# This shirt is illegal in 52 countries **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 12, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512 "2010-09-12T15:10:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/21 "2010-09-12T19:11:08Z")
> [@ghardester](#): > > > [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > > > Because they think it’s a picture of the Dalai Lama > > Technically the Dalai Lama is merely the reincarnation of Phil Silvers. But Phil Silvers didn’t die until 1985 . . . or so we’ve been told. Seriously, has anyone ever seen them together? ---
**Author:** ![US\_Bureau\_of\_Labor\_Statistics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c2a13f/32.png) [@US\_Bureau\_of\_Labor\_Statistics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/US_Bureau_of_Labor_Statistics)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/22 "2010-09-12T19:32:34Z")
I remember that somebody printed a similar shirt with the DeCSS code on it. DeCSS is a small computer program that will decrypt DVDs; per many nations’ modern copyright acts (DMCA, etc) it is illegal to possess or distribute DRM-breaking tools. The shortest implementation of DeCSS was about 500 characters, or small enough to fit on a shirt, so some group printed them up with the same “This shirt is illegal in N countries” slogan. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/23 "2010-09-12T19:44:13Z")
> [@US\_Bureau\_of\_Labor\_Statistics](#): > > I remember that somebody printed a similar shirt with the DeCSS code on it. DeCSS is a small computer program that will decrypt DVDs; per many nations’ modern copyright acts (DMCA, etc) it is illegal to possess or distribute DRM-breaking tools. > > The shortest implementation of DeCSS was about 500 characters, or small enough to fit on a shirt, so some group printed them up with the same “This shirt is illegal in N countries” slogan. People did much the same thing with an implementation of RSA, a strong encryption algorithm, back when exporting strong encryption from America was illegal. However, those shirts didn’t say “This shirt is illegal”, they said “This shirt is a munition”, as that’s what the American government classified strong encryption as. It’s still illegal, to the best of my knowledge, to export something like RSA to North Korea. However, the days of having to download the strong version of GPG from a site in Canada are long over. (Yes, even if you were an American citizen in America: You can’t _reliably_ tell where someone is over the Internet, and nobody wanted to take chances.) **Chronos** : There are Christians who feel ‘harassed’ by the fact atheists exist and aren’t afraid to win debates anymore. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/24 "2010-09-12T19:51:04Z")
Can you IMAGINE wearing a shirt with a phrase on it, that if someone passed you and said “Prove it.” you COULDN’T? That would evidence a very low regard for the truth to me. I’m a Christian, and I could never wear that shirt. It’s like screaming “Hey! Christianity is Intellectually Lazy!” Great marketing, Christendom. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/25 "2010-09-12T19:52:58Z")
Damn it now I gotta get the DeCSS shirt. Talk about awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/26 "2010-09-12T20:11:47Z")
That list also includes Belarus, which by their own stats is 78% Christian. Bogus ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/27 "2010-09-12T20:21:44Z")
And the Philippines and Venezuela. More of those awful Catholics? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/28 "2010-09-12T20:22:18Z")
Here is the shirt, folks. [Illegal Shirt](https://www1.vombooks.com/qry/qe_store.taf?_function=detail&_peid=1269&_id=AB93579651&_code=P) Apparently: > [@](#): > > The front of this T-shirt also states “Restricted Nations: 38” and “Hostile Areas: 14.” On the back, Romans 1:16 proclaims, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel…” ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/29 "2010-09-12T20:30:07Z")
> [@capybara](#): > > And the Philippines and Venezuela. More of those awful Catholics? Actually, If you’re referring to the [persecution.com](http://persecution.com) map, the country marked is Columbia. Same point to be made. They’re referring to the activities of the FARC. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/30 "2010-09-12T20:39:17Z")
Is there a list of countries where wearing a cross; in any form, in public; would be trouble? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/31 "2010-09-12T20:40:17Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > You can also get in trouble for wearing a Phil Silvers tshirt in China. Seriously, it’s happened. Here’s [a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=222123) from 2003. However, the incident with the British tourist occurred in 1984, not 1991. And really, it’s more bewildering to me that a British tourist would even have a shirt with Phil Sliver’s face on it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/32 "2010-09-12T20:51:46Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > You can also get in trouble for wearing a Phil Silvers tshirt in China. Seriously, it’s happened. > > Here’s [a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=222123) from 2003. However, the incident with the British tourist occurred in 1984, not 1991. I forgot when I said it happened in 1991, could you remind me? > [@](#): > > And really, it’s more bewildering to me that a British tourist would even have a shirt with Phil Sliver’s face on it. Why? I’ve met several British people who could in theory appreciate Phil Silvers, and several more who would wear tshirts with a person’s face on it. Did you just mean it seemed improbable, as opposed to it being bewildering? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/33 "2010-09-12T20:52:53Z")
