People are demonstrating their philosophies on peace without joining marches and signing petitions—they are wearing buttons and T-shirts, posting yard signs and flying flags.
Peace has turned out to be quite a marketable idea according to USATODAY.com, which reported that anti-war merchandise has boomed in recent months.
One estimate showed $15 million in anti-war T-shirts, buttons and posters have been sold in the past six months. And according to industry experts, this recent push for peace products is the highest since the Vietnam War.
USATODAY.com reported that “unlike past wars, the key market for the merchandise this time is not student activist groups. Rather, it’s mostly church and community organizations, which gives the sellers and manufacturers of anti-war materials a tad more stability.”
So what is selling?
PeaceProject.com sells about 7,500 buttons each day. Just three months ago, the group was selling just a few hundred daily, according to Emanuel Rose, general manager of the Arcata, Calif., company.
The company also sells peace earrings, Frisbees, rubber stamps, magnets and much more.
While more accustomed to receiving orders from leftist groups, Clay Colt, co-founder of ProgressiveCatalog.com, said he is receiving orders from churches, teachers and even some veterans.
ProgressiveCatalog.com boasts all U.S.-made materials using union workers. For $5 you can buy a lawn sign that reads, “NO WAR ON IRAQ.” And for those who wish to wear their values on their sleeves, the Progressive Catalog site sells anti-war T-shirts with memorable quotes.
“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people,” reads one shirt quoting Howard Zinn.
The Syracuse Cultural Workers is marketing a flag that has the word “peace” in several different languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi and Russian. The price of this peaceful declaration: $48.
The group also sells peace calendars and stated that sales have already exceeded 26,000. They usually sell 17,000 annually.
PeacePins.com sells a low-profile chrome peace pin for those business types who are unable to sport flashy anti-war logos.
Jodi Mathews is BCE’s communications director.
