Group Decries Urban Outfitters T-Shirt

[Placebo]

The Anti-Defamation League has asked retailer Urban Outfitters to stop selling a T-shirt that reads: "New Mexico, Cleaner than Regular Mexico."

"This is saying that the country of Mexico is a dirty place," said Barry Morrison, regional director of the civil rights group. "Dirty can be interpreted figuratively and literally."

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Urban Outfitters did not immediately return calls for comment Friday. The retailer, which targets 18- to 30-year-olds, has run into similar controversy before.

Two years ago, it stopped selling a game called "Ghettopoly" after protests by black civil rights leaders. Last year, it halted sales of a T-shirt that read "Everyone Loves A Jewish Girl," surrounded by dollar signs, after the Anti-Defamation League objected.

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I'm half Mexican and personally, I don't see the big deal. I love shopping at Urban Outfitters and think the shirt is just some silly light-hearted fun.

[Son of California]

1. have they been to Mexico lately?

I mean, I'm from Cali and the furthest from being racist towards Latinos, but the shirt is obviously not meant in a derogatory way,

[JI7]

11. true, but many people would not interpret it as environmental thing

but rather about people. and considering some of these other things they did they probably knew that.

[opusprime]

2. Protesting only helps...

Urban Outfitters just sold about 2 million of these. Nothing like a little controversy to help sales.

And dont take this the wrong way, because I love Mexico, and the people of Mexico, but Mexico is dirty.

I'm just not sure that New Mexico is much cleaner.

[catnhatnh]

3. Oh sure....

...at first the other wolves LAUGHED when they called him the "Big Black Wolf"- but in the end they KILLED him...

[CrownPrinceBandar]

4. UO has a talent for tasteless T's

That had one a few years ago that said: "Its all relative in WV" or something stupid like that.

[WildClarySage]

12. That was Abercrombie and Fitch.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

15. Yeah! Them too.......

Ooops!... Guess I should get the name of our oppressors right, huh?

Thanks.

[devilgrrl]

5. They donate a lot of $$$$$ to the GOP...

sounds like it's right up their alley.

[Placebo]

6. Really?

Damn it to blazes. This always happens with companies I like.

At least Apple Computer is blue as can be. :) And Starbucks. :9

[JTHC]

7. I find that weird...

Urban Outfitters a right-wing outfit? I just can't see how that's possible--I mean, they sell sex joke books... :wtf:

[tammywammy]

8. Yep, they're a red company

http://buyblue.org/detail.php?corpId=129

they only get a 6% rating.

[WhiteTara]

14. who do you think haunts the mega sex stores?

Right wingers are so hung up about sex, that they NEED porno. Hope you have a good stay at DU JTHC

[devilgrrl]

9. Here's some dirt...

http://www.corporateswine.net/snoutfitters.html

http://hackenbush.org/hackenblog/blogives/00000552.htm

[ovidsen]

10. I like the T-shirt.

I love tasteless humor! But after reading other posts about what a RED company it is... I'll pass.

[getmeouttahere]

13. T-shirts are probably made by child labor...

in Bangladesh or something anyway...who would by a t-shirt like this? Why can't they just make something positive about NM, without having to denigrate another nation?

[gtar100]

17. It's all about the sales

Why can't they just make something positive about NM, without having to denigrate another nation?

I would bet dollars to donuts that this has nothing to do with just trying to sell a T-shirt...it's about doing something tasteless, create controversy, and then sell boat loads of T-shirts before they do the last planned step of apologizing and pulling the remainder off the shelf.

They know what works and they use it, regardless of consequences, as long as it makes money in the short-run.

[Voltaire99]

16. Rightwing scum.

Redundant phrase, that.