?????????????
Just wondering. Have you seen The Passion?? Do you realize
what he did for YOU?
PS. Don't know
if your a christian or not (leaning way towards not) but I'm
sure he thinks its distasteful too.
Sincerely
Tracy Mapes
tat2dup@yahoo.com
|
Tracy,
You've asked some terrific questions and raised some interesting
points in your email to me. Ones that I'd be more than happy
to address.
First off, Yes,
I've
seen "The Passion," the movie about the death of
your god. Oddly (at least to me) you seem to be under the
impression that there are specific crimes against God (you
call them sins) that require bloodshed for them to be corrected
(forgiven by God). That movie about your god that you're recommending
hardly put forth any good arguments in the debate whether
or not God exists or if the concept of "blood for sin" even
has a legitimate leg to stand on. Frankly, to me it all seems
very peculiar. Wouldn't you agree?
Tracy, have you
spent any amount of time in a mental institution? You do realize
that the toy I made can't harm you? I know that you feel strongly
about this eternal ghost that's in your body, but please I
ask that you be level headed. Everything's going to be okay.
Your ghost, and everyone's ghost can't be effected by my magnets...
even by your Bible's definition of a ghost!
Please though,
seek some kind of help.
Bob
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your sick
dickm@comcast.net
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"Your" bad at even
getting a two word sentence right.
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