# Is this t-shirt meant to be sarcastic or literal? NSFW **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 23, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446 "2022-07-23T18:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/1 "2022-07-23T18:05:00Z")
Someone mentioned College Station in a thread the other day and I googled to see if it was an actual college. This [pic](https://images.hearourvoicetee.com/2022/04/premium-yes-i-m-a-gamer-and-yes-i-hate-minorities-shirt-shirt.jpg) came up in the image results. Not a gamer whatsoever, but I am aware of GamerGate and some stuff like that. I have no doubt there are gamers that hate minorities, but is it a widespread problem? Or is this t-shirt going against some belief that all gamers are racist? Description for those who can’t open links at work, the shirt says: > **Summary** > > Yes, I’m a gamer and yes I hate minorities. FWIW, when I saw it I assumed it was for real and if I saw someone wearing it I would take it that way. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/2 "2022-07-23T18:13:52Z")
I don’t know specifically about this slogan, but sellers make up all kinds of crazy slogans with the hopes of selling at least one. With on-demand printing, there is no cost associated with selling shirts with slogans on them. The seller can create 1000’s of pictures of shirts with slogans, but they don’t have any inventory or do any fulfillment. When a sale comes in, it’s forwarded to a 3rd-party printer who will print the shirt and drop ship it to the buyer. You may have seen similar sites like [cafepress.com](http://cafepress.com) where you can order all kinds of stuff with slogans and pictures on it. People can create custom cafepress storefronts with whatever images and slogans they like and all the orders and sales go through cafepress. The owner of the storefront gets a certain cut of the sales. So many times when you see pics like the one you found, it’s from some bozo making a storefront with whatever wacko slogans they come up with. It doesn’t cost anything to make the storefront, so they’re free to create as many slogans as they like risk-free. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/3 "2022-07-23T18:16:21Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Not a gamer whatsoever, but I am aware of GamerGate and some stuff like that. I have no doubt there are gamers that hate minorities, but is it a widespread problem? I saw a YouTuber once who posted videos timing how long it would take between logging into an online game, and someone calling him the n-word. The were not long videos. Racism is definitely a problem in gaming. Obviously, its not all gamers, or even a significant portion of them, but there’s a lot, and they’re loud. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/4 "2022-07-23T18:29:44Z")
I’m curious what your other searches were so that a GIS for “college station” came up with that result. I would guess that that design isn’t something that is made/sold but someone just uploaded it to the site as a joke. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/5 "2022-07-23T18:47:43Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Racism is definitely a problem in gaming. Obviously, its not all gamers, or even a significant portion of them, but there’s a lot, and they’re loud. Yeah, no matter where you find them they are always loud. Especially if they can be anonymous while doing so. > [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I’m curious what your other searches were so that a GIS for “college station” came up with that result. I don’t remember exactly, it was something about a school rivalry and one of the College Station links had links to shirts with non-official school slogans. This came up second in a link for a shirt that read something like “Leave Collage Station Normal.” I don’t remember the other school. > [@filmore](#): > > With on-demand printing, there is no cost associated with selling shirts with slogans on them. The internet: where an idea can benefit both the best of us and the worst of us at the same time. A few years back, I used Cafe Press to get some of my art printed on various things for friends and relatives. They had no problem doing water bottles or mugs, but wouldn’t let me do t-shirts because they couldn’t be sure it was my original art. What? ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/6 "2022-07-24T06:14:15Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > FWIW, when I saw it I assumed it was for real and if I saw someone wearing it I would take it that way. I would hope that it would be some meme or inside joke that I was unaware of and be afraid that it wasn’t. Circumstances permitting I would stop them and ask. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/7 "2022-07-24T13:40:26Z")
I strongly vote “literal”. Jerks are getting more and more encouragement to be “out” with their jerkishness nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/8 "2022-07-24T15:13:16Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I don’t remember exactly, it was something about a school rivalry and one of the College Station links had links to shirts with non-official school slogans. This came up second in a link for a shirt that read something like “Leave Collage Station Normal.” I don’t remember the other school. The other school is University of Texas at Austin. The slogan “Leave College Station Normal” was created in response to the “Keep Austin Weird” slogan that is popular among the students at UT. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/9 "2022-07-25T02:08:19Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Someone mentioned College Station in a thread the other day and I googled to see if it was an actual college. This [pic](https://images.hearourvoicetee.com/2022/04/premium-yes-i-m-a-gamer-and-yes-i-hate-minorities-shirt-shirt.jpg) came up in the image results. Just to mention: College Station is a city, not a college. It is home to Texas A&M University. There is also a College Station, Arkansas, with about 600 population. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/10 "2022-07-25T16:09:48Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > I would hope that it would be some meme or inside joke that I was unaware of and be afraid that it wasn’t. Yep, that’s why I asked. I know zip about gaming culture. > [@Projammer](#): > > Circumstances permitting I would stop them and ask. I would just assume it was heartfelt ant ignore the person. > [@ftg](#): > > Jerks are getting more and more encouragement to be “out” with their jerkishness nowadays. I noticed that. A lot of them skip right over the dog whistle now. > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > The other school is University of Texas at Austin. The slogan “Leave College Station Normal” was created in response to the “Keep Austin Weird” slogan that is popular among the students at UT. That’s the one, and exactly the line I followed to see the shirt. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > College Station is a city, not a college. Sorry. should have been clearer. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/11 "2022-07-25T16:13:29Z")
Well, looking at the URL, [hearourvoice.com](http://hearourvoice.com), I’m thinking it is a White Supremacist site selling White Supremacist clothing. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/12 "2022-07-25T16:24:01Z")
That’s not the website, though, in the URL. And I don’t see anything on that website other than a placeholder page). Here’s what I see at (which seems to be) their store URL: > **[Hear Our Voice | Empowering Feminist Clothing](https://www.hearourvoicestore.com/)** > > Hear Our Voice brings you powerful messages about social justice and equality on stylish designs. The same Hear our Voice logo is used as in the webpage up top. If you go to the exact url, you find this: > **[HearOurVoice Tee - Hear Our Voices T-shirt| 100% Made in US](https://hearourvoicetee.com/)** > > HearOurvoice T-shirt Store in the USA! All of the shirts, hoodie, tank top, long sleeve and sweater can be shipped in local or international! That page isn’t as extensive, but has “Save The Planet” type tee-shirts which I don’t think would be associated with right-wing groups. It’s kind of puzzling. I would say somebody is maybe appropriating the “Hear Our Voice” brand, but the exact shop URL doesn’t seem to have anything white-power on it. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/13 "2022-07-25T16:54:28Z")
[This](https://lexhamclothing.com/awesome-keep-college-station-normal-shirt/) is the actual page where I found the t-shirt. For some reason, I can’t see photos on their home page, but it seems to be a run of the mill clothing store. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-t-shirt-meant-to-be-sarcastic-or-literal-nsfw/968446/14 "2022-07-26T04:14:45Z")
I searched the phrase and got dozens of print-on-demand t-shirt sites, but nothing else.