I've spotted a few misconceptions, as well as a few gems:
Normalizing the Right is first and foremost a PR campaign. Where OC isn't "normalized," it IS beneficial to be aware of the image you present when in public. To further the PR campaign to normalize the Right to the level where NO ONE gets a MWAG call/encounter with LE, I would suggest to consider dressing for the campaign, as opposed to not dressing for the campaign.
Bingo. And this leads us to:
The best thing that anybody can do to normalize anything is not make it abnormal.
Exactly. By "normal" I assume you're using in the statistical sense of what's considered "normal."
That said there is absolutely no way to normalize a fear, big period.
Here's the misconception. We're not attempting to normalize a fear, WalkingWolf. We're side-stepping being lumped into a category of lesser opinion by those who are afraid of firearms. The fear is irrational, yes. However, when those who fear firearms see factors which allow them to dismiss OC as irrational, they will do so. It doesn't matter whether their opinions of those other factors have merit or not. Simply associating them with OC is enough for the to dismiss OC along with the factors.
It is wrong to act like the people that believe we should fall into categories, just wrong.
Semantically, this sentence is missing something...
IMO this is why so many LEO like OCers get hassled so much, and it does seem to be the trend, not the guy wearing jeans that looks like Joe Citizen.
Who is advocating looking like an LEO? Not I, nor anyone else here, for that matter (that I can tell).
When a person pretends to be what they are not...
Who is advocating trying to be someone they're not? Not I, nor anyone else here, for that matter (that I can tell).
My advice is be who you are...
My advice is that when you're OCing, you're representing all of us, so please be the best you can be while still being who you are.
This is really what it boils down to. I wear a t-shirt an skivvies inside my apartment throughout the summer to beat the heat. That's who I am. But I would NEVER OC in skivvies and a t-shirt. Instead, simply wear jeans (usually black) and a decent shirt (often collared, but not always). That's also who I am.
What I'm saying is that instead of being the worst you can be while OCing, simply strive for the upper third.
You do realize that you just described the civilian dress code for police officers while representing the department.
Sorry, but LEO's don't own this style, as it's worn by nearly all off-duty professionals and those who simply like to present themselves well to others. It's still not a "dress code."
..antis care less how we dress.
Following RMGO's 2/3 rule, forget about convincing the die-hards (antis). The pro-2A folks don't need convincing, either. It's the middle thirds we're concerned about. They're the ones who've yet to cement an opinion, yet the quickest way to help them along is to dress poorly.
The only person that matters that cares how we dress and carry a gun is LEO's.
Oh, phooey.
And they hassle people who dress like cops, sorry.
If jeans and a polo is "like cops," both LEOs and you are sadly mistaken with respect to the idea that others are "dressing like cops." If anything, cops have adopted professional standards of appearance that were established decades, if not centuries ago.
Pictures of Pinkerton Detectives in the 1800s show them dressed in professional attire of the day.
Why? Because dressing well garners respect, and dressing poorly attracts disdain, not only for the individual, but also for everything about which the individual stands, including OC.
...you have as much right to dress how you want without being judged
Sure you do. In a perfect world, everyone would accept you and what you do exactly as you are.
We do not, however, live in a perfect world, and whatever respect you garner from others depends a good deal on how you appear to them. If you appear like a slob, they'll think you, and OC, is slobbish. If you appear professional, they'll think you and OC are professional.
That's just the world we live in. Doesn't mean you have to respect it, but if you can't respect reality, expecting any respect from reality is a might foolish.
Well I guess it falls into what is considered a hoodlum.
"Hoodlum?" :banghead:
We're not talking about avoiding looking like a hoodlum, WW.
I just have considerable experience with this both as a LEO, and as a LEO posing as a hoodlum.
Perhaps that's why you're fixated on "hoodlum" when the rest of us are talking about something else.
One of the misconceptions that almost everybody who is not a cop and does not carry a gun whether CC or OC is that all of us are cop wannabes.
I'll agree with you there.
...dressing like a cop does more harm than someone who dresses like a diverse citizen.
I disagree with you there.
So once we get passed how a person should dress to impress, what is next height weight proportionate, should obese short fat people not OC.
That's off-topic and silly.
I believe that people should dress within reason how they feel like dressing whether concealed or not.
Agreed, within reason, namely, the fact they're representing a larger group than themselves.
No, seriously, let's throw this back in your corner. Let's say an LEO arrived on duty unshaven and with a rumpled uniform. How would the public view him? Moreover, would he reflect credit upon the rest of the force, or would the rest of the force tell him to straighten up or quit?
I believe that antis could care less how we dress.
Agreed.
Agreed, we don't really care, either. It's the undecided middle third about which we're concerned.
The people in between are those people that already believe in 2A but not willing to carry a gun.
Not quite. Some are somewhat pro but not OC-friendly, some are somewhat anti but they keep an open mind.[/quote]
They also could care less how we dress.
The demographic you characterize as being in the middle, yes. However, you're wrong about who is in the middle.
hPolice have their own codes and one of them is people who they perceive as playing cop.
You keep bringing this into the thread, but it's not germane to the thread. The thread is concerned about OC appearance in general, not how cops see us, particularly when the general population outnumbers the cops around 10,000 to 1. Thus, your perspective has about 1/10,000th a vote in this discussion.
I am sorry but a well dressed person OCing and being hassled by the cops
Again, wrong thread.
Our behavior is what matters, both in these forums and in public.
On that point, I agree, wholeheartedly. Yes, it matters. People see more than just our behavior, though.