Anti-Defamation League rips Urban Outfitters for Star of David look-alike shirt

[Odysseus]

Sorry, Ody, but I think it's a real stretch to connect the Magen David with what, to me at least, is clearly this:



I think perhaps someone tied their Tefillin too tight.

Look at the silhouette of what's on the shirt and the object that you posted. Note that yours has eight points, not six, while the shirt clearly has six points.

[Articulate_Ape]

Look at the silhouette of what's on the shirt and the object that you posted. Note that yours has eight points, not six, while the shirt clearly has six points.

It's the same figure slightly rotated, Ody. Perspective does that. Look, you know I tend to agree with you on most stuff, but I just think this is a case of hypersensitivity on someone's part. Being part of a Jewish family, albeit a non-Jew myself, I am pretty attuned to the antisemitism that still plagues the world. However, if I was walking down the street and saw that shirt, there is no way I would make the connection. Perhaps it might trigger a reaction from an elderly Jew who was affected or closer to the abomination that was the Holocaust, I do not know. I just don't think that this clothier aimed for that reaction, let alone aimed for it intentionally. Maybe it's me, but I really don't.

[Retread]

FWIW AA - I agree. It's just a geometric.

[Articulate_Ape]

FWIW AA - I agree.

As well you should. You see, unlike Ody, I am NEVER wrong.

[Retread]

I may not always be right but, ay gawd, I ain't never rong!

[NJCardFan]

Something tells me that UO didn't set out to piss off the Jews.

[Odysseus]

It's the same figure slightly rotated, Ody. Perspective does that. Look, you know I tend to agree with you on most stuff, but I just think this is a case of hypersensitivity on someone's part. Being part of a Jewish family, albeit a non-Jew myself, I am pretty attuned to the antisemitism that still plagues the world. However, if I was walking down the street and saw that shirt, there is no way I would make the connection. Perhaps it might trigger a reaction from an elderly Jew who was affected or closer to the abomination that was the Holocaust, I do not know. I just don't think that this clothier aimed for that reaction, let alone aimed for it intentionally. Maybe it's me, but I really don't.

I think that I'm not being clear. I don't think that this is meant to be antisemitic, I think that it's crass marketing. Now, maybe I'm wrong, but the silhouette is too obvious to be accidental. The rotation of the geometric shape to create a Star of David may not have been on the mind of the designer, but if nobody in their marketing department looked at this and said, "Schmuck, that's a Star of David," then I'm Louis Farakhan. The color choice for the shirt would also have been an extremely unfortunate coincidence, but I doubt it. Urban Outfitters was looking for something "edgy" that would spark a lot of outrage (and promote their brand) and this fit the bill. You have to admit that it's certainly sparked discussion about an otherwise forgettable piece of highly overpriced schmatta. Right now they are busy putting out the company line that they are shocked, shocked, I tell you, that there is any controversy around their shirt, and that everybody ought to come down to the nearest purveyor of fine clothing and check it out themselves, and maybe shell out a few hundred bucks to be part of the buzz.

When I read the Commentary piece without seeing the image, my first thought was that ADL was going off half-cocked again, which they tend to do quite a bit, especially when partisan politics is in play (they ignore a lot of antisemitism in Democratic constituencies and are hypersensitive to anything that remotely resembles it in Republican ones), so I did an image search. When I saw it, I was surprised by how blatant the image was. It wasn't an accident. UO has an extremely large, savvy marketing department whose job is to prevent accidental controversies and calculate deliberate ones. This one is deliberate.

Something tells me that UO didn't set out to piss off the Jews.

Oh, I'm sure that they wanted some of us to react. This is a marketing ploy, not a political or religious statement. The controversy will sell shirts to people who have more money than brains and a desire to shock their parents.

Trust me, if they thought that somebody would buy Zyklon-B Shower Gel, they'd sell it.

[Zeus]

A marketing ploy for sure. $100 for a pocket - t. Marketed towards Idiots with more money than brains.

[Articulate_Ape]

I think that I'm not being clear. I don't think that this is meant to be antisemitic, I think that it's crass marketing. Now, maybe I'm wrong, but the silhouette is too obvious to be accidental. The rotation of the geometric shape to create a Star of David may not have been on the mind of the designer, but if nobody in their marketing department looked at this and said, "Schmuck, that's a Star of David," then I'm Louis Farakhan. The color choice for the shirt would also have been an extremely unfortunate coincidence, but I doubt it. Urban Outfitters was looking for something "edgy" that would spark a lot of outrage (and promote their brand) and this fit the bill. You have to admit that it's certainly sparked discussion about an otherwise forgettable piece of highly overpriced schmatta. Right now they are busy putting out the company line that they are shocked, shocked, I tell you, that there is any controversy around their shirt, and that everybody ought to come down to the nearest purveyor of fine clothing and check it out themselves, and maybe shell out a few hundred bucks to be part of the buzz.

When I read the Commentary piece without seeing the image, my first thought was that ADL was going off half-cocked again, which they tend to do quite a bit, especially when partisan politics is in play (they ignore a lot of antisemitism in Democratic constituencies and are hypersensitive to anything that remotely resembles it in Republican ones), so I did an image search. When I saw it, I was surprised by how blatant the image was. It wasn't an accident. UO has an extremely large, savvy marketing department whose job is to prevent accidental controversies and calculate deliberate ones. This one is deliberate.

With all due respect, I think the ADL is overreacting to and you are over-thinking this thing.

[Odysseus]

A marketing ploy for sure. $100 for a pocket - t. Marketed towards Idiots with more money than brains.

Exactly. It's the latest version of the Che t-shirt, except more expensive and calculated to offend more effectively.