Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I will scream bigotry and anti-Semitism from the highest rooftop if I perceive it, whether it’s real or not. Recently, the Huffington Post printed an article about a t-shirt being sold by Urban Outfitters that has received harsh criticism from the Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia because of its design. When I first saw the shirt in question I thought, “Those bastards!” But then I started thinking about it and recognized that I could apply a valuable lesson I learned from Ben Patrick Johnson. I don’t want to climb a ladder until I can be reasonably sure there is discrimination to scream about.
When Adam B. first brought the Huffington Post article regarding this shirt to my attention I was furious. Obviously Urban Outfitters was out to smack the Jewish community in the face with their obvious support of the Holocaust right after Yom HaShoah. Why else would they sell a goldenrod yellow shirt with a Star of David above the left breast? Clearly, some sort of Hitlerian influence was involved in the design of this t-shirt and the growing trend of anti-Semitism in America has gained more ground in our society. Furthermore, they used a two-toned bluish-gray Star of David over the pocket! Clearly, this shirt was a reversal of the Auschwitz uniforms the Jews had to wear, if they were offered clothing at all. And what would this bundle of bigotry cost you? One hundred dollars! Clearly, Urban Outfitters values its hatred of Jews.
Then I started looking at the basic design of the t-shirt. It’s a simple pocket-t with an embroidered emblem on the pocket. I’ve seen t-shirts with that basic pattern for years. I’ve seen them with pink triangles, rainbows, American flags, and a multitude of other symbols. Why was this one different? The Star maybe? I wondered how many more there are in retail world. I Googled “Star of David T-Shirts” and every one I found had a large Star prominently displayed across the chest and stomach areas. No small Stars over the left breast. I thought that was odd. I know I’ve seen polo shirts with Stars of David over the left breast at my JCC, so there obviously is no prohibition to where the Star can be placed. With the exception of the color choices, I couldn’t find a reason for the anti-Semitic label being applied to this particular shirt.
I also remembered that catalog sales companies rarely produce their own goods offered to the consumer for purchase. Urban Outfitters labeled the shirt as “Wood Wood Kellog Tee” which gave some clue as to the origin of the shirt. Wood Wood is a European company that sells over-priced clothing via several retail environments including internet and stand-alone stores. Their main website appears to be from Denmark. Surely, a Danish company wouldn’t be a party to open anti-Semitism given Denmark’s history in World War Two in which they did everything possible to save their Jewish community. While browsing their site I found the second t-shirt that could be viewed as promoting Jewish pride, complete with Israeli colors of white with blue; the model is even wearing shorts that make it resemble the Israeli flag.
In this particular case, I see a company that designed a shirt with a poor choice of color and layout that was purchased by a second company for distribution to the American public. I don’t believe there were any malicious intentions on the part of the designer in question, although I question their age, knowledge and sensitivity to history. To the Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia, I would like to remind them of the hazards of crying wolf.
When Adam B. first brought the Huffington Post article regarding this shirt to my attention I was furious. Obviously Urban Outfitters was out to smack the Jewish community in the face with their obvious support of the Holocaust right after Yom HaShoah. Why else would they sell a goldenrod yellow shirt with a Star of David above the left breast? Clearly, some sort of Hitlerian influence was involved in the design of this t-shirt and the growing trend of anti-Semitism in America has gained more ground in our society. Furthermore, they used a two-toned bluish-gray Star of David over the pocket! Clearly, this shirt was a reversal of the Auschwitz uniforms the Jews had to wear, if they were offered clothing at all. And what would this bundle of bigotry cost you? One hundred dollars! Clearly, Urban Outfitters values its hatred of Jews.
Then I started looking at the basic design of the t-shirt. It’s a simple pocket-t with an embroidered emblem on the pocket. I’ve seen t-shirts with that basic pattern for years. I’ve seen them with pink triangles, rainbows, American flags, and a multitude of other symbols. Why was this one different? The Star maybe? I wondered how many more there are in retail world. I Googled “Star of David T-Shirts” and every one I found had a large Star prominently displayed across the chest and stomach areas. No small Stars over the left breast. I thought that was odd. I know I’ve seen polo shirts with Stars of David over the left breast at my JCC, so there obviously is no prohibition to where the Star can be placed. With the exception of the color choices, I couldn’t find a reason for the anti-Semitic label being applied to this particular shirt.
I also remembered that catalog sales companies rarely produce their own goods offered to the consumer for purchase. Urban Outfitters labeled the shirt as “Wood Wood Kellog Tee” which gave some clue as to the origin of the shirt. Wood Wood is a European company that sells over-priced clothing via several retail environments including internet and stand-alone stores. Their main website appears to be from Denmark. Surely, a Danish company wouldn’t be a party to open anti-Semitism given Denmark’s history in World War Two in which they did everything possible to save their Jewish community. While browsing their site I found the second t-shirt that could be viewed as promoting Jewish pride, complete with Israeli colors of white with blue; the model is even wearing shorts that make it resemble the Israeli flag.
In this particular case, I see a company that designed a shirt with a poor choice of color and layout that was purchased by a second company for distribution to the American public. I don’t believe there were any malicious intentions on the part of the designer in question, although I question their age, knowledge and sensitivity to history. To the Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia, I would like to remind them of the hazards of crying wolf.
