And in fairness to Charlton Heston, to finish the quote “… there is no such thing as a bad gun.   A gun in the hands of a bad man is a very dangerous thing.   A gun in the hands of a good person is no danger to anyone except the bad guys. …”  I think I’m pretty liberal in my thinking, but there a few things I object strongly to.  One is the sexploitation of girls (and boys).  Another is the American fixation on guns (sorry Charlton)

I saw this coffee mug recently on Uncovet (hate the way you have to register to get to the site).  At first glance I thought this mug was cool, I love the unexpected juxtaposition of different objects.  But now I’m not so sure.  Ignoring the hyperbole about if it is people or guns or bullets that kill people, I do object to the normalisation of guns in our culture.  A don’t have a problem with guns per se, but I don’t agree that they are an everyday item.
Another more famous example of this juxtapostion (not the cigarette lighter or shoes) is Venucci’s gun vase (see  below).

Guns have their place – but I don’t think it is in interior design or mass produced object-da-art

It’s compllicated though isn’t it – if this had been displayed as an art piece, created to make a point (though I’m not sure what the point is) I would have applauded it and steadfastly defended the artists right. I thought the Virgin Mary in a condom was a very clever religious/political statement.  But does context make a difference?   A statue of Virgin Mary covered with a condom behind a glass box (though I think that was for security) is different to something mass produced and sitting in a shop (virtual or otherwise).   Perhaps this is why this mug offends me – because it isn’t going to offend anyone else