This part of Ban T-Shirts is to provide links
to articles of interest to our visitors, to act as a forum for
our opinions and your opinions, and to provide information about
the site.
We reserve the right to publish any emails submitted in abbreviated
form or in their entirety.
23-6-09
Just added a new shirt today, it's in the "anti-religion" vein I guess. But then again, aren't we all "sinners"?
21-5-09
Nice write-up from Shirtspotting German T-shirt review site here. If you search for "Ban T-shirts" on Google you will find a bunch more.
20-4-09
Yay! I finally got a decent shopping cart sorted out to replace those nasty PayPal buttons! So now there is just ONE button per shirt (not one for US orders and one for international orders as previously). Let me know if you have any problems with the cart while placing your order. I decided to bring in a flat rate shipping charge of $5 per order - doesn't matter if you order one shirt or three. And if you spend over $70 you don't pay anything for shipping.
1-4-09
OK, this is NOT an April fool thing. The Space Hijackers, a London based anarchist theatre group, just drove an armoured personnel carrier into the G20 protests in London! 11 of them (not sure if that was the whole group or not), were arrested. Apparently they were in possession of a bunch of police uniforms and were arrested with impersonating police officers. These guys have restored my faith in the human spirit! They have been involved in a whole bunch of subversive (but non-violent) actions, check out their website for more info and a real good chuckle!
11-3-09
You can now follow Ban T-shirts on Twitter. Why the hell would you want to do that you may ask? Well you if you follow our tweets you will find out about special deals that we don't advertise anywhere else.
2-3-09
Thanks to JD for sending in this email:
Hello! Recently I've decided to only purchase clothing if it is sweatshop free. It's been something of a challenge to find more stylish clothes that fit into this category in stores- so of course I turned to the internet. Your website is a gem. I've just ordered 7 of your shirts- "insurgents," "think green," "build community," "US world tour," "last fish" in black, "dream big," and the Manson shirt in black. I could offer individual commentary on each of them but instead I will say they will soon be my favorite 7 shirts. I'm looking forward to wearing them around my campus- I attend a private, Jesuit university on scholarship- and elsewhere in hopes of sparking discussion. It's a great feeling to see such a well designed website with high quality clothing and the same liberal messages I desire to transmit to others. Like you said, we don't have a big stake on the mainstream media- but using our clothing as means of broadcasting these messages is a useful tool on the individual level- and that is where it all starts. Thank you for making shirts that provide us with that starting point and that have integrity (referring to the way they are made- sweat free and organic)- something that seems all too easy to lose in the pursuit of ambition. My only suggestion in this regard is to (eventually) print them all on organic material.
I read some of your hate mail out of curiosity and I'm glad you have a sense of humor about those who are imprisoned by ignorance and fear- but like your Manson shirt says, they are a reflection of us- and when we stop and think about that it becomes a little easier to remember our responsibility in the situation, even to those who hate us. Thanks for posting those.
T-shirts topics I would like to see more of (not in order of importance as they are all VERY important to me):
1. The mentally ill
2. "Criminals" (e.g. Manson shirt)
3. Feminism
4. Oppressed indigenous groups
5. the LGBT struggle
6. animal liberation
You're doing such wonderful work- that is an understatement- and I wish you the strength and motivation to continue to do so in spite of the challenges. I will be referring people to your site without reservation.
23-1-09
Got this email from Brandi:
Loved most of the shirts.. hated the anti creationist shirt and page.
"They are not content with just holding such wacky beliefs themselves, they want to force them upon our children in our schools." I hear that in the same voice I hear racists talk about "those people wanting to come take our jobs! or homophobes talking about how all those gays want to make our kids gay in public schools!! It just sounds hateful and closed minded.
I do believe the Bible literally, Genesis story of creation and all, but don't care if they teach it in the hot mess of the public school system. You should not paint everyone in a belief system with a broad brush. If creationism was taught, however, it would not be any more "forced" on them than evolution is. Why is one taught while the other is "forced"?
Also, how exactly do dinosaurs debunk creationism?
