Has a T-Shirt Ever Gotten You into Trouble?
Perhaps one of the reasons we love T-shirts so much is the fact that they allow us to display messages we otherwise wouldn’t have the courage to speak. Yes, T-shirts are terribly comfortable and easy to wear. They are inexpensive, too. But being able to say something on a T-shirt you couldn’t actually say with your mouth has a lot of appeal.
That leads to the following question: has a T-shirt ever gotten you into trouble? If so, was it a political T-shirt that those around you didn’t appreciate? Was it a funny T-shirt that some people interpreted as being vulgar or in poor taste? The truth is that people can always find a reason to be offended. T-shirts only add fuel to the fire in the presence of the perpetually triggered.
Unpopular Political Opinions
It has been said that the two things you never talk about in mixed company are politics and religion. Both are terribly controversial. And in this day and age, you could make the case that politics have never been more polarizing. So wearing a political T-shirt is always a risk.
Companies like Five Dollars T-Shirts sell political tees of all kinds. Some are pretty mild for those pseudo-activists new to the whole political statement thing. Others are direct, in-your-face, and more than challenging. How do you know what to wear and when to wear it?
Take Thailand’s Tiwakorn Vithiton as an example. His story is extreme, but it makes the point. Apparently Vithiton posted photos of himself on his Facebook page wearing a T-shirt that made it clear he no longer trusts his country’s monarchy. Not long after that, he was admitted to a mental hospital.
It is unclear if the photos are responsible for his fate, but the country has a history of not responding well to government criticism. Hopefully Vithiton is found well and released shortly.
Inappropriate Content
Sometimes T-shirts get people into trouble without directly conveying political messages. For example, most public schools across the U.S. have firm policies against wearing any article of clothing that could cause disruption. School administrators are known to paint very broad strokes in order to ban all but the most innocuous T-shirts.
In some public schools, a T-shirt with an American flag can send you to the principal’s office. So can a shirt showing support for the police, a proclivity for drinking beer, or even support for medical marijuana. There are so many topics capable of causing division that the school administrators do not want them brought up.
Of course, this is not limited just to high school students. Most workplaces are very cognizant about what workers wear on the job. They don’t want distraction or division any more than school administrators. Many insist that their workers be careful about what they wear.
Perhaps We Are Too Sensitive
America is a country that was established on a platform of fundamental human rights. One of those rights is the right to free speech. And while it is true that all rights should be used responsibly, it’s very difficult to determine how to be responsible with free speech. Even the courts have consistently had trouble applying the rules.
Perhaps we are all being too sensitive. Maybe T-shirts should not be looked at as anything more than what they are: articles of clothing with artwork and words. If people learned to be less worked up about messages they disagree with and, instead, accept the fact that others have different points of view, there would be less fighting. After all, why should a T-shirt get someone into trouble?
