While at the store today I remembered I needed to re-stock my lighters. We had cheaped out the last time, so despite having purchased many, we still had a bunch of dead lighters. While I knew Bic is bad for their animal testing (what and how, I do not know. They're listed right here on Peta's site. I have some issues with Peta, but they also do some good work. However, The Vegetarian Site doesn't list Bic as still testing on animals. Perhaps they did in the past but no longer and Peta hasn't and/or won't update/d.) they do make reliable and affordable products.
Trying to pick out a couple quickly, I picked what immediately attracted me. It wasn't until I arrived home that I started questioning the imagery before me, cursing myself for being such a product of conditioning:
The Prometheus flame meets the twin snakes wrapped around the heart? Originally I'd bought this because it seemed most innocent of what was available.
"A pirate's life for me" I'd rather not live such a life, thanks. But who, exactly, is the "me" behind this?
"Dia De Los Muertos". I understood the death, but not the rest. Tomzap had this to say:
"El Día de Los Muertos [Day of the Dead] originated in Mexico, before the Spanish conquest. The exact date is unknown but it has been speculated that the idea originated with the Olmecs, possibly as long as 3000 years ago. This concept was passed to other cultures such as the Toltecs, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec and Aztecs. Zapotec and Mixtec influence are strong in Oaxaca.. The Aztec celebration was held during the Aztec month of Miccailhuitontli, presided over by the goddess Mictecacihuatl Lady of the Dead, and dedicated to children and the dead. Following the Spanish conquest of Mexico during the 16th century, there was a strong effort to convert the native population to Catholicism. There was a good deal of reluctance on the part of the indigenous people which resulted in a blending of old customs with the new religion. All Saints' Day and All Hallows Eve (Halloween) roughly coincided with the preexisting Día de Los Muertos resulting in the present day event which draws from both. This "compromise" was necessary both to preserve church membership and to satisfy church authorities that progress was being made in converting the indigenous to Catholicism. Although the skeleton is a strong symbol for both Halloween and los Días de Los Muertos, the meaning is very different. For Días de Los Muertos the skeleton represents the dead playfully mimicking the living and is not a macabre symbol at all."
So blending Mexican holidays in with Western culture [slapping it on a lighter] is acceptable, because it appears we're welcoming multi-culturalism with open arms, but public celebration of Christmas is offensive? Just another mind-fuck dulling us to the NWO.
The ones I didn't buy:
Another Day of the Dead lighter? Warning of things to come?
Looks like the spider is moving in on its prey.
On the surface they're jumping on the "Vampires are hot" bandwagon, but there's more to it than that.
A Chinese dragon and a ..flaming meteor?
Why does this American propaganda even get sold in Canada? My people like to beLIEve we're not patriotic to the USA.
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