Oh sweet Jesus. I can't bring myself to debate with a person who so willfully ignores scientific evidence that contradicts his/her beliefs. It takes a lot of self-deception and mental gymnastics to wish away the mountain of evidence that exists for evolution, and replace it with "faith". I'm sorry if you're offended Brandi. Well, not sorry that you're offended, just sorry that you are so willfully ignorant and close-minded and that you follow a belief system that stifles and restricts imaginative thought, indeed any thought or idea that contradicts the rule book. And don't try to paint yourself as some kind of victim of prejudice. To compare yourself to victims of race hate and homophobia is insulting to those people who really have experienced prejudice (slavery, death, physical and psychological trauma, rape, etc). If you choose to follow such a ridiculous belief system, prepare yourself to be ridiculed. You deserve it.
22-1-09
I got the following email from Lori.
Hi. I just wanted to say that, while I like most of your shirts, I would urge you to rethink the assumptions behind your "Live Fat / Die Young" shirt, and the accompanying description ("We think it's best to live slim and die old"). A lot of what we're told about fat is the result of medical "research" funded by the diet and pharmaceutical industries, and there is plenty of research indicating that it's wrong. Body size is more genetically determined than even height; the highest mortality rate is found in people who are underweight, while people who are overweight-but-not-obese tend to have the lowest morality rates; and, especially, body size is simply one other element of human diversity that we should not only accept but appreciate.
There is a lot of great work being done on this subject, some of which is summarized here:
http://kateharding.net/but-dont-you-realize-fat-is-unhealthy/
http://www.bigfatfacts.com/
http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/35/1/55
http://www.junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/
You may certainly come to any variety of conclusions, but I would hope that the progressive community in general would be as open to considering that the views about fat their being sent by the mainstream media are just as wrong as the views they are being sent about sex or race or money. It does sadden me that a site that seems to promote open-mindedness and a celebration of human diversity would then hold up one body--the one that mainstream culture is pushing on all of us--as the ideal, and conflate fatness with ill health and death.
Let's not confuse respect for all people in general, regardless of their physical appearance, with the issue of health. Noone should be treated differently just because they are fatter or thinner than somebody else. A completely separate issue is that of health. People are getting fatter. Children are getting fatter. Obesity, combined with lack of exercise causes health problems. You only have to look around you to see that the number of obese people is increasing. People drive everywhere, they watch too much TV, they have sedentary jobs, they eat too much and they eat badly. Result? More fat people. Can you be fat and healthy? Sure. Some people are just naturally fatter. But the bottom line is that people are just getting more and more unhealthy. They are eating poor quality food and not doing enough physical exercise. Does that mean fat people should be made to feel bad? No. Should unhealthy people (who are often but not always fat) be encouraged to live a more healthy lifestyle and be informed of health risks? Yes, I think so. Do food companies make a lot of money selling crap food? Obviously, and I think something should be done to improve the quality of food that people eat. Do drug companies make loads of money off diet drugs? Yes, and there needs to be more control and education about what is being sold and the claims that are made about what these drugs can do.
And the T-shirt? It's a humorous play on words that makes a point about bad food, unhealthy lifestyles and obesity. I don't think it's offensive.
12-1-09
Happy New Year everyone! Okay it's a bit late, but what the hell! Got a nice email today and I like nice emails so I'm posting this one from Hannah:
I absolutely love the shirts y'all design and sell! I completely agree with (almost) every statement on this site, and I love the fervent advocation of free speach on the site. And although the shirts are awesome and the comments are informative, I have to say that my favorite part about your site is the hate mail and the comments you make. Keep it up!
23-12-08
I just wanted to wish all my customers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you and your loved ones have a great holiday and that everyone likes their shirts. Just email us if you need to exchange anything.
22-12-08
I recently received this response to a hate mail item:
I recently scanned your site and read through the "hate mail" section, where I took notice of the the following excerpt:
Oh dear. What I find "hilarious" is how some people can get so worked up when they see a red star. Communism does not equal Che Guevara, just as capitalism does not equal George Bush. Another thing that I find "hilarious" is that this email was sent at almost exactly the same time (to the hour) that the US government finalised a rescue package costing the US taxpayer 700 billion dollars in a desperate attempt to prop up a failing financial system. How much does it take for some people to see that the system is not working? Isn't it about time that we started looking at "other ways of life"?
