Go wake up your grandparents and ask them if they remember the tragedy at Kent State. (I “remember” it because I was an extra in the Kent State TV movie! My big scene was peeking over the soldier as the primary student activist was making a rousing speech.) Anyway, here’s a sweatshirt that Urban Outfitters was selling on their website before they got their buttholes ripped in half:
According to WOW, Kent State officials weren’t exactly pleased by this product, and made their feelings known in no uncertain terms:
May 4, 1970, was a watershed moment for the country and especially the Kent State family. We lost four students that day while nine others were wounded and countless others were changed forever. We take great offense to a company using our pain for their publicity and profit. This item is beyond poor taste and trivializes a loss of life that still hurts the Kent State community today.
Urban Outfitters responded with an obvious lie. Wait. Did I say, “lie”? I meant “apology.”
Urban Outfitters sincerely apologizes for any offense our Vintage Kent State Sweatshirt may have caused. It was never our intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at Kent State in 1970 and we are extremely saddened that this item was perceived as such. The one-of-a-kind item was purchased as part of our sun-faded vintage collection. There is no blood on this shirt nor has this item been altered in any way. The red stains are discoloration from the original shade of the shirt and the holes are from natural wear and fray. Again, we deeply regret that this item was perceived negatively and we have removed it immediately from our website to avoid further upset.
So much for owning your jokes. But even then, it’s a reallllly old joke. So…
What’s wrong with a t-shirt that reminds upper middle class white kids about an incident of police brutality and state sanctioned violence against white kids just like them? This is a shameful part of American history but one that every generation should be reminded off. Whatever the designers intention, this shirt stands as a work of activist art.
^What that person said. Plus it is hilarious that a large corporate clothing chain that sells tons of sweat shop slave labor produced items would attempt to represent itself as socially conscious. These sweatshirts were probably made in Sri Lanka in a factory that was built from the rubble of the factory that collapsed a few years ago.
If this really was a one-off vintage shirt then they may be innocent, Steve. And I think you know that. But you just *had* to run this so you could mention your extra gig in the TV movie. I want you to autograph the movie poster! Oh, that’s right, TV movie = no poster. That’s OK, you can autograph my TV.
Can’t wait for UO’s new Trail Of Tears line of tattered moccasins!