Group Decries Urban Outfitters T-Shirt
AP - The Anti-Defamation League has asked retailer Urban Outfitters to stop selling a T-shirt that reads: "New Mexico, Cleaner than Regular Mexico."
Ref. https://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor.fitters_t_shirt
My first questions is. 'Is it True?' and if it is then what is the problem? Now if it is not true then what is the problem? That is almost like contesting, Manchester is more wet than Texas.
Then again, I guess using the word 'Cleaner' could be taken symbolically to mean anything, but so too can half the messages on T-shirts these days.
I would imagine that the objection is that it is humor at Mexico's expense. Not everything should be turned into a joke. Whether or not this should depends, in my opinion, upon whether or not there is a market for the product.
Of course, it could be argued that it encourages disparaging remarks against another country or maybe against Mexicans in general. How would you feel if the T-shirt said such a negative statement about the place from which you came? Probably wouldn't like it.
Also, I suppose we should ask if it is o.k. to let such remarks that are inflammatory and may cause prejudicial feelings to grow be encouraged. What if the shirt said "white is cleaner than black, for example?"
In case you can't tell, I am not sure how I feel about these topics at all.
Well, perhaps the Anti-Defamation League could also ask PETA to stop selling T-shirts that say "Fur coats are worn by beautiful animals and ugly people." There are a thousand slogans out there that are "off-color" on T-Shirts and bumper stickers. People just need to get over it and stop taking everything so personally.
Perhaps the Anti-Defamation League could *grow up* and stop whining about things which are obvious attempts at humor, and maybe in the process they could help the rest of the whiners to knock it off.
Offtopic but, |
Yes, those are valid view points, but you know are we going to regulate everything? I have seen T-shirts with worst things, some of them actually promote direct criminal acts like using drugs or marijuana or even being violent or sadistic and I hardly see anyone say anything about it. Personally if I saw a T-shirt saying 'Cuba is cleaner than Trinidad', I might actually have a good laugh, because it might just be true. However, I do understand the stigma Mexicans have in the US and I guess they are looking for any way to curb it. We can however throw in Freedom of Speech / Expression, but that is another topic.