Why is it that Communism, red star and all, is set forth as some benevolent ideal to which we should all strive, while every communist regime in the past, and at present has been famous for unsustainable economy and rampant human rights abuses (sorry are you talking about communist states or the United States here? The US has the highest per capita consumption in the world and is therefore the most unsustainable. Neither is it a shining beacon in terms of human rights [though admittedly nowhere near as bad as China]), lack of civil liberties (those pesky things found in our Bill of Rights-freedom of the press, due process, you know-things like that), yet communism continues to be touted as a viable "other way[s] of life."
Perhaps the author/site administrator just finished watching Michael Moore's latest installment of "How America Should Be"--a.k.a. "Sicko" and the "success" Cuba's health care system just really sold her on Communism. To which I pose the questions, if Cuba is such a grand place, why are Cubans hopping on anything that floats to try to float in the gulf stream over to Miami? If China is so "fair" why do they run over their citizens with tanks? The former Soviet Union? North Korea? Is the problem that it just hasn't been done properly? Sure, and if you hate capitalism, why don't you give your shirts away for free to those who can't afford them?
OK. ONE: I am not a communist. However, I think that communism is a valid and possibly more viable system than the one we currently have. ie a well-run communist state could work better in many ways than a badly run capitalist state. TWO: Communism has not ever been allowed to flourish or develop unhindered without interference from an openly hostile and aggressive outside influence (the United States and the West). I don't and will not blame the US and other Western countries for all the ills of the world but the US and Britain in particular have always done everything in their power to ensure that no communist state is ever successful. The reason they do this is because a successful communist state would be against their interests. Communists states do not want American corporate influence and are therefore not commercially viable from an American point of view. A successful communist state could serve as an example to other countries and result in a "domino effect" (other countries would attempt to replicate their success). America has ensured that this will never happen. THREE: I don't hate capitalism. Truth is, what we have right now is not even capitalism. It would be better to call it "corporatism", we live in a society that favours faceless corporations over small businesses and individuals. How many small businesses are getting a 700 billion dollar bailout? We have a situation now where the government is acting in a socialist manner; not towards the poor, but towards BANKS. How f**ked up is that? If you're going to do that the banks should be nationalised. That way the American PEOPLE reap the benefits, not just the debt.
28-11-08
I love it when I get emails like this one, from Tim in Colorado:
Hey man, just ordered one of your anti SOA t-shirts. I may be a tree hugging Democratic liberal hippie but I served my country proudly for seven years in the US Army as an infantry soldier. One of the things I believe in strongly is the constitutional right of freedom of speech. I was prepared to die for this country and the first amendment. It gives you as much right to be critical of our fine nation right now as it gives ignoramuses the right to use defamatory language such as "sand nigger." I don't agree with such harsh words but I would have died for those people too. If this were Russia in the seventies you, your family and your t-shirts would have just disappeared in the middle of the night mysteriously. Keep up the good work and keep pissing people off.
26-11-08
The following is an email I received about the REAL MEN shirt.
"Has anyone actually purchased this shirt yet? I'm amazed that you'd print a shirt that opposes physical violence and implies ownership over women and children in the same sentence."
I'd be interested to hear other peoples' views. You can post your opinion about this on the forum, where I have also posted my reply to the sender's email.
7-11-08
Sarah Palin did not know that Africa is a continent - thank God McCain/Palin didn't win. We wouldn't want anyone with that steep a learning curve anywhere near the White House!
27-10-08
VOTE OBAMA ON NOVEMBER 4TH.
It's time for a change in America. Barack Obama is the man who is going to lead America forward and take those first few steps towards a new way of thinking and a new way of doing. There are many many things wrong with the world and he alone will not be the cure for all its problems, but he will lead us and inspire us to move in the right direction.
The difference between the Republican message and the Democratic message in this election could not be starker. Obama talks about hope, progress and change. McCain and Palin's message is one of fear. They insinuate that Obama is friends with terrorists, they try and tarnish his name, they say his plans for change will never work, they will say anything to make you fearful of voting Democrat on November 4th.
A glance at the headlines on the GOP website reveals a bunch of articles badmouthing Obama and very little else. The Republicans have nothing to offer and they know it. They have literally bled America dry over the last 8 years and Americans (and the rest of the world) is sick of them.
