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werewolfgroupie
werewolfgroupie aka W.P. is a 21.42 year old girl, has been a member since July 17, 2008, has scored 1558 submissions, giving an average score of 2.99.
  Aug 24 '08 by werewolfgroupie        4 Comments        Watch this      Share:  Share on facebook    Share on delicious    Share on digg    Share on MySpace    Tweet this    Stumble this    Share this on Kaboodle   
I personally, on a superficial level, am not offended by it. I have ordered it and plan to wear it.

When I first saw this shirt I decided I would have it eventually, because my immediate thought was that it is a statement against the cowboy-as-American-god-hero archetype that I've despised my whole life, and a subversion of the typical swaggering macho cowboy story where the cowboy impossibly pwns everybody, especially the 'dirty, red, heathen' Native people.

All the other blogs I've seen about being upset concerning this shirt have to do with the photo of Threadless models playing "Cowboys And Indians".
But a very few of the comments in those blogs have touched on what's bothering me most: Is this shirt racist? But, both figures in the design are starry silhouettes, so their race can't be proven. So...I guess what I mean more accurately is, what if this shirt was of a cowboy's bullet shooting a Native American from his horse? Would it be more or less acceptable?
What about the fact that I tend to see the Native American figure as a woman (though I think it's definitely intended to be a man)? I doubt I would ever wear a shirt that I thought portrayed a man potentially killing a woman...

(Oh, dear. It feels icky to be faced with your own prejudices, doesn't it?)

Anyway, since nobody's posted a blog like this yet, I'm guessing it hasn't really bothered anybody else, but, in case there is somebody in the 'sphere...I've read a lot of really insightful opinions on Threadless and I'd like somebody to bring some of that to his forum...

So, summation: Does anybody else have any uncomfortable or potentially uncomfortable thoughts on/reactions to this design, and/or the idea/act of wearing it in public, or just on their body at all?

djsoren
djsoren on Aug 24 '08 at 4:21pm
It's a shirt, not a monument etched in stone. I'd go for it.

The artwork, it seems to be well designed.
Steve The Great
Steve The Great on Aug 24 '08 at 4:23pm
FUCK THE COWBOYS

13 days later
clivestaples
clivestaples on Sep 06 '08 at 11:59pm
Dude, the fact that you've thought so much about it means you should have no qualms wearing the shirt. If it spawns a conversation, and furthermore an intelligent one, then you will be comfortable because you've considered the artwork's implications. The design is only mildly incendiary, and if it confronts national symbols then hopefully it will indeed stimulate thought.

I might have to buy it now.
WarDrobeInSpareOom
WarDrobeInSpareOom on Sep 07 '08 at 12:04am
This sentiment is absurd.


I love cowboys. I love Native Americans.
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My gallery photos
I haven't submitted any photos. I guess I don't want free money.

All about me
Threadless shirts I've got (see my blog and photos for redundancy):
-"Afternoon Delight"
-"No More Bento"
-"It's Always Midnight Somewhere"
-"Ninjas And Pirates Agree, Cowboys Suck"
-"The Rebirth Of Venus"
-"The Last Day Of Summer"
-"Spoilt"
-"Russell! How's Yer Ma?"
-"99 Luftballons"
-"Regrowth"
-"Pulsars And Dying Stars"
-"Piece Of Meat"
-"Cookie Loves Milk"
-"Spiritual Symphony Fin"
-"On The Plains"
-"Rainbow Worrier"
-"S'More 101"
-"Dragon Flavor"
-"Liberty"
-"Sirenology"
-"Everyone Poops"
-"Judith And Holofernes"
-"Deliminating Macrocosms"
-"Candy For Baby"
-"Heroes In An Art Shell"
-"Hairwolves"

*

Threadless designs that desperately need to be reprinted (or, I'm open to somebody selling me their Girly XS/S/M, Guys' XS, or Kids' 12):
-"Dog Fight"
-"Merge"
-"I Love Tokyo"
-"Northern Ice Pilot"
-"Pulsars And Dying Stars" (in Girly or Guys' L-XXL)
-"Unicorn"
-"Wishless"
-"Marshmallow Factory"
-"My Classmate"
-"The Green Fairy"
-"I Have Something To Tell You"
-"Unicorns Eat Children"
-"Mermaid, It's What's For Dinner"
- "The Great Animal Hunt"
-"The League Of Cliche Evil Supervillains"

*

Designs not yet OOP that I lust for:
-"Foxy"
-"Parable Paranoia"
-"Playing God"
-"8-Bit Investigation"
-"Greek Mixology"
-"Summertime Treat"
-"Fill Me Up"
-"Giraffes United Against Ceiling Fans"
-"A Fathom Farewell"
-"Beelzebub"