http://www.salon.com/life/teenagers/...versial_shirts
Quote:
Why do supposedly ironic T-shirts touch so many sincere cultural buttons? After all, a shirt that asks passersby
"Who Wants a Mustache Ride?" -- to name one novelty tee on the market -- might be crude. But it's hard to believe that anyone would don it in the expectation that it's an effective sexual solicitation. Similarly, it would be pretty depressing if someone wore a shirt that said "I Drink Beer Like It's My Job," also widely available, and meant it. Nevertheless, it doesn't take a high-level humorist to tell that it's a joke.
"All the Cool Kids Go to Rehab" might not be terribly funny, given the way the celebrity industry treats addiction and rehabilitation as recurring and sometimes trivial parts of the news cycle. But it's more depressing than offensive, an attempt to glamorize hitting rock bottom, and not a particularly effective one at that.
But retailers go wrong when they treat stereotypes and social issues as if they're distant enough to be the subject of casual humor.
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