With Obama as President America can truly lead and inspire the world again. It's time to leave the years of darkness behind us and to open our eyes to the real opportunity that now, finally, lies within our grasp.
On November 4th, vote. Vote Obama.
20-10-08
Ban T-shirts Forum launched! We have now got a forum where you can discuss everything from the US Election, to what shirts you'd like to see us make. So check it out and contribute - it's success will be measured only by your involvement!
16-10-08
Proving that our shirts reach parts of the world that other shirts don't, Fin sent in this picture of himself in the WE ARE THE PEOPLE WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR T-SHIRT, from UGANDA. Fin is out there inspiring and helping the local community to build up their businesses, and he figured that the shirt would help communicate the message.
8-8-08
Self-censorship and the dictatorship of the
minority.
Nobody should be prevented from expressing their beliefs, that's
why we live in a democracy, right? Freedom of speech and all that?
Sometimes the threat of violence against those who try to express
their opinions comes not from the government but from intolerant
minorities. The publisher Random House has
decided against publishing a book, "The Jewel of Medina,"
a debut novel by journalist Sherry Jones, because of worries that
it might result in violence by sections of the "Muslim community".
Two things about this anger me: the spinelessness of the publishers
in their willingness to give in to would-be bullies who have not
yet even uttered a whisper of a threat, and the intolerance of
certain minorities towards any criticism, dissent, challenge or
perceived insult.
30-7-08
Who's watching Ban T-shirts? Do we have a fan at the Pentagon? Or are we being checked out for some other reason? Maybe they don't like our politics...
17-7-08
This link is to an article which is the most sickening thing I have read about police brutality. It is a decription of the hateful fascistic thuggery of the Italian police towards the 2001 G8 protestors in Genoa. As the author Nick Davies writes at the end of the article, "Genoa tells us that when the state feels threatened, the rule of law can be suspended. Anywhere." There will be no justice for these crimes, no police will go to prison.
14-7-08
I love it when we get love mail! Here's one we got yesterday:
First t-shirt site I've ever been to with authentic liberal values and ideas rather than "I hug trees!" made on a Chinese t-shirt. Though I don't agree with everything you say, I respect your non-sweat shop labor approach and organic material usage. I hope to one day own a business like yours where I can earn a living without selling my soul to the capitalistic "free" market of the world. You're a true patriot. Also the hate mail is very very entertaining especially to a liberal from Redneck Town, Virginia.
I agree that there are so many T-shirt sites hopping on the liberal/green/eco bandwagon that have zero credibility, especially those of the Cafe Press variety. Most of the time the owners of these stores don't even bother thinking up their own designs, they just steal other people's - we have had people directly rip off our designs (ie download the graphic from our website and upload it to their Cafe Press store and sell it as one of their designs). Needless to say our tolerance of such activity is ZERO and we always follow up with the threat and promise of legal action and demand compensation. It makes us extremely angry when we have spent days working on a design and some lazy individual who only cares about making a quick buck steals it! And then to make matters worse they just stick the design on some cheapo poor quality, pesticide soaked, sweatshop, child labor made tee... Damn, I'm gonna have to go lie down...
29-6-08
Just finished reading Cynthia True's biography of Bill Hicks. To me, Bill Hicks was the biggest artistic loss of the last 20 years, more so than any other actor, musician, or other artist. It was extremely sad to read about his last few months before he died of pancreatic cancer, a disease almost unheard of in people under 50. I often wonder what Bill would have made of George Bush Jnr, the Iraq war, 9/11, the erosion of personal freedom and so many other things. What struck me most in the book was when he explained to a friend why he did what he did: "I do what I do so people don't feel alone." He knew what it was like to feel alienated in society, in your own family even, and like many one-man shows on the road he knew what loneliness felt like.
I found it ironic that another great comedian, George Carlin, passed away while I was reading Bill's biography. George, however, was lucky enough to live until the ripe old age of 71, and was extremely prolific. I plan to explore as much of his work as possible as he is very well thought of.
Speaking of comedy, check out this UK comedy website, chortle.co.uk. I was stunned to read that the Westboro Church plans to picket Carlin's funeral. These are people with hate where their brains should be. They released a press-release titled "God Killed Potty-Mouth Comedian George Carlin And Cast Him Into Hell".
