What Do They Mean By “Coexist”?
I am a field installation person for the company I work for. This means that I go to my shop from home and then take a company vehicle to the job-site. I travel any where from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours to the job-site, and then back again at the end of the day also. I am a person who loves to read bumper stickers as I drive to kill the time. I have noticed some trends over time. Most notably the now famous 1-20-09 end of an error bumper sticker. I remember seeing my first one, not knowing what it referred to until I could catch up to the vehicle to read it. Over time I have seen more and more of these stickers, they are pretty popular now. I saw my first John Edwards ‘08 bumper sticker today on a vehicle with New Hampshire plates, this disturbs me.
A couple of months ago I saw another bumper sticker that made me speed up to read it.
The peace symbol for the “O” told me all I needed to know, or so I thought. Just an anti-war liberal. I didn’t give it a second thought. But more recently I have noticed more and more of these bumper stickers, and have started wondering what these people are trying to say to me. What do they mean by “coexist”? Who do they want to “coexist” with each other?
A closer look at this bumper sticker reveals many religious symbols in it in addition to the peace symbol. It appears to me that the peace symbol actually replaced the original symbol on the sticker as seen in this picture:
According to a website that sells the bumper sticker:
Every letter has a symbol that represents a system of thought: The crescent and star for Islam; the pentagram for Wicca; the relativity formula for science; the star of David for Judaism; the Karma Wheel dotting the i for Buddhism; the Tao symbol for Taoism; the cross for Chrisitianity.
The bumper sticker actually has symbols for many religions as well as science. In the case of the bumper stickers that I have seen the Wicca symbol is replaced with a peace symbol. Does this mean that they are equating peace with religion or the lack thereof? I don’t think so. I think this is a typical liberal feel good bumper sticker. They are telling us that all religions need to coexist, I don’t have a problem with that, I wish all religions could coexist. But they can’t, they can’t because Muslim radicals don’t want to.
I hope these people aren’t trying to tell me that I need to learn to exist with radicals that want to kill me and my family.
So, are these people talking to the radical Muslims? For it is them that truly needs to learn coexist with us. It is they that need to learn to accept us. We have spent far too many years trying to coexist with terrorists and it led to September 11th. I don’t think they are talking to radicals.
These people are so upset with the war and the president that they have lost all sensibility. They are sporting bumper stickers that say coexist in an effort to show their discontent with the war. They are telling me, you, and the president that we just need to coexist. They don’t understand, or don’t want to understand the fact that most Americans, conservatives included, do want to be able to coexist in this world. I would love to coexist in this world and never have to go to war again with another country. The difference between me, other conservatives, the president and these coexist wackos is the fact that we are not naive enough to believe that by just willing everyone to coexist it will happen. These people are naive, that’s what it comes down to.
They are naive enough to the point of being offensive. How dare these people sport bumper stickers on their cars that imply that America needs to learn to coexist with radical Islamists. It is the Islamo-fascists that are teaching their children in schools and on television that America needs to be destroyed, that America is the great Satan, and that they will be rewarded in heaven if they kill Americans.
I don’t need to learn to coexist with them, they need to learn to coexist with me!
Thanks for looking into this. I see it more frequently these days – usually on the back of 10-year old Honda civics or new Subarus – and always kind of wondered what the story was.
Now that you mention it, it’s pretty disgusting, isn’t it? Kinda a feel-good we should all get along despite our difference bullcrap. I don’t think you’d see too many camels with these slapped on their butts out in the sandbox, eh?
It is soooooooooo ironic that you brin this up, in fact I’m just incredulous. I literally just saw this exact same bumper sticker last night and was thinking some of the very same things as you!! In addition to this chick’s annoying bumper stickers she was driving too slow and I was in a hurry so chalk it up to me being pretty irritated.
This mentality is just irritating, sad and wrong!!
This post is another reflection of you and I thinking along the same lines, great minds think alike
!!
It just irritates me that these type of people are trying to tell us that we need to accept terrorists for who they are and coexist with them. They ironic part is that the same people liberals want to coexist with are the same people who would kill the liberals in a second. Then they wouldn’t have to worry about coexisting, would they. These people will never get it.
