Just for “fun”, we created a t-shirt and started an Indiegogo Crowdfunding campaign to get them made. We fell short of our goal, but had some fun failing nonetheless.Campaign pitch below…
In becoming President of the United States, Donald J. Trump is joining some illustrious company: Lincoln, Eisenhower, JFK. However, based on what we know about his personality and management style, three other names seem more likely to be closely associated with him. And those three names are not ones mentioned in the same breath as freedom and tolerance.
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” is a quote often thrown around, but at no time in our lives has it been more important to heed the message contained within it. Early signs such as Mr. Trump’s transition team and cabinet picks give us a window into his first term, and the view is disconcerting to say the least; CEOs, Wall Street banksters, Russian apologists, white nationalists, pay-to-play billionaires, etc. Another quote from one of our featured dictators seems incredibly apt here as well. Mr. Mussolini is rumored to have said “Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power.” Well, he was right about one thing.
What We Need & What You Get
You get a quality, poly-cotton (50% Polyester / 50% Cotton) t-shirt from American Apparel. They’re hand screen-printed in a shop in San Francisco, California, just off Haight and Ashbury, and made in America. That’s more than we can say for Donald’s ties.
To get these printed, we need orders for at least 100 shirts at $30 each. With $3000 raised we can cover shirts and printing, as well as time and materials for design, copy, shipping and handling.
Any additional funds (minus time and materials) will be donated to the ACLU to help fight to keep our liberties intact.
The Impact
In utilizing a fashion-based medium, the impact happens in the place that is often off limits to outside political arguments; the mind of anyone who sees you. Immediately, they’re confronted with a message that requires some thought and intelligence to even understand. It’s a guilt-by-association inference that throws down the gauntlet and says “this is how bad it could be if we’re not vigilant.”
Risks & Challenges
Without a doubt, this message is polarizing. After all, there are not that many other Adolf’s we could be referring to. As a result, people may be reluctant to buy and wear these shirts. If so, the project may die. If we don’t sell enough shirts your money will be refunded, it won’t cost you a dime, and we’ll be bummed. But, whatever happens, the biggest risk is doing nothing.
Other Ways You Can Help
Speak up. Defend freedom and the rights of all human beings. As Martin Niemoller* said:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—
and there was no one left to speak for me.
If only more people had been wearing clever t-shirts…
(Full disclosure: we added that last line)
Relevant Links
Today We Saw a Live Performance from an Aspiring American Dictator
Charles P. Peirce – Esquire – On Donald Trump’s Jan 11, Press Conference
Family sitting on gold thrones promise they have interests of all Americans at heart
Bill Gross Says Donald Trump Reminds Him of Benito Mussolini
Trump Proudly Quotes Fascist Dictator Mussolini Who He Calls An ‘Interesting’ Person
Historians: Trump Demagoguery Mirrors Il Duce Mussolini
How Journalists Covered the Rise of Mussolini and Hitler
Seven times the media compared Trump to Hitler
Donald Trump’s ex-wife once said Trump kept a book of Hitler’s speeches by his bed
Trump’s Victory Tour First Of Its Kind Since Hitler’s Nuremberg Rallies
QUIZ: WHo said it? Trump, Hitler, Moussolini, or Stalin?
Robert Reich: 15 warning signs of impending Trump tyranny
Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism
Unprecedented Imperial Powers Will Soon Pass into Trump’s Hands
* Martin Niemoller (1892–1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps.
Creative Director / Designer: Dustin D. Smith
Writer: Daniel Mabe
T-Shirt Model: Kristi Kennedy
