# High school students' 9/11 sweatshirts: offensive? harmless? newsworthy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 6, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918 "2010-01-06T16:51:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/81 "2010-01-06T21:47:38Z")
> [@whole\_bean](#): > > I thought this was a whoosh at first. This sentence is just hilarious to me. “The bird doesn’t even rexemble a plane.” Kills me. Only so much as ALL birds look like planes. It’s a thunderbird. You see the lightning bolt, right? ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/82 "2010-01-06T21:50:29Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Let’s see. Two tall buildings, the number 11, something flying at them, the motto “You can’t bring us down.” But since it’s not a photorealistic depiction, how do we know it has anything to do with 9/11? :dubious: It’s clearly a reference to 9/11, for the reasons listed in the quote. That said, I think it’s just a bunch of teenagers doing something tacky and perhaps trying to be controversial. When I was in high school in Pennsylvania, my friends thought it was funny to joke about Bud Dwyer’s suicide on live TV, and watch it on tape over and over. Race has nothing to do with this incident. It’s not newsworthy. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/83 "2010-01-06T21:58:40Z")
What’s the difference between Bud Dwyer and Bud Light? Bud Light has a head on it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/84 "2010-01-06T22:34:35Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Only so much as ALL birds look like planes. It’s a thunderbird. You see the lightning bolt, right? I dispute that it’s a thunderbird. Even allowing that it’s a bird in the first place (and since when do you see birds that look like that?), that’s clearly a _lightning bolt_, not thunder. And anyway, lightning bolts don’t look like that, they look more like [this](http://www.windsun.com/pictures/Lightning1.jpg). Or, wait, do you mean to suggest that the pictograph is a combination of abstracted symbols intended to represent a different idea? According to this thread, that’s nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/85 "2010-01-06T23:03:57Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > What’s the difference between Bud Dwyer and Bud Light? > > Bud Light has a head on it. too soon ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/86 "2010-01-06T23:20:39Z")
I’m here to nitpick. Arabic is a language. The people are Arab. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/87 "2010-01-06T23:37:05Z")
> [@Rasa](#): > > I’m here to nitpick. Arabic is a language. The people are Arab. According to the article aren’t _these_ people actually American? Only if the “us” of the shirt quote means Islamic extremists / Jihadists can I see the image and message as offensive. Otherwise it’s a patriotic statement… isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/88 "2010-01-07T00:18:17Z")
I think the thought process on those offended goes like: “You can’t keep us down” + 9/11 + Arab wearers = “We evil Muslims won’t be kept down; next time, we’ll kill _lots_ more Americans!” Oy. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/89 "2010-01-07T00:26:08Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Or two school buildings. [Here’s a photo of Edsel Ford High.](http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Community&article=816) Doesn’t look like an 11 to me. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/90 "2010-01-07T00:30:19Z")
1. Not offended. 2. The design clearly is meant to represent the towers. Anyone who denies that is being purposefully obtuse. 3. I don’t see it as mockery in any way. I see it as kids using a symbol of catastrophic damage that happened in their lifetime as a way to say that they are young and strong and moving on with their futures, and that no one will stop them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/91 "2010-01-07T00:37:54Z")
It’s offensive … duh. The way I see it, it’s my FUCKING JOB as a middle-aged DAD to get OFFENDED over offensive stuff that the DAMN KIDS do. Because what’s the point of being a DAMN KID if the more responsible members of society don’t slap you down from time to time? DAMN DISRESPECTFUL KIDS! Confiscate their shirts and send 'em home for a couple of days. Otherwise what are they going to talk about at their 20-year-reunion? ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/92 "2010-01-07T00:40:54Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > I mean, I’m not even offended by their use of it. I don’t think any kind of commotion should really have been made. But to deny that the reference isn’t obvious? That’s surreal. Ditto. It’s not offensive and there’s no news story here. But there is no way I believe some people in this thread who say it’s not supposed to represent the Twin Towers. That’s just being willfully obtuse. After all, faces don’t look like [this](http://www.artquotes.net/masters/picasso/picasso_weeping1937.jpg), and the colors are all wrong, so clearly that is not supposed to represent a person. ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/93 "2010-01-07T01:09:25Z")
I’m having a hard time understanding how this would be offensive. Sounds to me like the kids thought they were being patriotic. I think “out of context” is a better term here than “offensive.” ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/94 "2010-01-07T01:14:01Z")
It’s good that this terribly important story came to light while we still have plenty of time to solve the problem of how to numerically represent the year that will come after 2010. Obviously, any depiction of the number ‘eleven’ will have to be stricken from all languages and alphabets in perpetuity, because the imagery is just too painful. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/95 "2010-01-07T01:17:21Z")
> [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](#): > > Obviously, any depiction of the number ‘eleven’ will have to be stricken from all languages and alphabets in perpetuity, because the imagery is just too painful. [Nigel Tufnel]This one goes to… twelve.[/NT] ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/96 "2010-01-07T08:24:06Z")
The most offensive interpretation of the shirt I can give is this: High school is a bitch. For the most part, it is the students (class of '11) against the administration (represented by the eagle). But we, the class of 2011, are still standing, we’re about to graduate, and this damn school can’t bring us down. I think people are missing that angle when they say that the bird is out of place or that it undermines the message. That is, of course, if it has a message. Frankly, I don’t think high schoolers think that hard. It was probably meant to be some meaningless, vaguely patriotic mumbo jumbo along the lines of “these colors don’t run”. I don’t deny September 11th had some place in the message, it’s just debatable what message was intended. Either way, I don’t see how you can construe it to be offensive. Not newsworthy, of course. And the kids’ races definitely have nothing to do with anything. ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/97 "2010-01-07T12:27:03Z")
DrCube just said what I was trying to say much more eloquently. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/98 "2010-01-07T20:35:57Z")
The real travesty here is how the Graphic Arts department at Edsel Ford high failed these students so miserably. They need to revisit Tippy 101. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/99 "2010-01-07T22:14:44Z")
I stand with Cenk of The Young Turks on this one. This video bring in a few facts not mentioned in the thread so far. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6UvMNJNvL4c/hqdefault.jpg "Teens Make Offensive T-Shirt - Should It Be Banned?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UvMNJNvL4c) ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918/100 "2010-01-07T22:25:20Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > I stand with Cenk of The Young Turks on this one. > > This video bring in a few facts not mentioned in the thread so far. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UvMNJNvL4c](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UvMNJNvL4c) I like their videos. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-students-9-11-sweatshirts-offensive-harmless-newsworthy/523918.md?page=6)