I hope I didn’t freak you out too much Dee, and yes, great minds do think alike.
maybe the people who ’sport’ the stickers are simply implying that it would be oh-so-lovely if we COULD all just co-exist. men, women, christians, liberals, conservatives, wiccans, heterosexuals, homosexuals, muslims, scientists, poets, dreamers, thinkers…
will world peace ever happen? probably not. but it’s a nice thought. and if one person is trying to make a difference, and support the idea, then so be it.
to me, the sticker represents someone thinking, feeling, and hoping for something better in our world.
and to ‘mpinkeyes’ …i don’t think these peeps are trying to suggest that “we to need accept terrorists”…i think the idea is how nice it WOULD BE IF IF IF IF IF IF IF IF IF IF we could all live together harmoniously. far fetched idea? yes. but a nice idea? yes.
besides, it’s better than that lame-ass sticker i’ve seen before with the little cartoon character-type-thing urinating on a ford symbol, or chevorlet symbol, right?
wow, thank youuu for hitting the nail on the head. i love your response, couldn’t have said it better myself.
“How dare these people sport bumper stickers on their cars that imply that America needs to learn to coexist with radical Islamists.”
it doesn’t occur to me that anyone’s proposing coexistence with terrorists (whether radical Muslims or otherwise)
maybe they’re proposing that we recognize the Islamic religion as something more than a mask that certain terrorists work under or use skewed doctrines from to convince followers. The radical groups that terrorize America (and other places! -think of more people than yourself) make up a very small percentage of the people who practice Islam… i think all this bumpersticker wants to to do is be less judgmental. agreed that it’s real uberhippie, but i think the sentiment is something to ponder.. not something to instigate racism.
“I don’t need to learn to coexist with them, they need to learn to coexist with me!”
and since i’m already on the edge of being rude, i’ll go there… i think your mentality is the one that (as “dee” said) is irritating, sad and wrong.
thanks for the vent, don’t take it to heart unless you want to
I know that the percentage of people who radicalize Islam is a minority percentage, that is why I seperate them from peaceful Muslims by using the term radical.
Here is one definition of radical:
Departing markedly from the usual or customary; extreme.
I don’t care what the percentage is, the fact is this is the group I am talking about. As far as being less judgemental, I will not be less judgemental against this one particular group who wants to kill us. Let me say it again, not all Muslims are terrorists, I am talking about those that are.
In your PC mindthink you couldn’t even type the words radical Muslims without then typing otherwise to show everyone you are not a racist.
By the way, Dee wasn’t talking about me with those comments, if you read a little more closely you will see that.
1. The symbol for Islam used on the bumper sticker does not specify radical fundamentalist Muslims, but your post assumes that the people who endorse the sticker are saying something about those radicals. Do you assume that the cross is only there to represent fundamentalist Christians?
2. You also suggest that people who sport the sticker are addressing only you and other conservatives, telling you to “coexist” with others. It seems logical that, when so many types of people are represented in the symbols on the sticker, one can assume that the sticker is addressing ALL of those people. If you are a man, woman, Christian, Muslim, Jew, or believer in science, you can consider the message of tolerance. The message is not only for you, it’s for everyone.
I hardly think that the people who put this bumper sticker on their cars are in any way suggesting that they support radical Islamic terrorists. Or that they are card-carrying hippie liberals out there trying to spread love and light. Ok, the love and light thing might be true (but I happen to be a registered Republican).
I personally love this sticker. I had absolutely no thoughts whatsoever about radical Islam when I first saw “Coexist.” It just sums up what I feel about religion and personal faith.
It shouldn’t matter how, who, what, or if we worship a god, goddess or whatever higher power is or isn’t out there. The point of the sticker is that we don’t need to beat down other people because their religious beliefs aren’t like ours.
Personally, I think it’s about “being the change you wish to see in the world.” [Ghandi]
Love and Peace
Just wanted to point out that this bumper is not directed only at Americans or at Christians, but also at violent extremist Muslim terrorists. If someone is displaying the bumper sticker, they are wishing for peace and freedom for all religions, and they would absolutely tell a Muslim extremist that THEY need to coexist with you, as well as you coexisting with them. Whether you think that this kind of peace is possible or not is your own thing (of course, if this kind of peace were to happen it would only be because everyone believed in it), but this is not telling you to sit on your ass and let yourself get attacked. It’s talking about respect that EVERYONE needs to have, and I think that the small but horribly effective faction of Muslims that would want to kill people need to get a large dose of that respect! Keep in mind that this is not terrorist sympathetic, it’s PEACE sympathetic, and peace can only happen if there is no more violence involving ANY religion. It’s directed at anyone who is violent or intolerant and that includes many people of EVERY religion, including Islam.
