If I See A Fish Symbol In A Yellow-Pages Ad...

... what can I safely assume about the person/company who is running the ad that's so-decorated?

Are they telling me that they are more trustworthy than the competitors who don't use that symbol? -- Are they telling non-Christians and homos to keep looking elsewhere and that they are not welcome as customers or clients?

Do such devices and gimmicks really work? Are they fooling themselves into thinking it brings more business... or are they fooling US?

and they can safely assume i will not do business wth them.

And that limits the places I can do business with since I'm in a fundie area.

They arent. Folks get screwed by so called "Christian" businesses as often as any other business. Maybe more.


:::Sits and waits patiently for this post to be deleted::::

No offense to fellow Christian DUers, but in my own experience with people who flash their faith around in their business and personal affairs, they're hiding something.

Every experience I have had with a business who puts the fish on their invoices/cards/ads has been bad. My husband, who runs a restaurant has horror stories of getting raped (figuritively speaking) by both electrician and plumber who sport the fish. It's sickening really.

Julie

Seriously.

Well, in this case it was a "God Bless the USA" with an american flag that I noticed appearing sometime right after the war started. I always bought the same eggs from the same store and these particular eggs were the Jumbo Eggs that sometimes you get lucky and they have double yolk.

BUt then the Logo/Flag was added to the Egg Carton. WHy? I mean, did these eggs happen to come from more patriot AMerican Chickens and the others from shady chickens who want to lay eggs that hate America?

I switched to the Organic Eggs from Free Range chickens.

Yes, of course some chickens hate America.

You haven't heard of selective pro-American chicken breeding? You take an adult chicken, put it in a box for three hours along with a box of matches, some chicken grease, and an American flag. If the chicken hates America, it will light the flag on fire, therefore burning not only the flag, but him/herself as well. It's artificially-conducted natural selection, leaving only patriotic chickens to continue breeding, while the America-hating traitor-chickens are sent to chicken-terrorist Hell.

It's a beautiful system, really.

It says, "You are so deluded that you think that me calling myself a Christian assures you of a good, honest deal."

I was once witness to a con man who eventually went to jail, ruined the lives of several people and scammed people out of hundreds of thousands with a "natural products" pyramid scheme. Prominent in his office was a kneeling stand with an open Bible.

I also remember reading an ad flyer for an outfit selling radio and TV broadcaster supplies. It included a half-page "inspirational" that practically demanded the customer declare Jesus Christ as his personal lord and savior. I found out later that the company pulled financial shenanegans, and the owner had to declare Bubba as his personal cell date and husband.

We actually have a "Christian" Starlight dance studio here in town. :wtf: does that mean? It means if "I" had a little girl who wanted to learn ballet, jazz, tap, ect....she wouldn't be going there! I think it's STUPID.

that's what i do too!

I know they probably aren't real Christians.

Math 6:5

"It is the heretic who goes to the church or street corner and prays loudly so that all may hear him."

advertise their faith or shout about it in front of a crowd.

to a T! I always loved dear Matthew! :)

Colson/Falwell/Robertson. If a company has truly Christian values why would they need to advertise it? Their reputation from their dealings with customers will overshadow any stupid fish symbol.

I will not patronize any business that displays a "fish" in its ads or on its building.

... that's hysterical! Very clever, YOU!

to do business with. I actually like them so I know where not to go.

but a few years ago, back when the tech sector was fat and happy, and I got fat, happy profit sharing checks, I decided to buy a travel guitar. A guy I work with recommended a music store to me that was locally owned and had served his local community for many years. So I went, I played, I decided, and I bought. (A Baby Taylor :-)!)

When the receipt was presented to me, it had THE FISH on it.

Well, there I was, I had been treated well, and I had enjoyed the shopping experience. The store had a great stock to choose from, and also had some collectable instruments to look at that were very cool. So I felt, fair money paid for fair treatment, and went through with the purchase.

Would I recommend them? On the basis of the selection, service and pleasurable experience. But I sure wish they did not tout the FISH.


