So I sit down on a recent flight when a commotion erupts and a slew of airport security folks rush into the plane. Some poor black guy is escorted off the plane to reemerge a couple minutes later after retrieving his luggage and finding a shirt to put over his t-shirt which some passenger (or crew member) found offensive. He’s shown above with the offending t-shirt. At least they didn’t shoot him. I found the whole episode to be very entertaining.
Darn, forget to say that per the definition that google first provided, there is nothing about civility and free speech in conflict that adds or subtracts to “The Commons.” There is nothing that gets used up or wasted. Its a different arena, not salmon fishing.
Anyone that can’t even identify the proper analogy (Skeptic?) surely can’t say anything valuable after that snafu.
Hey! I just got a woody. Must be that “Boobs” link on the referenced t-shirt link.
Some people think it’s cute to be rude crude and vulgar to as many people at once as possible.
How do these people get and hold jobs?
How do these people get and hold jobs? // Probably run blogs?
64 Obviously you have never worked in a restaurant kitchen. ahhh wonderful memories of my youth. At least the parts I remember.
#33,
And simply for argument’s sake, what’s the worst that would come out of replying to that question (in any way you see fit)?
Aren’t you glad that you live in a society where that’s just about the worst thing that your daughter is likely to have to see on any given day?
#52, #54 have it right
He couldn’t turn the shirt inside out. The inside was printed with “Things I hate about this airline”.
Is it any different than driving around town with a replica scrotum hanging off your trailer ball?
And yet, aside from the word “Pussy” (which could be a cat), there are no totally offensive words used. Except in the context of the whole. One could construct a recipe for a meatloaf (printed in on a t-shirt), that would come off “offensive”. So what’s really the “bone of contention” here, is the context. What’s next, saucy poetry?
I got asked to leave a Walmart because I was wearing my fuckmicrosoft.com t-shirt. I think it was the old coot at the door, He started out with a smile and a welcome to walmart then he read my shirt and smile turned to scowl. Later the ‘security’ gaurd came and asked me to leave. No biggie. Or back in the 70’s I had a friend try to wear his Makin’ Bacon t-shirt (remember those?) to school, that was pretty funny. Let’s face it offensive t-shirts are an American tradition that we invented. True American culture, and as such should be defended.
This is the perfect trick to sell a million t-shirts. All you have to do is design something offensive, but funny, and take a little trip. If it’s not offensive enough you can plant someone on the flight to complain to the air hostess.
Anybody know where I can buy a shirt like the one in this article?
#71 I totally agree people (like you) should be free to wear disgusting attire in open public places to draw attention to oneself.
However, I would add “disgusting attire” to the clean indoor air act.
Smoke, porn, stink, sex, foul language and bigotry belongs outside.
Idiocracy. It is coming.
It’s a pretty ignorant tee-shirt to wear outside of the Frat House. It says “I have no common sense”, it says “I am an attention whore and an idiot” . It’s not about free speech, it’s about living in a common society where your own behavior has an effect on other people. With any luck at all dude (and who gives a tinker’s darn if he’s white or black?) will have learned to take other people into account when he decides what to wear and where to wear it.
Having said that, I wear my Obama tee-shirt all the time and yes I do get glares in the Wal-Mart but that’s political speech and it’s gotten way too hateful, everyone else who has their Obama shirts needs to wear them – some folks have fallen under the impression that Obama wasn’t actually elected by actual American people.
Doesn’t the US constitution protect freedom of speech, so long as it is not hate-speech, libel, slander or incite to violence?
I’m not American, I’m not overly familiar with your laws and the constitution. But I think freaking out about this shirt is pathetic. I don’t find any of it *particularly* offensive and would have no issue explaining it to my child if asked. Making a big fuss over these kinds of t-shirts is just stupid reactionary BS IMHO.