I think it’s fair to say that many of us would like to get off of the political roller coaster. It feels like we’ve been living in Grey’s Anatomy since 2014 and 10 seasons deep, the writers are running out of ideas. While we can certainly understand advocating for a political ceasefire and a return to normalcy, this is without a doubt the absolute worst way to do it.
TikToker @goblinoftalents was the first to flag the horrible decision. In a now-deleted video, the creator, who runs a queer and disabled travel blog and makes “radical queer stickers,” shared an email the company had mass-sent. A long-time user of the online company Sticker Mule’s printing services, Kaitlynn was gob-smacked when an email titled “Trump 2024” was sitting in her inbox.
The full text read:
Hi Kaitlynn,
Donald Trump was shot.
I don’t care what your political views are but the hate for Trump and his supporters has gone too far.
People are terrified to admit they support Trump. I’ve been scared myself.
Americans shouldn’t live in fear.
I support Trump. Many at Sticker Mule do.
Many at Sticker Mule also support Biden.
The political hate needs to stop.
Hopefully this email helps.
Btw, this week, get 1 shirt for $4 (normally $19)
I suggest buying one that shows you support Trump.
The whole thing is just ridiculous. Individual breaks for each line for emphasis? Really? Even worse is that tacked-on heads-up for a discount. The TikToker was rightfully outraged and it’s clear that Kaitlynn would have personal reasons not to ally with the MAGA crowd, but it’s the company’s breach of trust that really rankled her. “They emailed everyone who has ever trusted their company… and said this,” she noted.
It’s a shocking use of personal information, and what’s worse, the idea came straight from co-founder Anthony Constantino. He didn’t personally sign off on the emails, but his signature did appear across several cross posts. “The craziest thing about this email is that they did not need to send this email at all (they’re a sticker company),” one TikToker said.
If getting an annoying self-aggrandizing email from a sticker company wasn’t bad and/or weird enough, Constantino didn’t stop there. He posted the message on X and across Instagram. Users on all platforms were quick to denounce the company.
“We didn’t care when all that political violence was against those other people, but NOW it’s too far. Political hate needs to stop. Also buy our shirt,” one wrote on the Instagram post. The company was fast to reply on X, but much like the poorly contrived email, the responses were juvenile.
The fun quickly got old, and as the hate continued to pour in, the responses dried up. Not all users were against the co-founder’s message. But even when they did believe in what was being said, the abuse of company resources to broadcast its political affiliations was a step too far. Even more were frustrated about how Constantino went about it.
The push for MAGA and Trump supporters to be seen as loving seems to be a current talking point. Amber Rose, a former girlfriend of Kanye West, spoke at the RNC about her experience of acceptance from the MAGA movement. But no matter how avidly Trump’s base might push the idea of acceptance, their actions never quite line up. In a truly bizarre turn of events Sticker Mule appears to be doxxing any unsatisfied customers who’ve hit back against their idiotic email.
TikToker @Avina_Comics took to the app shortly after the assassination attempt against Trump wondering if anyone else shared his recent predicament. “Anyone else getting doxxed by Sticker Mule? Just me?” he asked, before sharing about his recent experiences. The comic artist, who’s careful not to post anything political of his own to social media, left a bad review and asked for a refund “after they sent out that dumb f***ing email.” Shortly after, he started receiving strange phone calls from folks asking if he thought “it was funny that Trump got shot.”
It’s not something the creator would post about himself, leaving him to speculate who was calling and why. The only correlation he found was his interactions with the company. “So now they’re giving out my number to people or it’s their employees calling me? Either way, it’s stupid.” Commenters were quick to blame the company, claiming that it had posted unredacted hate emails it received in the wake of its Trump endorsement. One internet sleuth postulated that it was another Sticker Mule customer who had mined the information from the original email.
While Sticker Mule has posted plenty of vitriolic responses (mostly those telling Constantino to go kill himself), the usernames are all redacted.
Under Kamala Harris’ presidential bid, more Republicans and Moderates back the blue every day. No matter how many times MAGA claims that the party “doesn’t care” about race, gender, or sexual orientation, or “is all love,” their history paints a different picture.
Donald Trump is a convicted felon and a known rapist who endorses violent rhetoric against minorities. Vice presidential nominee JD Vance is unqualified, and Trump’s appointed judges have endangered women’s lives and obstructed their autonomy. It’s easy to claim to be inclusive when you’re not a minority, gay, an immigrant, a woman, Palestinian, transgender, a cat lady, disabled, or any other demographic that Trump rallies against every other day.
Published: Aug 5, 2024 10:45 am