The latest and most depressing challenge for anti-violence activists in Philadelphia.
Those shirts, following on the infamous Baltimore DVD aimed at witness intimidation, really move me to some irrational feelings of anger. There’s no excuse for walking around with that message on you.
As t-shirt slogans go, it’s not even that catchy. At the very least they could have had a picture of Dr. Dre with the caption “Hollowpoints for the Snitches”. That gets the message across in a much more vivid fashion, plus references a seminal work of mid 90’s gangsta rap, Dre’s classic single “Let Me Ride”.
But would this work for the hipster ironists who surely must make up a sizable propotion of those wearing the existing “Stop Snitching” shirts? Possibly not. Therefore, one must also make a batch of the shirts featuring the same caption, but rather than a picture of Dr. Dre… a picture of Regis Philbin. Why Regis? Why not Regis. Hipster ironists share a keen affection for the absurd, and Regis sternly warning all-comers not to talk to the police would seem be as absurd as anything else. This t-shirt… it’s money in the bank.
Driving home last week, I saw Better Men for a United Philadelphia out campaigning about this in West Philly. It heartens me that this group is out there, raising this as an issue, and pressuring shop owners to understand how selling a “novelty” shirt such as this feeds into the violence in our/their/my neighborhoods.
There’s also an short article in PW on these shirts this week: http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=10163
Gregory Kane, a black conservative columnist for the Baltimore Sun, wrote a level-headed commentary about the DVD.
This guy wants to stop snitching too. How about “Stop the undermining of law-abiding norms flowing from law enforcement’s rewarding of and complicity in snitch wrongdoing” for a T-shirt slogan.
When I was a kid, nothing upset me more than the code of omerta-against-adults that allowed all manner of atrocities to go unpunished by rightful authority figures. I quickly became known as a snitch and have never found that term to be a negative one.
And a *real* snitch — someone who selflessly observes others’ wrongdoings and reports them to authority for the sake of obeying the law — is the polar opposite of the paid informant/rat.
Do you think the t-shirts’ message actually affects anyone’s inclinination to snitch or not to snitch?
Actually, yes, very much. I think if you’re in an inner-city neighborhood, and there’s a number of people around with those shirts, that’s a very chilling thing. On the other hand, if you’re in a privileged suburban neighborhood and someone’s wearing one, no, probably it has no effect, except to reveal that th person wearing the shirt is an asshole.
Actually i was snitched on by a punk ass mother fucker that wears one of those shirts so… “STOP SNITCHING STOP LYING”
I wouldn’t be surprised if this didn’t cause a few street fights – it’s like Governmental anti-drugs campaigns and pro-active religious groups – you can’t force feed a community t-shirt slogans – anyway people are too scared to talk these days (hence the rise of blogs and forums) let alone snitch…