I got myself a new t-shirt last week. Nothing spectacular about that, granted. I, like many, have an Inventory full of them (even more since some items have been recovered to Lost and Found!). So, what is about this particuliar t-shirt that makes it worth mentioning and why it is so “controversial”, you might ask?
Well, first of all it’s just a great shirt. The colours are striking and the red is what I call a proper red. It’s strong, commands respect and I can see why it would be a perfect hue for a country’s flag. And that, dear readers, is where the controversy bit comes in. You see, this shirt caused a bit of a furor over at “My Second Life on the D-list” blog, where it had been posted.
It seems a certain Sofie was upset that “for some reason there is no problem to wear symbols that belonged to a regime that killed at least twice as many people”. The “twice as many” she refers to being double the Nazi’s toll. This caused a bit of a reaction and not in Sofie’s favour. And what followed was, let’s say, a history lesson for her in the form of a verbal tongue lashing with many comments pointing out her “misguided” views of what the CCCP was and stood for.
Speaking to the designer, Johann Steuben, a couple of days after the article was posted on the D-List blog, he did say that he was surprised at the reaction to his work as he hadn’t intended it to cause a commotion.
I personally have no problem with the shirt, obviously, or the lettering, or the hammer and sickle emblazoned across the front. In fact, I would be amused if anyone were to even make a comment about any perceived connotations the shirts design may hold. I am happy to wear it in-world and would be just as comfortable wearing similar in RL.
But, that’s enough of that. Let’s get back to the t-shirt. For 100L$, you get he following:
- t-shirt - undershirt, shirt, jacket (untucked) layers
- long sleeve t-shirt - undershirt, shirt, jacket (untucked) layers
- tank (or “wife beater” as Jojo tells me they are called) - undershirt, shirt, jacket (untucked) layers
There is also an underpants layer that covers the gap between the waistline and jeans for any of the undershirt & shirt layers.
So, in my opinion, it is not only a fantastic item of clothing but great value too. If you want one you can get one at the designers store in Delphi. Of course, if you are going to buy it, it should be purchased for the right reasons. If it offends you, then don’t. If you think it will offend others, then don’t. If you like it for what it is, then go ahead and enjoy.
And, to all the “Sofie’s” of the world, as much as you are entitled to your opinion, next time try taking a deep breath, and a moment of thought before jumping in with an unfounded tirade that may well offend.
By the way. if anyone has this shirt, there is a FLickr group called the “~ You Did WHAT? - SL Designer Support ~” where you can post pictures. This particular group is to support all designers that have had their work unfairly berated.