> [@Ichbin\_Dubist](#): > > > [@BrightNShiny](#): > > > > If it is them, and these are the countries they have in mind, then I think the statement is simply not true. > > For one thing, Mexico is on their list because the Christians are being persecuted by … Catholics. There may be another interpretation of this. Then those Catholics better get cracking on all of those crosses they have hanging up behind their pagan, humanist alters. [QUOTE=Voice of the Martyrs] Persecution in Chiapas comes from traditionalist Catholics who resent any threat to their control in the state. Christians face harassment from town leaders and neighbors. [/QUOTE] Anti-Evangelist isn’t “anti-Christian,” and Catholics are just as much Christians as anyone else. The situation in Chiapas is really political, not religious. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/34 "2010-09-12T20:58:13Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I forgot when I said it happened in 1991, could you remind me? You didn’t say it; **sugaree** said it. > [@TriPolar](#): > > Did you just mean it seemed improbable, as opposed to it being bewildering? Both. It was an American TV show that had aired 30 years before. She was a British tourist in China–in 1984. Doesn’t that qualify? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/35 "2010-09-12T21:51:43Z")
The incident is true, and happened in 1987. A British woman was in Tibet and was wearing a Sgt. Bilko(Phil Silvers) t-shirt. The series had recently been in syndication in Britain and was very popular. She was pedalling through Tibet when a crowd of Tibetans were around her shouting “Dalai Lama” and a soldier tried to rip off her t-shirt. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/36 "2010-09-12T22:00:24Z")
Utter BS. While Nigeria does indeed have Muslims and sometimes they don’t get along, they have a thriving Christian culture and Christian references are a common part of pop culture in much of the country. The Christian areas of Nigeria are probably among the most actively religious Christian areas in the world. Ethiopia has a long Christian history and is 66% Christian- they even use a version of the old Coptic calender! I think this shirt is just measuring countries anywhere that have significant Muslim populations, under the assumptions that Musims will automatically persecute Christians. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/37 "2010-09-12T22:15:09Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > I forgot when I said it happened in 1991, could you remind me? > > You didn’t say it; **sugaree** said it. > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > Did you just mean it seemed improbable, as opposed to it being bewildering? > > Both. It was an American TV show that had aired 30 years before. She was a British tourist in China–in 1984. > > Doesn’t that qualify? Why is it bewildering that a British woman would not have great admiration for a great comedic talent. Is this a British thing? Would you be less bewildered if the shirt had a picture of Spike Milligan on it? Or are you an anti-comedite? Would it have been different if the picture was of William Godfrey? I’m bewildered by the dearth of people shouting ‘Phil Silvers’ when they see a picture of the Dalai Lama. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/38 "2010-09-12T22:36:41Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > What is the word or phrase for performing an act of bravery or defiance in a venue that requires no actual danger or sacrifice? [Slacktivism?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slacktivism) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/39 "2010-09-13T04:53:19Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Here is the shirt, folks. > > [Illegal Shirt](https://www1.vombooks.com/qry/qe_store.taf?_function=detail&_peid=1269&_id=AB93579651&_code=P) The reviews of the shirt just gush about how someone wore this shirt to the county fair and got to witness to so many people… So I wrote a review, titled _ **But…Is It TRUE?** _ [QUOTE=myself] Too many people today assume Christians are exaggerating or lying to make their point. So what do you say when people ask “Is that true?” I’d have to check their list of countries-- their map lists Mexico (95% Christian), Colombia (98% Christian) and Belarus (80% Christian) and assumes any muslim country to be anti-Cross (even if there’s a strong Christian community that’s tolerated). So I’d have to admit “Well, no… it’s not exactly true.” And that might be a worse witness than a blank T-shirt. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512/40 "2010-09-13T05:14:23Z")
> [@digs](#): > > _ **But…Is It TRUE?** _ Hmmm… got an email from the “Voice Of The Martyrs” saying my review of the shirt “has been received”. But it’s not up on the site yet. Looks like it’s being vetted, so it may never show up on the VOM site. Maybe this is how they have all those ultra-positive comments! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-shirt-is-illegal-in-52-countries/553512.md?page=3)