:dilemma:

I doubt you can safely assume anything, except perhaps that the owner is not a Jew or Hindu.

I agree that mawkishly displaying the symbol is often superfluous, sanctimonious, and silly, but isn't it bigotry to make assumptions about people who do?

It's not like it's a swastika.

Are you sure it's not like a swastika?

I think, actually, that is exactly what the fish symbol is like.

If not, I go elsewhere.

there's something ugly going on out back."

This gives me some hope for my adopted home state.

it tells me because those hypocrites will pick it clean.

the likely not so innocent reasons brought up already.

Some business owners are just salt of the earth good christians, and want to let other christians know they are that type of person. Sure, it could be a way to sucker in the flock, but I also personally know a couple of people who do it that aren't really bad people.

I designed a logo for a family practioner who wanted some sort of relgious feeling to it. He's a strong church goer and that's just part of who he is. I personally wouldn't do it, but everyone is different.

Not every single person who is a christian is a bloodsucking vampire.

What's with all the hostility toward all christians, anyways? Not all are fundies, not all conservative christians are out to stone sinners.

I do think the fish symbol is to signal other christians to do business with them, however. Anyone can get the Yellow Pages to put one on their advertisement, however, and psych out fundies.

What do they think Jews, Hindus, Muslins, non-believers, or others feel when they see their fish? It tells me they don't care.

I don't understand why it would tell you they don't care. It should tell them the owner is religious. I can understand why that would make some people not go there, but I don't understand you get the "don't care" part from?

If a hassidic jew had a diamond shop, and there was a star of david in the window, would this somehow mean to me as christian that he didn't care about me? or, would I realize it simply means his religious identity is important to him, and I can choose to shop there or not. It would be bizarre to take that symbol in the window as a personal affront.

to tell me they are Christians. I feel put-off and offended when someone supposedly asking for my business feels it necessary to tell me he's a Christian. I am not, and it tells me he is not really interested in my business.

"not really interested in my business": is different than "doesnt' care about me".

further, I'd repeat, although it might be a risky business decision, how does this differ from the hassidic diamond merchant with a star of david in his window?
Does his symbol make you angry as well? why?

and the Hassidic with the star is the same. I don't object to him wearing prayer curls or a yarmulke, those are required by his religion. I object to gratuitous displays, particularly in business advertisements.

Or an appliance dealer to have bikini clad women on roller skates?
or an electronics dealer to publicly admit he is insane?

When I lived in North Carolina, I had to find a vet for one of my kitties. There were about 15 listed (in a community of 10,000). I gave them a call, specifically because they had the ichthys in their add.

What I found was a loving, caring man who was deeply concerned about the health of my cat - AND, had compassion for the trauma I was feeling about her being sick. I knew then that he wouldn't be one of those who said "you need to put her down (euthenize)."

Sometimes, those "fishy things" tell you there's a good person there.

Funny store from a bank loan officer, who told me that the saying in the banking industry is: "Never lend money to preachers, painters or prostitutes".

Now I don't mean to imply anything bad about painters and prostitutes,but................

a loyal customer! :evilgrin:

"I tithe. So 10% of the sale I make to you goes to my church." Whether or not this is true, I tend to pass right over and go to the next ad... hey Passover...

to differentiate them from the "Camel Jockey" motels.

Kind of like the "buy blue" or "union made" labels.

How much time you want to spend agonizing over what to do with that information is entirely up to you.

:shrug:

leading with a posting over various possibilitys of the symbol.

And then you followed up several posts.

So I must assume that you are contemplating what do with the information.

:shrug:

<< "Well you did take the time to create this thread" Posted by Fescue4u leading with a posting over various possibilitys of the symbol. >>

... for doing something like that, and my wanting to understand what message they are trying to convey when they flaunt their Xtianity is hardly something that you can accurately describe as my "agonizing" over. :eyes:

If we were to use your logic... could we also assume that because you took the time to reply the first time and then follow-up again, that you're "agonizing" over this thread? :shrug:

<< And then you followed up several posts. >>

No... that is incorrect. As of right now... and other than my previous response to you, I have followed-up with EXACTLY ONE other post. And even then, it was only to quickly acknowledge the humor it contained.

