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T-Shirt Controversy continues....
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| Jayx1 |
Ive highlighted the points i strongly agree with althought this whole commentary is right on the mark.
| quote: | Banning shirts won't help abused women
By Linda Williamson -- For the Toronto Sun
Thank goodness the powers that be in this province are so concerned about violence against women.
So concerned, in fact, that they're investigating t-shirts.
Ooh, I feel safer already.
The shirts surfaced at a small store in St. Catharines that, by all accounts, caters to a young, edgy crowd (a Canadian Press photo of a much-pierced, Goth-like young person of ambiguous gender wearing one confirmed that much).
They show a cartoon drawing of a bloody hammer and bear the slogan "She was asking for it."
Ooh, scary. Shocking, even. And clearly, that's the point.
But it's a point apparently lost on many good citizens of St. Catharines, who complained about the shirts being displayed in the store's front window.
They were met with defiance by the store's female owners, who defended the shirts as a statement -- albeit an extremely dark and ironic one -- against spousal violence, not a glorification of it.
"Guys wear it actually mocking the guys who would do that to their wives," store manager Sarah Spencer told reporters. She also pointed out they have a distaff version of the shirt, depicting a pair of bloody scissors and the caption, "He had it coming." Both have been big sellers (though oddly, the latter version didn't spark complaints. Hello, double standard).
Well, the trouble with dark, edgy satire is that it tends to lose its impact when you have to explain it. Drag it into the public spotlight and all people can see is something very, very bad, which of course must be treated with utmost gravity.
And apparently that means complaining to the premier.
Naturally, when asked about them last week, Premier Dalton McGuinty called the shirts "reprehensible" and said he'd let Attorney General Michael Bryant decide "whether or not it's illegal."
Heaven help us. Since when is a t-shirt illegal? Well, perhaps Bryant, who may yet make pit bulls illegal, can find a way.
But can we have a little perspective? We're talking about t-shirts here, not weapons. T-shirts don't abuse women -- men abuse women.
And trust me, men who abuse women don't wear t-shirts about abusing women.
If Dalton, Bryant & Co. really want to do something about domestic violence, let them forget the cartoon t-shirts and get serious about real violence.
Just last month, the entire city looked on as Tony Brookes held a woman hostage in front of Union Station after trying to murder his estranged wife. It turned out Brookes, whom police shot dead, had abused his wife for years, and on that day had vowed to send her to her grave with the message that it was all her fault -- i.e., she was asking for it. Now that's reprehensible.
Restraining orders useless
What Dalton et. al. should be investigating is why, after all these years of public education and supposedly tougher laws, women like Brookes' wife still stay trapped for years in violent marriages. Could it be because it's well-known they are most at risk of being killed after they break it off? And because our pathetic system of restraining orders is all but useless to protect them?
Let them investigate why a man like Brookes, who had already done time for domestic abuse, was released. Let them look into why men like him can't be stopped -- or helped -- before it's too late. Let them beef up services for victims and abusers alike.
(And if they're bent on being the clothing police, let them investigate the popular line of "Boys are stupid: throw rocks at them" t-shirts and novelties out there, which in my view are worse because they're aimed at kids.)
The hammer t-shirts may not do it in a way that's not to everyone's taste, but they make a powerful, provocative statement about violence.
Let's see our politicians do the same.
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| Matt |
IMHO, this getting way more attention than it deserves.
If only we cared as much about the homeless as we do about what people wear on t-shirts.
Anybody who wears one is just showing the world what a tool they are.
Like those people who wear "I'm not different, you are all the same" shirts... kind of ironic that the shirt is mass produced and worn by millions of teenagers. |
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| Matt |
in other news, I guess I've been invited to speak @ the Clearview township meeting regarding WEMF.
Not about the noise charges, but the bylaws they are passing so WEMF can't come back. |
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| Jayx1 |
| amazing!!! now thats taking action! Make sure you meet with the local merchants before hand and come up with a strategy. show them that this brings $$ to the town. Also make sure you get a petition circulated. |
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| Matt |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
amazing!!! now thats taking action! Make sure you meet with the local merchants before hand and come up with a strategy. show them that this brings $$ to the town. Also make sure you get a petition circulated. |
and you didn't believe in me!
First I gotta confirm this, cuz all I have is what my dad says when he talked to the mayor on the phone.
then I need to find out where and when it is.
can anyone dig up some stuff from Bobcaygeon, Ontario re: WEMF? |
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| DJ_Elyot |
| What? No WEMF? Impossible. You need a statistic that shows something that is commonly accepted in society is just as bad or worse than WEMF. What exactly are the laws gonna be about? Noise? Drugs? Enlighten us (start a thread!!!) |
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| Jayx1 |
Getting back to the tshirt... its amazing how no controversy has been made over the male version of it. And imagine if the other shirt said "girls are stupid, throw rocks at them"
It's time for a men's movement to stop this hypocrisy. What this is on the surface is evidence of what goes deeper. That is, a complete lack of respect for men coupled with over sensitivity about women. Maybe one day we can balance the two out on an middle ground and acheive true equality. |
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| Skipper |
the bottom line is that BOTH t-shirts are inappropriate because they make light of a serious issue: domestic violence.
Both are inappropriate and tasteless. I can't possibly imagine the type of person who would want to wear one of these shirts.
Jay, you act so morally WRONGED because the controversy is mostly over the "she asked for it" shirt. Do you honestly wonder why that is? It's because domestic violence perpetrated by the man is much, much more common than the other way around. Obviously it's going to get more attention because it's a much more prevalent issue. It doesn't mean that women are at an advantage due to their sex. Are they not the ones who are, most often, victims of violence at the hands of their partners? |
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| j_spot |
| so are the Jesus is my homebody shirt just as unaccecptable? |
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| MarkT |
"But can we have a little perspective? We're talking about t-shirts here, not weapons. T-shirts don't abuse women -- men abuse women."
nuff said. T-shirts don't abuse women. Music and TV don't shoot/stab/beat up people.
I'm tired of people not being held accountable for their actions. If someone is *so* susceptible to outside influences that music, tv, movies, or t-shirts results in them committing illegal acts...then perhaps they ought to be removed from society...because that is PATHETIC.
On a related note...parents need to PARENT their kids.
yes...the shirts are tasteless...and stupid, IMHO...but should they be banned? No. If schools or employers want to implement some sort of dress code prohibiting students and employees from wearing them, fine...but to outright ban them from being sold is beyond ridiculous. |
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| aarontrance |
Honestly, for every person that says something (or wears a t-shirt) with a borderline "unacceptable" (to those who love their censorship) there will always be another to bitch about it.
Save yourself the trouble and scream at the people wearing the shirts instead of trying to get the government to ban them. |
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| Fir3start3r |
| quote: |
(And if they're bent on being the clothing police, let them investigate the popular line of "Boys are stupid: throw rocks at them" t-shirts and novelties out there, which in my view are worse because they're aimed at kids.)
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That's the exact same arguement I gave someone else not too long ago and I mentioned the same shirt...
Isn't that veeeeeird?? :eyes: |
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