I will give you most of the points that you have made. However I would like you to clarify one part of your post. You said:
“It’s talking about respect that EVERYONE needs to have, and I think that the small but horribly effective faction of Muslims that would want to kill people need to get a large dose of that respect!”
Please tell me that you do not mean that extreme radical Muslims who blow up people in the name of God deserve respect. I hope I am mis-interpretting your comment. Showing them any respect only legitimizes them and weakens us. They do not have respect for us nor do they deserve respect from us.
Yes Anna, and if there’s ONE THING Muslim terrorists respect, it’s a bumper sticker! Woooo bumper stickers!
I am sure they will read the bumper sticker and a bright light of clarity will wash over them and they will understand their misgivings.
Don’t be so ignorant. The percentage of radical Muslims is about .013 and the percent of fundamentalist evangelical christians is about 25%. There is danger in any religion thinking it is the supreme believe system and that all other religious followers must be killed. I don’t think anyone would create a bumper sticker that would represent the idiotic idea that we should support radicals. It was ignorant of you to even assume that. Did you graduate high school?
What if I did’t graduate high school? There are plenty of hard working Americans that didn’t have the oportunity to complete school for various resons.Am I one of them,no.I thought it was supposed to be your side that cared about the little people and that conservatives didn’t.You have shown the real way you feel about the less fortunate, you look down on them with contemt. You feel as though you are better than them.
I am sure they will read the bumper sticker and a bright light of clarity will wash over them and they will understand their misgivings.
Just like you did?
What in the world…
COEXIST.
1 exist at the same time or in the same place.
2 exist in harmony.
You have a problem with people putting this on their cars?
Let’s all just go put Fuck You bumper stickers on our cars and be happy.
By God, if you have a problem with this word, and people using it, you need to rethink your thought.
And by the way. I have the same bumper sticker.
Ever think that it REPRESENTS America?
Coexist…
Bringing of many races, cultures, religions, and people together. The United States of America.
Your hatred of ”muslim radicals” needs to be pushed aside and not judge people so easily. See the good in people, not the bad.
How can you honestly say that a bumper sticker that is depicting 7-8 belief systems is specifically targeting America’s attitude towards radical muslims? It’s ridiculous.
I quote “I don’t need to learn to coexist with them, they need to learn to coexist with me!”
Your the reason we need to “co-exist”
ego perpetuates hate.Everybody is right and everybody is wrong.
Also: From what you’ve said, I don’t think you can coexist with anyone who isn’t a baptized Christian. What if you lived next to a Wiccan family? Or was invited to dinner by an Islamic family of the not radical variety? I’ll put all the money I have that you would refuse dinner and not associate with the Wiccan family?
I am a Wiccan. I am getting the green variety of the Coexist T-shirt. I will wear it proudly, because it means that I would go to the Islamic family’s dinner and I would and do associate with Christians, the Jewish, the Buddhist, the Taoists. It means that I look beyond religion to make judgments. That’s what this shirt and bumper sticker mean. Not that we should accept terrorists.
… and if one of those Islamic families you have dinner with, happens to be Jihadists? After presenting themselves as peaceful, you find that they desire to cut your children’s throats, as they did with David Pearl, maybe then, you’ll wish you’d have been a bit more insightful? Or will it take it happening to a loved one first? Read the Koran.
You know I am always shocked at how much someone will read into one word being displayed. Obviously the sticker is open to anyone’s interpretation but I seriously doubt that anyone that displays this would imply that they support terrorists. Not all that follow Islam are terrorists any more than those that follow Christianity. Remember that Timothy McVeigh claimed to be Christian. We live in a country that is supposed to support religious freedom and this in my opinion supports that.
How can you be so narrow minded? You accuse liberals of being desensitized and yet your solution to the problem of dealing with Muslim extremists is simply to go over and bomb the hell out of them?
