30 May 2006

Most offensive T-shirt ever?

It's well known that most Japanese people wearing T-shirts with English slogans have absolutely no idea what they mean. However, I discovered recently that the phenomenon extends to other languages too. During the school trip the other week I spotted one of my JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) wearing a T-shirt that had something splashed across it in French. It began something like "J'ai envie...", but I couldn't read the rest so I said to her:

"Oh, I see you're wearing a T-shirt written in French [Yes, I'm starting to speak like a school textbook now]. What does it say?"

"It's written in French?" she replied, incredulously.

I rest my case. Of course, now I'm really intrigued as to what it said but I forgot to write it down - I'll take a bet that it's something wildly offensive though.

However, whatever the French T-shirt said I don't think it can even come close to the T-shirt that Flick spotted a three-year-old wearing at the Echizen Pottery Festival last weekend (yes, I know, a pottery festival - there's not much to do round these parts). Brace yourself... Do you see what I see?

Yes, you read it right: "I FUCKING HATE..." followed by a list of racial slurs ending in (just out of sight under the fold of the T-shirt) "N***ers". Un-bloody-believable.

Most offensive T-shirt ever? Most probably, and all the worse for the fact that it's being worn by a child. This has got to be the best advert for English learning in Japan I've ever seen - "Learn English Or You Could Accidentally Brand Your Children As Racists".

At least, I really, really hope it was an accident, otherwise that kid has some seriously f**ked-up parents.

8 comments:

the englishman said...

well it might be true, perhaps that kid really does have an attitude problem.

Anonymous said...

Apparently Canadian authorities don't have a problem with this t-shirt. Follow this link
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1317245/posts
Regards
Dad

Anonymous said...

The T-shirt is printed with the message:
"I (expletive) HATE: Spics, Dotheads, Honkeys, Japs, Wops, Kikes, Wetbacks, Gooks, Chinks, Camel Jockeys, and the French - BUT I (HEART SYMBOL) NIGGERS!"

Wonder if anyone (other than an English speaker) realised it mentioned the Japanese!

Dad

Anonymous said...

What a day for offensive T-shirts...

First is Lewis/Flick's effort, which it has to said is by far the most offensive.

Then there was the story I read about Woolworths having to withdraw from sale a kids T-shirt that was embalzoned with the slogan "Drive it like you stole it"

And finally, a member of staff rocked up to work wearing the classic "Your MOM upside down is WOW" Ingenious, but also not likely to endear Trevski's Games Emporium to the locals...

The Funky Drummer said...

That is one crazy Tee.

Phoenix said...

Immediately reminded me of this commercial (nsfw: language), which in turn reminded me of this unrelated commecial.

Wyte420 said...

HELL YA ID WEAR IT ILL TAKe 10 PLEASE

refillneil said...

lol where I live there are Indians everywhere who where offensive tshirts and they must not have a clue what they mean... looking for funny rude and offensive tshirts check out 420 Signs