The following were the five most popular t-shirt designs we sold on Skreened during the month of May 2010:
Each of these five most popular designs has to do with the issue of immigration. Interestingly, none has to do with the issue of oil spills, another contender in the public imagination for salience. I wonder why this difference emerged. Is there a difference in how people feel about the issue as relevant for activism?
Maybe it has to do with just plain helplessness. I believe we’ve already destroyed our planet and it’s now just a matter of time, how-long-do-we-got phase. When it’s people messing around with people, you can lash out and maybe make a difference. Even if BP went belly-up, what consolation is that when you stumble across a dead sea turtle or porpoise? Man’s indifference to man is one thing, but our ability to destroy our four-legged housemates is another. As we destroy them, they’re collateral damage to some but the ultimate crime to others. We deserve what we get. Gonna go take my pills now.
I would suggest that a large percentage of buyers of the above t-shirts have, or believe that they have, a personal vested interest in promoting illegal immigration.
The people with a personal vested interest in the BP oil spill are a little too busy watching their livelihoods be destroyed to be going online and buying t-shirts . . . and frankly, I can’t imagine most shrimpers are spending lots of time cruising the Web to begin with.
Vested? But that would cover up the tshirt!