Re: - Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ?
I like it. This could be like the Got ?, Don't be Ghetto ! and underneath in smaller writting a phrase . I don't think this would be discrimination at all. I think it would be a great seller in the urban hip hop arena.... . Good luck JB
Re: - Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ?
I think it's going to largely depend on how individuals interpret it. They could take it to mean "Don't have the stereotypical attributes of those we label with the appellative 'Ghetto'" (and be offended if that's how they identify) or "Don't be isolationist" (most likey fine). Alternatively they might just be offended by watering down of the word "Ghetto" (I largely fall into that category).
I have no idea where he's coming from (it just seems a bit non-sensical to me) but I doubt it's good (however well intentioned).
Basically it doesn't have an obvious meaning, and any shirt without an obvious meaning is going to cause some people to be offended because that's what they'll look for. Chuck in a word with racial and/or wealth connotations and that's guaranteed.
None of this necessarily means you shouldn't just run it anyway... it just means if you're looking for unanimous agreement you're not going to find it.
Re: - Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ?
To be honest, i've never heard that as a slang term and it sounds ridiculous. It reminds me of something that would be on a badly translated japanese shirt or something.
This is coming from someone familiar with "hiphop" slang, so you know
Re: - Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ?
I look at it like this .................................................. ..................................then I step back and think, who are you worried about offending Lucy, the people who will wear the shirts? Most likely, they will be from the Ghetto. I like the idea, and if people see it as discrimination.. so what! They are the ones discriminating. There is way to much of that crap going on to worry about it.
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__________________ At the edge of our dreams lay the ideals of true creation.
Re: - Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ?
I hear ya Technotish. Things could be offensive if the person reading the shirt instead of the person wearing the shirt makes it so. We, as a collective of printers might-could help more to change that type of thinking by making shirts that say something like, "If you don't like it, I don't care", or "If I wanted to know what you thought, I'd have the same up-bringing". Maybe those are not the right choices, most likely they are not, but it is no different than "Don't be a Ghetto". It seems like everyday something else is offensive that was not just yesterday. I would love to see a single day when I can watch the news or read a paper in the morning without hearing that we offended someone....until then..."I won't be a Ghetto, or maybe I will".
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__________________ At the edge of our dreams lay the ideals of true creation.
Re: - Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ?
I just think that to many people are worried about offending everyone else. If your not trying to offend anyone then do what you want and if someone doesn't like it then i guess they don't have to wear it.
Re: - Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ?
When in doubt.......just the thought of having to ask means it can be offensive.
I try my best to not offend anyone especially as it relates to using phrases that characterize a certain living condition or sociodemographic location.
Of course, offensive is largely determined by how many $$$ are involved. These days, if you can exploit a term or "slang" for major profit; many don't care who they offend; just as long as they offend all the way to the bank.
Re: - Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ?
The term "ghetto" is used in many ways these days. I'm sure some people are offended by it, while others just use it to be funny.
It's sort of like the word "pimp", which, when I was a kid, would have gotten me in trouble with my parents for saying it (I actually got in trouble for singing the Rick James song "Mary had a pimp" ). But now, it's on prime time television as an everyday word that is taken much differently than the original meaning.
Threadless recently had a t-shirt with the word ghetto on it "Greetings from the Ghetto" and there were several "blog" posts on their site about how offensive it is/could be.
The "a" in your friend's phrase strikes me as a bit weird. "Don't Be Ghetto" seems like it would be a common phrase, but "Don't be a ghetto" seems like it's missing a noun (like the word ghetto in that sentence is an adjective describing something that is left off).
Re: - Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by JaeAmera
When in doubt.......just the thought of having to ask means it can be offensive.
I try my best to not offend anyone especially as it relates to using phrases that characterize a certain living condition or sociodemographic location.
Of course, offensive is largely determined by how many $$$ are involved. These days, if you can exploit a term or "slang" for major profit; many don't care who they offend; just as long as they offend all the way to the bank.
Jae'
I agree Jae, if you really have to ask if something is offensive then you probably already think it is, or most likely is. It may be wildly popular. You could end up selling it to people that you would never have seen in your mind as those who would have bought it, or you could have a confrontation with someone about it. Or you may lose some customers over it. There are some people of every race in different areas that could be classified as "Ghetto", so I don't think that your phrase would cause a stir, but you never know. If you don't believe that it's definately worth the risk, it's probably not.
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- Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ? 
Re: - Don't be a Ghetto - discrimination t-shirt ? 
