Bumpersticker Backlash

[JonYo]

Sooooo. Hi spuds. Any of you who've signed up for the Club Devo
membership know that the packet you receive includes a "Toil Is Stupid"
bumpersticker. Here's the lowdown link:

http://www.clubdevo.com/mp/club_devo.html

I only have 2 bumperstickers on my car, the "Toil Is Stupid" one and
another small one that says "Devo Was Right". It's not like I expect
anyone who sees the Toil Is Stupid sticker while I'm driving to
understand any meaning in terms of the Devo aestehetic. I would guess
that the average joe would think either "ha, that's funny", or "what a
lazy jackass." Either one is ok by me. Anyways, today I went over to
my dad's house to get his power washer, and we went over to my mom's
house to try to clean all the years of tree-sap gunk of her deck. Even
though I've had the Toil Is Stupid bumpersticker on my car for over 6
months, I guess dad never noticed it before, because he totally blew his
top about it. I mean, REALLY blew his top. He got all ranty about how
that must mean that I think working for a living is stupid and all the
people with jobs are morons (since I'm sorta...ahem...unemployed at the
moment...but in my defense I'm NOT mooching a dime off him or anyone
else!) and that someone was gonna see the bumpersticker while I'm
driving and get so pissed about it that they'll get a gun and shoot me.
He was super pissed off about it.

Geez. It's just a bumpersticker. Any spuds out there think that they'd
get a similar response from their non-Devo-fan family or friends or even
strangers if they put one of these Toil Is Stupid bumperstickers on
their car?

- JonYo

[Fr▲nk P▲nuccأ‬]

Post by JonYo
Geez. It's just a bumpersticker. Any spuds out there think that they'd
get a similar response from their non-Devo-fan family or friends or even
strangers if they put one of these Toil Is Stupid bumperstickers on
their car?

Nope. My dad is no longer around, but he would fully agree with "Toil
is stupid" - as do I, which is why I've had the fake overpaid job of
freelance illustrator, animator, sound designer and musical scorer since
1998. I may only work three months a year, but it pays the bills, and
frees me to work on my own projects, OR to pass out drunk at 10 AM and
piss all over the couch. Freedom of choice, that's what the pink spuds
with the eyes all neatly parted in the middle don't want you to have.

However, I object to bumper stickers in general. They go right over the
chrome or paint, and they're a bitch to get off if you should want to
sell the vehicle. There's no upside in letting perfect strangers know
how you feel about ANYTHING, and if you should happen to get the
attention of a typical ape-brute highway patrolman right-wing mainiac
christer dominionist with your "clever" bumper stickers, it could make
the day less sunny. I adorn my car only as gawd intended - with the
natural filth of ages.


____________________
www.frankpanucci.com
http://reperkussionz.blogspot.com/

[Rev. Richard Skull]

Post by JonYo
Sooooo. Hi spuds. Any of you who've signed up for the Club Devo
membership know that the packet you receive includes a "Toil Is Stupid"
http://www.clubdevo.com/mp/club_devo.html
I only have 2 bumperstickers on my car, the "Toil Is Stupid" one and
another small one that says "Devo Was Right". It's not like I expect
anyone who sees the Toil Is Stupid sticker while I'm driving to
understand any meaning in terms of the Devo aestehetic. I would guess
that the average joe would think either "ha, that's funny", or "what a
lazy jackass." Either one is ok by me. Anyways, today I went over to
my dad's house to get his power washer, and we went over to my mom's
house to try to clean all the years of tree-sap gunk of her deck. Even
though I've had the Toil Is Stupid bumpersticker on my car for over 6
months, I guess dad never noticed it before, because he totally blew his
top about it. I mean, REALLY blew his top. He got all ranty about how
that must mean that I think working for a living is stupid and all the
people with jobs are morons (since I'm sorta...ahem...unemployed at the
moment...but in my defense I'm NOT mooching a dime off him or anyone
else!) and that someone was gonna see the bumpersticker while I'm
driving and get so pissed about it that they'll get a gun and shoot me.
He was super pissed off about it.
Geez. It's just a bumpersticker. Any spuds out there think that they'd
get a similar response from their non-Devo-fan family or friends or even
strangers if they put one of these Toil Is Stupid bumperstickers on
their car?
- JonYo

You want to get your Pop REALLY mad, go to the Sibgenius web store and
order some of THIER bumper stickers!

