I saw somebody in the subway today wearing a t-shirt that said “Stop the killing in Darfur.” Now this isn’t the first time I’ve seen such a t-shirt but I think it’s time I addressed the issue.
Now, of course, I’m against the killing in Darfur. But so is pretty much everyone else and that’s my problem with the t-shirt. I’m wondering what the t-shirt will accomplish. The only people who are not against the killing in Darfur are the ones doing the killing and they sure as hell are not going to change their minds because of a t-shirt.
Here’s an important lesson: t-shirts don’t change behavior. They don’t change politics. They don’t cure disease. They don’t solve the problem of illiteracy, domestic abuse or poverty. They don’t save the whales. They cover nipples. That’s all.
Now it is possible that someone would want to wear a t-shirt to express an aspect of his or her identity. Fair enough. But I come back to my point above: everybody is against the killing in Darfur. This is like wearing a t-shirt that says “I like air” or “I have skin.” What identity are you really expressing? The identity of being just like everyone else? I could see someone wearing a t-shirt that says “I prefer alfalfa sprouts to cookies” or “Give me celibacy or give me death.” Anyone wearing such a t-shirt would be staking out a position of some scarcity and, thus, expressing identity. But wearing a t-shirt with the slogan of the day expresses nothing. And it sure as hell doesn’t solve any problems.
Wear them if you must folks. I guess the alternative is that we’d have to see your nipples.