Why does war always have to be the solution for Americans when it comes to terrorism? We should be trying to help these people. If all we try to do is kill all of them, we are no better then them.
BTW… I am not a liberal. I am an American and a human being!
Give me a break! Nobody is saying you have to get along with terrorists or anything of that nature. I have the sticker and to me it represents peace. Kind of like “Can’t we all just get along.” People that read so much into it, need to loosen up a bit. It’s not that serious people. It’s only promoting peace.
I am in the UK – But have seen the sticker and dont see any mention of the word TERRORIST
It is all about religions and how as Brothers and Sisters of this planet we should coexist – we should love and we should forgive
Now before anybody shouts at me for my comments, there will always be things that we can not forgive such as terrorism, race hate, stabbings, shootings etc.
But as children of the earth – the mature among us need to try and live in harmony, try and close our eyes to the terrors of this century.
If we all learn to love and to live together, we can bring about change to this world of ours
Isnt this what the hippy movement was all about in the 1960s
Love has always been, and will always continue to be the answer
God bless you and thank you for reading my comments
Seriously?
This is exactly what I expect from 42% of this country. ONE of those religions harbors a fraction of nut job extremists you got a problem with, and rather than understand any more of the sentiment, you throw the whole thing out. Worse yet, you call us (I have one of these) naive.
I have news for you. ALL of these religions have whacko sects that want to destroy all the others.
Holy Order of Aryan Warriors – Christian
Gush Emunim Underground – Jewish
Aum Shinrikyo – Buddhist
BAJRANG DAL – Hindu
I could go on…
Crawl back into your hole, little man. Be afraid of all the bad people in the world that arn’t like you. The rest of us will hold out hope that education, belief and interaction can overcome miseducation and fear.
The fact is, the progressive ideas we have are the end result of a liberal thought evolution that has been moving forward for hundreds of years.
At one point, the crusades were the norm. The inquisition was the norm. Hatred and oppression of others was the norm. These things have changed because good people believed in a better way. We still do.
We will leave people like you behind in the past – along with jim crow laws, Christian dominionism and yes, even Islamic terrorist.
“It just irritates me that these type of people are trying to tell us that we need to accept terrorists for who they are and coexist with them.”
I doubt that this is what anyone is trying to say, not even a single person is trying to convince anyone of this, to think so would be very very stupid.
However, I hate these stickers myself. The problem is not all religions can coexist because all religions by their very nature contradict each other, and some mandate that you must destroy the others. At any rate, religion is a form of accepting ignorance over logic and reason, and I don’t want to tolerate this at all, I shouldn’t have to and no sticker is going to make me.
You agree that all religions should coexist, yet you’re horribly offended by this bumper sticker and judgmental of all who have it on their cars? Perhaps it isn’t directed towards you. I also don’t see any symbols for “Muslim radicals who want to kill your family,” so I don’t believe it’s asking you to accept them. I believe it’s directed towards the many closed-minded people I’ve met in the United States who believe it’s their job to convert everyone who doesn’t practise their religion. Or perhaps it really is directed toward terrorists. We can’t know what each individual is thinking when he or she puts this on the car, but I don’t believe that anyone is under the delusion that a bumper sticker is all it will take to make everyone live in peace. It’s just supposed to make you think, that’s all.
It is amazing what a “radical” conservative can turn into such ridiculousness. A sticker that implies a wonderful world of people caring about each other and NOT being so judgmental. And once you get past all that prejudice judgmental bullsh*t you can really get to know someone and grow from it and learn from it and grow and learn and f*cking have a good time. How can you take such a pure thought and word such as COEXIST and turn it into: “they are telling ME i have to support terrorism.” You crazy closed minded fool. The world can’t get along because of people like you who I compare with “radical” terrorist . Besides the bumper sticker isn’t telling YOU anything; it speaks for the beliefs and feelings of the one who wears it.
…and of course “symbol for Islam” MUST = ’symbol for radical terrorist Islam”.
Do all Christians support the bombing of Planned Parenthood?
What a worthless blog.
Thanks for stopping by.