I have two on my commuter car, "Pull The Wool Over Your Own Eyes" and
"Act like Dumbshit anad They will Treat You Like an Equal!"

And on the Truck I have those two and "The Church of the Subgenius: We
make the Baby Jesus Cry"

Or you can order "teabag Bush" as an ICebreaker at the Country Club.

[Todd Spango]

My own thoughts are that that button is kinda a wobbly slogan. There
was a lot of work done in ths country to discount that kind of
thinking. I think the idea has merit, but I think you have to define
more clearly for yourself what "toil" is. Some work is absolutely
noble and praiseworthy. Some work is drudgery in service to the
wallets of the piggy rich. There is no life without labor, but some
labor, especially some of the labor in the latter case, is definitely
stupid toil...

"One is not idle because one is absorbed. There is both visible and
invisible labor. To contemplate is to toil, to think is to do. The
crossed arms work, the clasped hands act. The eyes upturned to Heaven
are an act of creation."
--Victor Hugo

"The working class and the employing class have nothing in common.
There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among
millions of the working people and the few, who make up the employing
class, have all the good things of life. Between these two classes a
struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class,
take possession of the means of production, abolish the wage system,
and live in harmony with the Earth. ... Instead of the conservative
motto, 'A fair day's wage for a fair day's work', we must inscribe on
our banner the revolutionary watchword, 'Abolition of the wage system.
It is the historic mission of the working class to do away with
capitalism."
--From the constitution of the Industrial Workers of the World, 1905

[Stiiv]

On 4 Jun 2006 15:16:17 -0700, "Todd Spango"

Post by Todd Spango
It is the historic mission of the working class to do away with
capitalism

Yikes! Don't put THAT on your car, Todd!

It would take up the whole bumper. ;>

Reminds me of a friend's description of the Honda Element, in green:

"Eww, it looks like a Soviet ice cream truck."

Stiiv
http://www.stiiv.com

[Todd Spango]

Post by Stiiv
On 4 Jun 2006 15:16:17 -0700, "Todd Spango"

Post by Todd Spango
It is the historic mission of the working class to do away with
capitalism

Yikes! Don't put THAT on your car, Todd!
It would take up the whole bumper. ;>

lol -- I have two bumper stickers. one says "Clean up air pollution,
play bluegrass music", the other says "God Bless America, but F*** the
A**holes who run it." (censored for the net, but not in real life.)
Funny story, I got stopped for speeding on the maine turnpike last
year, and the cop who stopped me was walking back to my car, and
stopped in his tracks. He'd noticed that particular sticker... OOOPS!
I thought, now I'm in for it! Cop comes sauntering up to my window and
says "cool bumper sticker!" and gave me a warning. (whew!)

[Boooomy]

On 5 Jun 2006 12:52:08 -0700, "Todd Spango"

Post by Todd Spango

Post by Stiiv
On 4 Jun 2006 15:16:17 -0700, "Todd Spango"

Post by Todd Spango
It is the historic mission of the working class to do away with
capitalism

Yikes! Don't put THAT on your car, Todd!
It would take up the whole bumper. ;>

lol -- I have two bumper stickers. one says "Clean up air pollution,
play bluegrass music", the other says "God Bless America, but F*** the
A**holes who run it." (censored for the net, but not in real life.)

Censored for the net?!?

Post by Todd Spango
Funny story, I got stopped for speeding on the maine turnpike last
year, and the cop who stopped me was walking back to my car, and
stopped in his tracks. He'd noticed that particular sticker... OOOPS!
I thought, now I'm in for it! Cop comes sauntering up to my window and
says "cool bumper sticker!" and gave me a warning. (whew!)

See, even cops don't like censorship!

[Todd Spango]

Post by Boooomy
See, even cops don't like censorship!

I think it depends on the cop.

[Ronald Cole]

Post by JonYo
Geez. It's just a bumpersticker. Any spuds out there think that they'd
get a similar response from their non-Devo-fan family or friends or even
strangers if they put one of these Toil Is Stupid bumperstickers on
their car?

I worked for three years as a Current Product Engineer at a database
company that was constantly in "firefighting" mode. EVERYTHING was a
fucking emergency. Their Corporate mentality was completely unable to
comprehend how much better it would have been for their employees and
their bottom line to work smart and not work hard! Devo's creedo is a
puzzle for beautiful mutants to work out for themselves: toil is
stupid...... so work smart, not hard!