Also there was an item about two lesbian hecklers taking a comedian (Guy Earle) to a human rights tribunal because they didn't like his put-downs. This is about the most pathetic abuse of human rights legislation that I have ever heard. It's an insult to people who are true victims of human rights abuse: stuff like torture, unlawful imprisonment, not receiving an education, not being adequately fed, you know IMPORTANT stuff. It's like the school wimp running off to whine to the teacher because she can't stand up for herself. If comedians can't say what they like - if they can't make jokes without worrying about being sued - then we have truly hit rock bottom culturally.
20-5-08
We are now going to be switching from non-organic to organic shirts in all the remaining designs distributed by Brunetto T-shirts - that's shirts like: Capitol of War (now organic in all sizes except XXL), War is Peace (now organic in all sizes except XL and XXL), Stop Shark Finning and Thought Criminal (we just put in orders yesterday for organic shirts for these two designs). The switching-over process takes time as we need to phase out our non-organic stock, this is why we are not yet advertising the aforementioned shirts as organic... but they're on their way :-)
Another T-shirt related thing... we are moving more towards using Royal Apparel (organic cotton) shirts, rather than American Apparel. The reasons for this are that I believe the quality of Royal Apparel to be better, there is less variation in size between shirts that are supposed to be the same size, and their self-promotion is less "controversial". The cut of Royal Apparel shirts is very similar to the cut that American Apparel use and their products are also made sweat shop free in the USA, so if you are used to American Apparel and you like their shirts you won't be disappointed with Royal Apparel.
24-4-08
More moral support, this time from.... SEAN!!
Until I read some of the hate mail that you guys willingly posted I never realized how powerful a simple t-shirt can be. The shirts message's are enough to ruffle some peoples feathers so you must be doing something right. When people result to name calling it's only because they have nothing left to say. Keep up the good work; I will be buying from you shortly.
And one from Don, who hates the shirts, but despite that is actually OK :-)
At first glance the only shirt that chapped my ass was the Fort Benning shirt but after doing my due diligence and finding out what you meant by that shirt my ass became un-chapped. I'm a veteran of the U.S. Marines, I served in Iraq and Africa (yes we have anti-terrorist ops there too) and I gotta say though I think Bush is a fucking moron and I don't agree with your shirts statements. It sucks to see so many people lash out in the hate mail as if the freedom of speech doesn't apply to you guys. So contradictorily speaking your shirts suck and fuck you guys (lol), but keep up the great job in exercising your rights because whether we agree or disagree, everyone has a right to speak up.
22-4-08
Another cool email, just thought I'd post it:
I just ordered a shirt...and was looking at all
the hate mail you receive...WOW... its funny how when I get into
conversation with people and voice my opinion (which I believe
to be rather open minded and peaceful) how many of these people
turn red and yell.... "THEN GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS COUNTRY IF
YOU BELIEVE IN HEALTH CARE FOR ALL YOU SOCIALIST BITCH" this happened
the other day with a complete stranger at a pub over some cold
beers....So yeah...its funny how you cannot have an opinion in
this supposed FREE country....we so try to pride ourselves on.....
Oh and my reply to this douche bag.... I served my country for
4 great years..pay my taxes..and yes asshole..... I believe in
health care for all.....and I won't leave because I have an opinion
different from yours.... maybe we should leave and let the Native
Americans have their land back.... Hmm...what a thought....
Molly
20-4-08
I received a couple of supportive emails (in contrast to the usual hate mail) so I thought I'd post them here. From Joe:
Great website. Love the shirts and will be ordering very shortly. This is to all the e-mailers who can casually wish death upon you for selling shirts and think that a website has enough political pull to change the world. One particular e-mail stuck with me that said "I hope you dye when all the sand niggers come over." This e-mail is obviously from a prejudice person in general, and very uneducated. As for Native Americans not respecting Bush, no wonder! I don't, and I'm not in their position. He does nothing for their people. Your answer to his e-mail was not only sweet, but true. Does the ignorance of the general population frustrate you? There was also an e-mail about ignorance displayed on your website. I see none. I see the truth and some people just can't handle the truth. Their brains have been washed so much that they actually believe the media (I do not know how, when every media channel you turn to has a different version of the day's events).
