Apparently, people jump to ridiculous conclusions when not on the internet as well, as Bendis Board poster Schwicaz explains:
As anyone who reads Image Comics’ ‘Godland’ knows, the book is a fun, campy throwback to those 50’s/60’s sci-fi comics that I love.
The art is Kirby-esque, but the dialogue is more sarcastic, a la ‘adult swim’.
I loved the book so much, I got the T-shirt[, the slogan on which] says “Violence is the new black”.
I was heading to the Red Sox game the other night, and while I was standing at a traffic light waiting to cross the street, I felt myself being watched. There was a woman standing next to me, and she was staring right at my chest, looking at the image on the t-shirt.
She then looks at me and says (no lie): ‘I don’t understand your shirt. Are you saying that black people are more prone to violence? are you racist? you are a racist!”
I looked at her and said “HUH? What are you talking about?”
she says “Your shirt, I don’t get it. Why are you wearing something that is disrespectful to black people? Why does violence automatically equate to blacks?”
I looked right at her and said “Maam, where on this shirt, is there any words or images that say anything about black people being more violent. You obviously don’t ‘get’ the shirt, and that is fine, because I didn’t buy it for you– I bought it for me.”
she interrupts and says “but why does it have to be about black people?”
I then explained to her that the only person equating violence to blacks was her, and the only person seeing the shirt and even trying to connect it to blacks was her. I asked her why she immediately jumped to that conclusion just because she saw the words ‘violence’ and ‘black’ in the same sentence.
I said “perhaps it is you who has the racist or prejudicial attitudes, maam, because the shirt isn’t saying anything that you claim it is.”
I then gave her an explanation about how “….. is the new black” is a phrase originated by Diane Vreeland a famous fashion editor back in the 60’s.
I also explained to her that the t-shirt image was from a comic book character–one who is an over the top villain, and by him saying that ‘violence is the new black’, the meaning of the shirt is a villain saying that violence is the ‘in thing’.
She then asked me if black people were shown in negative light in the comic.
I told her ‘no maam. The comic doesn’t really deal with race. It deals with space creatures, giant rock men, a green guy with his head in a fish tank, and a family of astronauts…one who gains superpowers after he is lost in space.
She looked at me and said “I still dont’ see why you would wear a t-shir promoting racisim in this day and age”
To which I said “..and I don’t understand you can be so stupid to think that is what I am doing, especially after the explanation I just gave you. But then again, it takes all kinds…I hope you have a good day.”
and I kept on walking.
Luckily, everything is made right again by the first response in the thread:
“You should have pretended she was Elecktra and given her a Luke Cage special, if you know what I mean.”
My favorite comment in the entire thread may be this one, though:
“I guess stupidity is the new plaid.”
June 1st, 2007 at 9:57 am
Wow, good job sticking to your guns (pun intended) in the midst of persecution from the political correctness Nazis.
June 1st, 2007 at 9:59 am
That was a great story! I just can’t believe there are people THAT stupid still out there breathing…
June 1st, 2007 at 10:37 am
OMG!
*buzz*
June 1st, 2007 at 10:53 am
drill kid! Ingenious! Yes, it’s a true story, kids. Happened Wednesday night, and I was just amazed at the stupidity.
June 1st, 2007 at 11:05 am
“Stupidity is the New Plaid”
Now THAT’S a shirt I’d buy in a heartbeat!
June 1st, 2007 at 11:32 am
My guess is that the poor soul criticizing the shirt had never heard the expression “is the new black”, or had forgotten it, said something without thinking, and then was too embarrassed to go back on it. But she might just have been mean. Not politically correct, just mean and out to get someone.
June 1st, 2007 at 1:05 pm
the person handled it better than I would. I would have berated her until she cried because she obviously is the stupidest person in town.
June 1st, 2007 at 4:11 pm
That woman’s superpower:
Hyperdensity
June 1st, 2007 at 11:27 pm
“said “Maam, where on this shirt, is there any words or images that say anything about black people being more violent. You obviously don’t ‘get’ the shirt, and that is fine, because I didn’t buy it for you– I bought it for me.””
No, I don’t buy it. He didn’t say that. He may have said something along those lines, but there is no where someone responded to some stranger on the street, with such an articulate response that he was also able to remember.
The story loses points for being written as to make the poster look smarter.
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Man people are stupid sometimes. I had friends in a band called “Hate Union,” and one night one of the guy’s girlfriend had their shirt on at a bar, and she was actually physically threatened by a black guy who thought it was racist. As if hate can only be directed at black people.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I want to see Joe Casey respond to this