#802 – Coupon Confessions…
For those of you that might be curious, I didn’t watch the 2nd Presidential debate last night. I did something very unusual (but very interesting) instead…
I READ about it on Twitter.
Very interesting to watch people’s responses ALL OVER the political spectrum because I actually do follow people that have a wide variety of political, personal, economical, artistic and sexual view points. It would be impossible to agree with ALL of those varying viewpoints ALL the time but it is interesting to watch and interact with them.
Now, that being said, I mentioned this on my Facebook wall a few days ago…
Years ago, I had heard a story where a reporter once asked Michael Jordan why he wasn’t more involved in politics and, supposedly, Michael’s response was “because republicans buy NIKEs too”. That story has stuck in my mind ever since I heard it but it came back to me after all the political discussions people have been… um… sharing with me.
So it seems to me that during this current political climate – from a business and webcomic perspective – it might be best to just shut up and not give my views publicly. I plan to talk a little bit about this very subject during the next Webcomic Alliance podcast – not from a political standpoint but from a “are you afraid people will boycott you if you voice something they disagree with” perspective. It’s easy to assume that’s all about politics but it could be anything. The most obvious example would be sports. What if you’re a fan of the Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys and you’re proud of that and say that in your blog posts?
Are you afraid there are some Boston Red Sox fans, some Eagles, Redskins or Giants fans that might say “Oh lord, he likes that team… well, guess I have to boycott his strip now” because there ARE fans out there that are like that. That’s one of the many reasons why, when I go to conventions, you will never see me wear any kind of MLB or NFL hats or merchandise. It’s also the reason why I don;t have any bumper stickers on my car or drive around with a window flag of my favorite team(s) in my car door windows.
So for now, I’m going to do my best to shut up about politics because really, at this point, there’s not much I can really say to change your mind and there’s really not much you can say to change my mind. Some people might say that’s a really bad thing but if you’re a San Diego Charger fan, is there any thing I could really say to you to convince you that Romo is a better quaterback than Rivers? Is there anything you can do to convince me Rivers is better?
Doesn’t that pretty much say it all right there?
Now, as a side bar, before you all comment on this blog post, I just want to remind everyone of two things…
1) I don’t censor, edit or delete posts I don’t agree with. I never have. I can’t say I never will because that’s an absolute and I try to avoid living my life via absolutes. It’s too limiting. Different opinions a welcomed here but be prepared for the same.
2) Back in the summer, when the tragic Batman shootings happened in Colorado, I had a blog post about how I felt about gun control. There were a lot of different opinions… there were a lot of opposing opinions… but ALL of them were civil. Just remember that.
Haha, great strip. I think we use up more printer ink on Michael’s coupons than anything else! Also, that’s a great blog post which I completely agree with. I have my own views but I tend to keep them to myself because I appreciate that everyone is different and will have their point of view even if I disagree with them or not.
My wife and I went through a similar issue at Michael’s just the other day. She had a printed coupon, a clipped coupon, and by the time the sale was done the lady behind the counter gave her another coupon. Before we had cashed out the transaction, my wife being more level headed and thought invoked than I, asked the lady whey give all these coupons when you could just run a sale on all things and lower the price. This caught the girl off guard evidently cause after a moment of deer in the headlight looks she stated “You know, I don’t know. Here let me see that other coupon I just gave you, it’s for next transaction but we’ll use it now.” By the time we were finished we went from a $12.80 purchase to a $3.20 purchase. To say the least we were joyed of the savings, but felt like Roy, why go thorough all the additional scanning when you can just drop the price to begin with. I guess Michael’s is probably an extreme couponers mecca.
Well said. I’ve actually had to age more than a few years before I got that. We recognize the need for diversity within biological systems (Putting all your genomes in one pot is one disaster away from extinction.), but we’re less aware of the need for diversity in perspective and opinion.
Don’t care about the politics of my entertainment’s creators and/or performers. If I allowed politics to influence my thinking on the entertainment I consume, I’d do little but watch the Hope & Crosby Road movies…
Hi Chris, I thought I’d check in to say “Hey!”, before you forget who I am……..it’s been a while, lots of stuff going on the past few months. I certainly timed it right to check out the strip, I give the strip and the commentary two thumbs up! I did see where your Baltimore weekend was a great success…….great to hear that and look forward to your next trip to Allentown. Take care.
Great Suggestion!!!!! 😉