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Comment by russellallen | Hacker News Reader

Not a monetary con, but giving them a T-Shirt that says one thing, knowing that underneath it is another contrary message...

Forget for a moment that we're talking about people whose beliefs we (presumably) strongly disagree with and imagine another scenario - say youth at a Democrats rally are given T-Shirts with Obama on them, take them home and find that after a wash they have a pro-T-Party slogan. I would think that pretty unlikely to change anyone's mind. They're more likely to be pissed off.

I can imagine the Exit people watching the concert and giggling at their clever prank. Cute prank, amusing, but as a technique for persuasion?

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How many young pro-Obama democrats are secretly considering joining the tea-party movement, but are currently afraid to do so due to per-pressure and the threat of retaliatory violence?

The goal isn't to persuade or change peoples minds, but give people who have, on some level, decided that they want to leave the push and support they need to actually take the final step.

"but are currently afraid to do so due to per-pressure and the threat of retaliatory violence?"

You can't be serious. What "threat of retaliatory violence"?

And to answer your question, approximately none.

Which would be exactly my point. Comparing leaving the Democrats to leaving a hard core neo-nazi organization is kind of silly.

Wow, I totally misread your post. It looked to me as if you were seriously comparing them. Sorry, looks like it's time for coffee.

You still think that they wanted to 'persuade' or 'convince' people with this shirt. That's not true according to various reports.

On the other hand: I know _I_ would've giggled nevertheless, seeing people walk away with those.. That doesn't change the fact that the whole thing was a _success_ measured against the goals of the creators.

It wouldn't be at all rational for them to be pissed off. If they'd paid for it, different story.

It's not a con, it's a prank.

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