Winner – “Make: The risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things” t-shirt

12 thoughts on “Winner – “Make: The risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things” t-shirt”

1. This was a wonderful idea! Thanks for putting these together so quickly!

   Reply

2. I thought that line stood out in the speech as well.

   Reply

3. I thought it was interesting because President Obama plans to increase taxes on individuals like us – let’s stimulate that economy by taxing folks who work hard and give it away to the slobbering masses who vote for “change”.

   Things are going to change alright – to socialism.

   PS to MAKEZINE EDITORS – This shirt makes me want to cancel my subscription. If you can, please try to stay politically neutral.

   MAKEZINE – If you can’t be neutral, try some other quotes from Obama:

   “I would roll back the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans back to the level they were under Bill
   Clinton, when I don’t remember rich people feeling oppressed.” (Fox News Sunday, 4/2/08)

   “I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective,
   answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.” (On Abortion, Saddleback Civil Forum, 8/16/08)

   “The first thing I’d do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.” (7/17/08)

   “We could save all the oil that they’re talking
   about getting off drilling—if everybody was just inflating their tires? And getting regular tune-ups? You’d actually save just as much.” (Lansing, MI, 8/4/08)

   “You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest…. And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” (San Francisco fundraiser, 4/08)

   “Like all of you, I believe in free trade. But we
   have to acknowledge that for millions of Americans, its burdens outweigh its benefits.” (New York, NY, 9/17/07)

   “On my very first day as President, I will launch the
   most sweeping ethics reform in history to make the White House the people’s house and send the Washington lobbyists back to K Street.” (Manchester, NH, 6/22/07)

   “I believe in keeping guns out of our inner cities, and that our leaders must say so in the face of the gun manufacturers’ lobby.” (Washington, DC, 6/28/06)

   Reply

4. hello anonymous commenter. all of the quotes you posted have nothing to do with “make” or makers. those don’t seem like good candidates for a shirt, but you could easily make a shirt on your own and sell them – some have.

   you say…”I thought it was interesting because President Obama plans to increase taxes on individuals like us – let’s stimulate that economy by taxing folks who work hard and give it away to the slobbering masses who vote for “change”.”

   do you really think people without as much money or you, or a great job at this moment are “slobbering masses”? that’s a shame, i like my fellow americans, sometimes we don’t all have the same opportunities but i think we’re good people.

   i’m not going to remove your comment but the same old tired argument about “socialism” rarely has anything besides just saying “socialism”.

   have you ever been or lived in a socialist country? if so when, where and tell us the pros and cons of a system like that.

   we *are* politically neutral here at MAKE, i supported our last president and i support this one, i might not agree with them all the time, but they are the president and should be respected, i’m sorry you don’t feel that way – i think this a good time for all of us to work together to *make* things better.

   want to help?

   Reply

5. Phillip,

   First, thanks for not deleting my original post, and for taking the time to read it.

   Second, thanks for your respect for the office of the president – I want our country to do well no matter what president is in office, and if the current president is great or terrible, the office the president presides in deserves respect. Please note that this does not mean there should be no accountability.

   Third, thanks for what I thought was a mostly positive response. I can understand why your response may have been cynical at times.

   Fourth, perhaps “slobbering masses” was too strong and divisive a phrase. I love my countrymen too, and calling folks who I disagree with “slobbering masses” was disrespectful. Sorry to those who I offended. I was just trying to convey my limited personal experience with a few Obama voters – at most I talked to 50 people – a short sampling of voters in America.

   Fifth, Why am I posting anonymously? In case Obama really does turn out to be socialist and he puts anyone in jail who doesn’t like him.

   Sixth,(Wow sixth? Seriously?) hopefully you did not, BUT if anyone thinks quoting Obama is disrespectful, please contact him – they are his words. I put those quotes down because I (poorly) was trying to make the point that Obama’s platform does not align with the MAKEZINE way, and that any quote from him isn’t appropriate for the Makezine community – here is why:

   I am an American, and I live in America, and love it. In China the post above (and this post) would probably be deleted by some government sensor. Who knows, if I said the same thing about Hu Jintao as a Chinaman, I would already be in prison. (China is nice for those visiting, but if you do visit, you’ll get a glimpse of some of the things I am talking about above and below) I wish every American had to spend some time in a socialist (or communist) country so they would know how good they have got it. You asked, so here is the basic idea:

   Capitalist:
   Capitalism is an economic system in which wealth, and the means of producing wealth, are privately owned and controlled rather than publicly or state-owned and controlled.

   Socialism:
   Socialism is an economic system in which wealth, and the means of producing wealth, are publicly or state-owned and controlled.

   Karl Marx was working on the transition from capitalism to communism and he called the in-between stage socialism – he describes both as, “From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.”

   Like socialism? Here is the advantage – you can be lazy and still make the same as everybody else. You need helth care? Don’t want to work? No problem! The state owns the healthcare system – they’ll take care of all your needs.

   Now, if you work hard every day, worked hard to get a nice education, and own your own business, socialism isn’t so nice – because you can’t own your own business, and if you work harder, it doesn’t matter, because you won’t get a bonus – everyone gets the same.

   Finally, here is the point:

   MAKEZINE ABSOLUTELY IS for the risk-takers, the doers, and the makers of things. YES!

   Here is the problem:

   President Obama’s administration is moving us in a socialist direction – a system that discourages hard work new and inventive ideas. President Obama’s administration is going in a direction completely ORTHOGONAL to the idea of MAKEZINE:

   “The first magazine devoted entirely to DIY technology projects, MAKE Magazine unites, inspires and informs a growing community of resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages.”

   If you don’t believe President Obama is moving toward a socialist agenda I guess we will just have to agree to disagree.

   For those that are curious, please look at President Obama’s platform. You will find proposals (nicely worded ones…) for Government Owned Healthcare, Government Owned Banks, Government Controlled Firearms, Government Funded Green Initiatives, and more Government Spending than has EVER been proposed in history. If it seems like President Obama’s platform seems a lot like the definition of socialism, I would say you wouldn’t be wrong. And if you think that Obama’s platform is contrary to MAKEZINE’s philosophy of working hard, being inventive, and having fun doing it, you agree with me.

   The quote is great, and aligns with MAKEZINE, but it doesn’t really align with President Obama’s words or actions to date. I also think (and you can disagree, along with this and everything else above) this shirt glosses over the fact that President Obama doesn’t support the hard working and inventive Make-subscriber.

   I do want to make things better, but I think this t-shirt is misleading, I don’t think Obama supports us Make-ers, and I think it is a bad idea for Makezne to make such a t-shirt. If you don’t agree, that is OK, it is America. There are at least 53% of voters who will be interested in your shirt.

   Reply

6. “perhaps “slobbering masses” was too strong and divisive a phrase. I love my countrymen too, and calling folks who I disagree with “slobbering masses” was disrespectful. Sorry to those who I offended. I was just trying to convey my limited personal experience with a few Obama voters – at most I talked to 50 people – a short sampling of voters in America.”

   passing judgment and naming calling of entire groups of people from only limited personal experiences is usually the cause of many problems. we all have a lot of work to do on that one.

   “Why am I posting anonymously? In case Obama really does turn out to be socialist and he puts anyone in jail who doesn’t like him.”

   wow, ok — if you’re really really concerned about that, then i would say this t-shirt is the least of your current and future issues. we can’t help with that.

   thanks again for stopping by anonymous commenter, at this point please keep the comments on this post on topic and less about your political views, thanks.

   if you’re serious about helping and making things better, make a cool project and post it online to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, artists, crafters and makers. we had our time, it will be up to them soon.

   Reply

Comments are closed.