52 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 8 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

This woman really wanted people to stare at her chest

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   1 comment
Message Mickey Z.
Become a Fan
  (6 fans)
A woman walks into the gym...no, this is not the opening line to a joke. The woman enters the gym wearing a very tight blue t-shirt bearing the images of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush across her chest. Under the two war criminals are the words: "Dumb and Dumber."

The woman has customized this shirt by cutting off the sleeves and turning a crew neck into a v-neck. The "V" she has created plunged low...down to cleavage level. A Bush smiles at me blankly from either side the V's lowest point.

Most gym members are far too engrossed in their curls, crunches, and calorie burning to notice this subversive in their midst, but more than a few folks do stare at her shirt...including yours truly. Here's some of what I am thinking as I do:

*The shirt's message is counterproductive to genuine change because it indirectly suggests that we'd all be better off with a Democrat in the White House if for no other reason than a Democrat would more acceptable to us in the educated class. The system works just fine, thank you, it's just that the wrong person's in charge.

*Neither Bush the Elder or Bush the Lesser is anywhere near "dumb" in the sense the shirt's message suggests. Let me first clarify that, of course, every single one of us is incredibly "dumb" because we perpetuate behavior that we each know will eventually destroy us and much of life on the planet. But the use of the word "dumb" on this woman's t-shirt implies that members of the Bush family are simply not intelligent enough to handle the duties of the presidency and thus the atrocities committed during their watch can be merely chalked up to low IQ. Again, let's not get worked up enough to change anything more than which party has placed a figurehead at the top.

*Dissent (sic) is merely a commodity and has been for a long, long time. Radicalism is a t-shirt, a bumper sticker, a hairstyle, a ribbon pinned on a lapel, or maybe even the occasional march or protest. Activism for most of us is a spectacle with little or no foundation or duration. In 2006 America, we prove our rebel status by wearing a message t-shirt while walking on the goddamned Stairmaster...our eyes transfixed on the little television attached to the exercise machine. Surely, the members of America's elite class are quaking in their overpriced boots.

That woman's t-shirt has likely garnered her many knowing smiles and nods as she stands in line at Starbuck's and started a few friendly arguments in the parking lot at IKEA. That's democracy and freedom for you. We can wear our opinions on a shirt without fear of being tossed in a gulag (well, as long as the shirt doesn't promote something un-American like anarchy). We can disagree with fellow citizens over which rich white male should live in the White House for the next four years...but still remain united in our love for our country. We can speak out against any war started by the party we don't like but we always support "our" troops. That's just how things are in the land of the free and that's precisely why "they" hate us so much.

If only "they" had the freedom to wear a message t-shirt with a plunging neckline, the world would be a much safer place.


Mickey Z. is the author of several books, most recently 50 American Revolutions You're Not Supposed to Know (Disinformation Books). He can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net.
Rate It | View Ratings

Mickey Z. Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Mickey Z. can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net.
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Five reasons why Americans won't resist

The Topic of Cancer

"We need to stop this culture before it kills the planet": A conversation with Derrick Jensen

Porn and the CIA (Your tax dollars at work)

Myth America: A Stand-up Tragedy

Downsize or Modify? A Conversation with Noam Chomsky

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend