Remember how I said that hopefully David and Goliath would learn from their mistake and not put out another offensive T-shirt? (See this post’s comments for Annie’s link as well as a discussion about T-shirts that make fun of rape.) Well, that didn’t happen. Instead, David and Goliath have linked up the now-defunct rape shirt with the “Little Miss Bitch” shirt.
And yes, they did do this on purpose. Check out feministing’s post, and it shows you their special “discount” for feminists.
I am debating whether to complain to them about this T-shirt as well, or if that would just make them feel all justified. Man, I am pissed though.
At least feministing is getting to those jerks . .
Filed under: Sexual Violence, sexism
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Hate to add to the already long list of reasons to boycott David and Goliath (well, maybe not), but here are other shirts I do not appreciate:
“I’m too pretty to do math.”
http://www.davidandgoliathtees.com/index.php?mode=DETAIL&parent=HWT&pid=5007&page=3&perpage=16
Are you kidding me? Would we ever see a shirt that says “I’m too handsome to write.” Hmmm. Doubtful. VERY doubtful.
“Distracted by shiny objects.”
http://www.davidandgoliathtees.com/index.php?mode=DETAIL&parent=HWT&pid=4982&page=4&perpage=16
Hmm, let’s add fuel to the fire and just feed the stereotype that females (or people with feminine characterisitics) are shallow, materialistic, simplistic, etc. Joy to the world.
“It’s my first time. I swear.”
Am I the only one reading this in a sexual way?
http://www.davidandgoliathtees.com/index.php?mode=DETAIL&parent=HWT&pid=6208&page=6&perpage=16
My question for everyone is, at what point is it all too much? Where is that line of appropriateness. For me, I feel like both “rape culture” and “women are lesser culture” permeate so many aspects of my every day life. And I feel like I am always battling apathy when it comes to these issues. For example, when I made a big stink about that Tribune graphic on voting Tuesday, people I worked with, and even some of my friends, were like “WTF, what’s the big deal?” It is draining to constantly (daily), explain why these parts of our culture are NOT OKAY. Or, more simple, that they are detrimental at all.
I know we’re fighting the good fight, so I keep my chin up.
But still, where is that line that I mentioned? How do we fight the apathy, too?
Alas, I am tired. A goodnight to all.
Should we be fighting against the freedom of speech and expression, or against the staggering levels of ignorance that plague the customers of this website? I don’t think these shirts are converting people from equal-minded to sexist. They just provide the already sexist with a uniform.
Hi Devil’s Advocate,
Haha–I do like the idea of being able to pick out the sexists at a mere glance.
But, I also think that T-shirts set trends, and set examples for younger people. After all, if it’s on a T-shirt, that MUST be funny, right? (Well, that’s what you think if you’re a teen!) The more that rape jokes are seen as acceptable, the worse the problem will get.
Perhaps the sexists could instead find another uniform–polo shirts with a tasteful “I am a sexist/heterosexist” iron-on patch, perhaps? That would be convenient
I am never sure how to preface my arguement when it comes to feminists. So here goes anyway.
My wife and I are not equals. Never have been or ever will be. We are happy with that. When we first started to date I would never let her cook. Was I being a sensitive guy. Not a chance. I was simply more creative in the kitchen. I cooked then she would clean. A sharing of duties was all it was.
If my computer was acting screwy, I would have her fix the thing. A spider in the house, I had to get rid of it promptly. Minor repairs on the car or home. Mine.
What I am getting to in this is that we know and like that there is a difference between us. We are not equal. There are things that she can’t do physically that I can. She is my emotional and intelectual superior. I am fine with that.
When she dresses well and does her make up, I objectify her. Why? Because now she has gone beyond her normal beauty to cause my reaction.
Women are beautiful and need to be treated with kindness. But if you don’t like that I look at a sexy woman with impure thoughts tough. I am a man. I will never apologize for that.
Hi J.,
Thanks for posting, though I am not exactly what your comment (about what seems to be a successful and rather egalitarian partnership) has to do with the original post (about shirts that call women “bitches” or that diminish the horror and trauma of rape).
Anywho, feminism does not say that men should not think impure thoughts–after all, the stereotype that men like sex and women don’t is a myth, and women have impure thoughts too. The problem comes when men are taught that they are allowed to act in ways that intimidate/objectify women, usually women they don’t know (ex. cat calling, inappropriate contact/groping, etc.). If two consenting adults who respect each other do sexual things and have sexual thoughts, that’s great! But we cannot confuse unwanted sexual contact (bad) with wanted sexual contact (good)–we have to acknowledge the difference between them and fight against the idea that unconsenting women are treated like mere tools for men’s pleasure. It does not sound like you disagree with that, J.
As for the comments about the division of labor: I think that’s great too! It sounds like you both have figured out each other’s strengths and weaknesses and have divided the labor fairly evenly. Most feminists do not want women to be the same as men or for everybody to do exactly the same things as everyone else. The feminists I know instead want to take down cultural barriers based upon gender/sexuality. So, if a woman does want to be an auto mechanic, she should be encouraged to do so. If a man wants to learn how to sew and tailor, then he should also be able to do so without being disparaged. This does not mean that everybody has to do everything (yikes! My brain couldn’t hold that much information), but rather that everybody should have the right to do anything they wish to, whether or not that task is the “proper” one for their sex or gender.
As long as the workload is spread evenly, there is no problem. Although, many studies have shown that in partnerships women do tend to spend more time working (either at work or in the home) than men and that men have more leisure time. And that is a problem.