This is sad but Ive learned to accept it; STOP judging by race its pathetic not every Islam you see has a bomb strapped to his body.Nobody listens to each other anymore we all judge by what we SEE….beauty is grown from within.
I cannot believe that there are such radical Americans, who equate all Muslims with terrorists ! I agree that a lot of terrorism in current times is associated with Islam but …
I am from India and I am not a Muslim. India has seen so much violence by Muslims ( sadly sometimes from Indian muslims too ) and this violence is not even just recent, but has been happening for a few hundred years (with some gaps in between). Still I would not deem all Muslims to be fanatics or terrorists.
I had attended christian institutions and there were some really motivated evangelists who tried to proselytize. I have seen fundamentalist christians in America. Still I do not deem all Christians as fundamentalist !
In all religions, there are fanatics and fundamentalists.
Terrorists are to be punished, no matter which religion they profess. Coexist does not mean coexist with criminals amongst us !
America is much better at implementing the law and order, compared to India. And law should take its course.
Well i am one of those liberals that is clearly an “idiot” as i have the coexist symbol tattooed across my side. and no one is trying to say that you have to coexist because clearly your head is too far up your ass for that to be a problem. and last not all muslims are radical! so open your eyes and stop bitching about things you are too ignorant to understand.
I created the blue/white version of the COEXIST design years before “Stamp and Shout” copied/changed/sold their version. Hence, the Peace Symbol was removed by them and replaced with the wiccan star. I definitely intended you to interpret this as somewhat of a HOPEFUL FEELING that all religions can and should exist together in peace, despite the powers at be at any given time in history, who have and continue to hijack faith and the faithful to serve their own diabolical, greedy and selfish ends. Even to me, the creator of fifteen ’symbol words’ of hope, it seems a far reach to think this is actually possible. However remote the possibility of peaceful WORLDWIDE “Coexistence” between faiths/nations/people, there are undoubtedly POCKETS of society that actually pull off such peaceful coexistence! My suggestion is that we, the hopeful, we the peaceful, find and help enlarge these pockets in whatever means we can find. Mine is through my bumper sticker/shirt/peace merchandising business: http://www.peacemonger.org.
Absolute peace would be nice, but boring. The world will never come to peace because they will continue to raise their children, and future generations with ignorance, or arogances of others. They will be forced into bigotry, and hate. (I know, in everybodym there is a LITTLE of anything, racism,–that’s fine, perfectly normal,–but not normal to the point where they have to harm other races due to not believing in their particular faith, or being the same race etc). I wish people got along, but that will never happen. All we can do is hope for the best. Great STICKER Though, I thought it had an “Om”
Your taking this the wrong way. Who said this design was pointed directly at us? The design is inteded for all religions to look at it and realize we need to all respect and coexist together. This symbol is pointed at the Islam as well so dont think that the world revolves around America. In fact thats exactly what this design is trying to prevent. I think this design was created before 911 anyway because I’ve seen it for years.
Too many of us are puppets these days. Einstein once said, “Common sense is a collection of prejudices acquired by the age of eight”. It seems difficult for people to sit back, draw the world in for themselves, and develop an original opinion of their own. To do this, one needs to throw away what they have learned for basically their entire life. There will always be radicals when it comes to religion. Right now people are thinking I am referring to Islamic radicals and the like. Not so fast. I am also referring to Baptist, Catholic, etc, radicals. I am reading all sorts of replies from people who are super pissed that someone would put this sticker on their car, as if they are being pushed to believe terrorists are good people. Ever heard of occam’s razor? It argues that, “All things being equal, nature usually takes the simplest path.” It is more feasible that someone is trying to make you believe that a radical zealot is a good person or that they are simply saying “get along”?
Well there you go, the creator of the design just told you what it meant….I hope somehow that matters. P.S. I am a proud American with strong morals and values and I find the coexist symbol a beacon of America’s greatness as well as many other country’s. I hope you can see the patriotism in the melting pot as what makes this country great….and not just loose minded fat cats. Later.
God forbid we should all coexist! Let’s instead all meet each other in the middle of a field with a bunch of knives! THAT’LL FIX IT! WTF?