I didn't see an email addressing the Native American t-shirts. That was pure genocide by our government, for land in the country these people live in today; I guess that's O.K. in their eyes, though. It was O.K. when our government massacred helpless Native Americans and bragged about it, including women and children. By the way, I've seen nothing on your website, degrading the troops, only the falsifications about what this war is about, and I concur!!! I support the troops. All troops deserve our support. Some went for many reasons that had nothing to do with whether they believed in the cause or not. For example, a young man or woman's parole officer tells he or she that if the military is their last alternative or it's jail and because Bush painted the war as a piece of cake, they went in and that's only one example out of many I have.
Another thing is these military members writing in and bashing the site, you sell t-shirts. They all went in of their own free will but I think they have a problem because they now know deep down in their heart of hearts that Bush lied to them. That doesn't mean that I support the troops any less, just the Commander in Chief! So, instead of bashing a website, do something productive, become a politician, because that's what they all sound like.. As in any group of people, there are good and bad, and I personally hope we're just hearing from the dumbfucks that were over there and that is not the whole consensus of our military. My relatives who have come home and are safe now, are very young, got drunk and decided that the next day they would go join. How sad. That's exactly what they did. Another joined to get out of a bad family situation. So, to all you hate e-mailers. Think about that for awhile, and remember that ever time you email this site, the responder makes an ass out of you. At least do a little research!! Now, I think I'll order.
Sincerely
Thinkbeforespeak
And an email from Lizbeth:
Hey congrats. to pissing people off. I love how half the people in america are unaware that freedom of speech can be related to a tee shirt.
18-4-08
"Poor go hungry while the rich fill their tanks." Published in The Guardian.
"In the US and Europe over the last year we have been focusing on the prices of gasoline at the pumps. While many worry about filling their gas tanks, many others around the world are struggling to fill their stomachs. And it's getting more and more difficult every day." Read the article here.
The race for biofuels is pushing up the cost of staple food like bread and rice. People are going to die so we can buy gas. Think twice before you use your car... walk, cycle... car-pool, share a ride into work with a work-mate.
16-4-08
Check out this anti-scientology site, the author has had a lot of trouble and harrassment from $cientologists trying to restrict his freedom of speech. These people are control freaks and pose a real danger to those who criticise them. They have a lot of power and money, it is difficult to stand up to them if you are just a regular guy, but the person nehind this site is doing a great job.
15-4-08
I'd like to share this email from a "Supportive Service Member" (just to show that we're not universally hated by the US Military):
Hey guys,
Just wanted to give y'all some positive feedback for a change.
I was reading your hate-mail section and found it hilarious. Right
off the bat, I want to say that I'm a U.S. Marine, but I support
what you do. I'm tired off all the service members online mindlessly
regurgitating what has been force-fed to them. I personally don't
like to label myself or affiliate myself politically, but I still
have my humanity as well as my own views. I loved all the comments
from people talking about the war when they have no idea what
really is going on in relation to said subject. Anyways, you have
my support and I look forward to further business with your site.
I take pleasure in fighting for a country where there is not only
free speech, but where there still are a select few who practice
it. Keep up the good work!
12-4-08
This is why we use sweat shop free t-shirts: Indian 'slave' children found making low-cost clothes destined for Gap.
"Consumers in the West should not only be demanding answers from retailers as to how goods are produced but looking deep within themselves at how they spend their money."
11-4-08
On the subject of the Vandalism shirt, I received an email from a visitor to the site a couple of days ago who had evidently spend a good while checking out the shirts and thinking about what we are about. The email is published below, followed by my response:
I just stumbled upon Ban T-shirts, and was pleasantly surprised; your offerings are much deeper than what one would find at most T-Shirt sites, and though I feel some of your views are too idealistic even for me, I nevertheless see their appeal.
However, I do have a rather significant problem with one of your shirts.
For the God is Dead shirt, you have written this:
"We are making this T-shirt because we believe that in order for the world to move on we need to overcome the concept of God that organised religions, particularly Islam and Christianity, present to the world. These religions present God in an inflexible, dogmatic way and demand slave-like conformity to an "objective" morality. While superficially preaching tolerance, they encourage conflict by insisting that they are the only source of "truth". This is a call to reject the God of organised religion and to believe in ourselves."