Most reasonable people would come to the conclusion that I simply have an interest in the topic and that's why I started the thread. The same reasonable people would conclude that I'm interested in the thread I started and in reading what other people have to say.

Again... hardly the stuff of "agonizing".

<< So I must assume that you are contemplating what do with the information. : shrug : >>

Contemplating? Not hardly. This thread pretty light fare. It's very easy to comprehend and digest. Quickly filed away for later retrieval. There's not much here that requires deep thought or contemplation.

Lots of text to tell me its not a big deal.

-- try another vendor.

It says to me: "smarmy right-wing Christian fundamentalist nutcase trying to cash in on Jesus."

But I wouldn't hesitate if I saw a seller with a sign that said:

"Bush cheated".

That would get my business, no questions asked.

Not to be snotty. I was raised a Christian also. But in my experience people who use the fish symbol simply aren't as well educated or as knowledgeable as I am, and my experience with their service has been they come in two varieties -- the incompetent and the downright dishonest.

I don't know if such gimmicks work but I won't risk hiring another "fish" person again.

On edit-- agree with some of the other posters that if you are unfamiliar with the Book of Matthew, you shouldn't be putting yourself forward as a Christian anyhow.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

WESTERLY, R.I. — Bess Eaton documents drafted several years ago forecast this would be a good year for the family-owned doughnut chain known for printing Bible verses on its coffee cups.

But instead the Westerly-based company that became a Rhode Island institution found itself in Bankruptcy Court, owing creditors some $17.6 million, while its born-again Christian head was accused of looting the chain to fund a lavish lifestyle.

http://www.record-journal.com/articles/2004/04/25/news/business/business03.txt

it is an attempt to run the heathen competitors out of business, too.
Preachers are encouraging their congregations to only use services
within the "network", in much the same way that they encourage voting.

I ignore the company displaying it.

is that, since they are explicitly thus advertising themselves as a "Christian" business, they are advertising for Christian customers. Not being a Christian, I go elsewhere. If they wanted MY business, they wouldn't plaster their personal opinions on their business advertising.

On the other hand, if I see a rainbow flag or a GSBA symbol, I most decidedly will patronize THAT business. I'm sure it works the same way with the fish-folk - they'll patronize the fish-flashers and not the rainbow-flag business.

My pagan ass is not welcome in that business

And in some cases, such as a "women's health center" offering gyn services, it tells me that the medical attention I receive will be dependent on factors such as my marital status (sorry, you single whore, I can't write you a birth control prescription) or the state of my uterus (sorry, you're pregnant, I can't treat your cancer because radiation would kill the baby).

RL

people into doing business with me"

i have contacted a few new apartment complexes preparing to move and one emailed me and at the bottom of the email is some bible chapter and verse, like, matthew 3:16 or some shit.

i won't rent there.

the Confederate flag or rightwing bumperstickers. Don't stop at my house to sell me tree cutting services, or lawn services, or firewood, or whatever else with a Confederate flag on your vehicle. Or "doing my best to piss off the heathen left" bumperstickers.
I won't buy.

And if you see a fish icon in front of a beauty parlor it generally means no gay men work there. According to my hairdresser friends it's a new movement because some christians don't want to be physically touched by a gay man. (I have read this on raptureready.com threads as well.)

their hair looks so dreadful? Tom Delay. Trent Lott. John Bolton. Those boys need to get to a hair salon with some gay men. They look like hell.

I mean... your comments and *retorts* are funny. The fact the people actually act that way is pretty damned sad.

I am. They are going for the Christian dollar the difference is that they don't risk losing other dollars by doing so.

but that's just me.

they are far more likely to shaft you

I grab my wallet.