I totally respect this sticker, but why are most of these comments hitting Islam? or they’re terrorist? I’m not siding with the terrorist (of ANY RELIGION)..I do hope most of you know there ARE terrorist of other religions. Not all people who are of Islamic faith are terrorist, or want to harm anyone. I agree with sticker, and wish that’d everyone would get along, but it MUST go both ways, (the golden rule…duh!) I understand that this will never happen, (while with ignorant, aargonant people who believe one religion, or a particular race is the superior, or worst one). Life WOULD be boring if there was absolute peace, but we should stride to a better life for future generations.
“that imply that America needs to learn to coexist with radical Islamists”
“But they can’t, they can’t because Muslim radicals don’t want to.”
Yeah, because there is no such thing as radical Christians who literally kill people from other religions. LMAO
“that imply that America needs to learn to coexist with radical Islamists”
And I forgot to add, USA isn’t the only country in the world. People have this sticker in many countries. Surprise, surprise. Get over it.
RIGHT ON !!
Wake up the fools! Islam teaches the opposite and will not stop- only idiots will believe that coexisting is possible with those who call for your submission or your beheading (and same with your childrens)
Coexist….
Qur’an:9:5 “Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war.”
Regardless of the good we all may hope for. In light there is no darkness. The truth is that the koran teaches hatred and that the submission or beheading of those who will not submit to the islamic belief is among the goals. Qur’an:9:5 “Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war.” Qur’an:8:39 “So fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief [non-Muslims]) and all submit to the religion of Allah alone (in the whole world).”
http://fjordman.blogspot.com/2005/12/immigrant-rape-wave-in-sweden.html
I wish I’d have found your post before I did mine . . . . Well put! I’ve linked to your post. Thanks.
It is always great to learn more when you can. Most people wouldn’t take the time to look into this. I think it is sad that you decided to take the stance you did. There are extremists of every religion and culture; someone who takes their beliefs too far. To only look at one group of extremists once again shows that you choose to remember selective moments in religious history. Look around, there are good and bad of every culture… to stereotype and project your beliefs about a small percentage of radicals onto the entire group makes you seem small minded. We only really hear about the bad that goes on,but you can always find good if you take the time to look for it. I personally interpret COEXIST as a hope for the way the world could and should be if only extremists (kind of like you) could open their mind to outside cultures. Just because they are different does not make them bad. Not every person in a religious group thinks the same.
There is nothing wrong with hope, that is UNLESS it flies in the face of reality that endangers others! That, is exactly what this can do – IF it allows others to becomplacent, forgetting 9/11 and the Marine barracks in Beiruit, the U.S.S. Cole, and the hundreds of other deaths which you do not have to deal with ….. only those who sign up to protect us all.
I’m not sure this will work here; hope so. If it does, take a look:
border.wmv (5.4 MB) If it does not, and I don’t think it will; email me and I’ll be glad to send you a copy; it is something that allow one to see the kind of enemy that has sworn to kill you, your children, and everyone you know – so go ahead and hope! If you don’t think you have to pay as much attention to this as to hope, then those you love will suffer for it and you will grieve!
And no; I do not care if this is unsettling to you!
Hmmm… funny, isn’t it– that the hatred and intolerance towards other religions & beliefs– of both the Religious Right and the Muslim extremists have been equal participants in leading us into this never-ending war. Doesn’t take a genius to see where the problem areas are, does it?
Why do you assume that I am part of the “religious right” just because I am on the right? That is bigotry in itself. I hold my beliefs on government and America based on the constitution and what the founding fathers intended. I do not ever insert my religious beliefs in any of my posts. I bet that you can not correctly identify what my beliefs are. My posts are written from a political angle and a political angle only.
Ally,
Sorry to throw this back in your face; I know you WANT to believe that, but if you’ll show me hate and intolerance from someone on the religious right, I’ll show you someone who is pretending to be a Christian!
Nice try; if you understood good and evil, the most common tactic used by evil, is to posture oneself as a good person while being evil – - – all to discredit good. That allows the idiots and progressives to believe they have the higher ground when all they spout (as you just did) is hate and intolerance!
Or were you not aware you are parroting hate?
When I’m talking with someone face to face, . . . . and they’re trying to say this, after I’ve made my point, I’ll try to use a southern drawl just to make my point even further and say . . .
ya-all have a nice day now hea(and a silent “r”)!
josiah