Bravo! I could not agree with you more. Unfortunately, however, this message is not consistent with the rest of your site.
You have quite a few shirts dealing with Native American rights; I find none of them particularly appealing. While I agree that the indigenous peoples of the Americas were sorely mistreated for centuries, I do not think that judging those that committed said misdeeds is useful or productive. That said, I do not particularly dislike any of these designs, with one exception; your vandalism shirt, for which you have written:
"Maybe spray painting a few subway trains isn't such a big deal - when compared to desecrating nature and the Black Hills sacred to the Lakota."
Desecration of nature seems an odd claim-- I agree that nature can be quite beautiful without modification, but Mount Rushmore relies heavily upon the nature that makes it and surrounds it for its beauty. It is hardly a desecration. Do you consider any statue to be a desecration of nature? After all, they are all artificial constructs made from natural stone. The only thing different about Mount Rushmore is that it was not removed from the source of the rock. I'm assuming that you would not fight very hard to defend the "desecrating nature" claim, which seems a silly one.
So, we are left with the claim that Mount Rushmore has desecrated the sacred. What? I thought we were supposed to believe in ourselves; now we're supposed to believe in... mountains? Can you see why this is not in keeping with the beliefs you have written for the "God is Dead" shirt? The Lakota belief that the mountains are sacred is just as inflexible, dogmatic, and ridiculous as any tenet of Islam or Christianity. Why should their beliefs matter when Christian ones do not? Simply because they are not an "organized" religion? What does that even mean? So far as I know, the Lakota religion has a set group of followers, practices, and leaders. Granted, it has become marginalized, but what makes a marginalized religion automatically better than an official one? The answer is "nothing". I wonder if your respect for the Lakota beliefs over Christian ones might simply be a matter of reverse-racism, as pained as I am to use that term.
My response was the following:
First of all thanks for taking the time to write. You have obviously spent some time viewing the site and thinking about what we do and say, and I appreciate that.
To answer your point about the Vandalism shirt, I think I can sum up my point of view by saying "we are not advocating the desecration of churches or mosques". While I do not follow any religion, I respect the right of other people to do so, so therefore I would not advocate burning down a church or defacing a mosque. However, Native Americans see Mount Rushmore as a descration of a place that is sacred to them, and I empathise with this view. "Nature" and "sacred places" are overlapping concepts in Native American culture and they cannot be so conveniently separated as they are in Western mainstream culture. Mount Rushmore is the equivalent of a Christian carving a huge cross over the entrance of a mosque. But because of the closeness of the concepts of nature and sacred places I actually think it is even worse than that.
As you point out, native peoples have been at the sharp end of "manifest destiny" for the last few centuries and things nowadays are just as grim, both in the USA and the rest of the world. I don't put all religions in the same category, in fact I don't even know if Native American spiritual beliefs can properly called a religion. Belief in "God", a "Great Spirit", yes, obviously, but it is not a religion in the same way that Christianity or Islam is. For one they don't go around expecting everyone else to follow their beliefs. Neither do they have a "rule book". Anyway - other points I should make are that God is Dead was designed by me, and the Native shirts are designed by Ryan Red Corn. You can check out more info about Ryan here:
http://www.nvisionit.org/ryanredcorn.html
It's probably not reasonable to expect 100% consistency in what is being communicated on our shirts, although I think it's true that they all fall into the same political ball park. People's ideas change over time, and there are shirts by various designers on the site, so the message is not going to be 100% consistent.
10-4-08
The UK and the US have spent billions invading/occupying Iraq, and they want some money back. After all, what's the point of an invasion if there's nothing in it for the victors?
Tony Blair will soon be leaving Number 10 Downing Street (at last) - but he's desperate to cement the UK's "special" relationship with the US before he goes... by requesting that the UK be used as a base for the "son of Star Wars". Well, Tony wouldn't care about what happens to the British public - he'll most likely be spending the rest of his life doing lecture tours around the USA.
The
US flew $12,000,000,000
(yes, that's 12 BILLION dollars, folks) into Iraq in cash. Now
they don't know where it is or what it was spent on.
Loads and loads of packages of shrink wrapped $100 bills in Baghdad
waiting to be misplaced.
