A fortnight ago, those of us in Sydney who fall anywhere within the boxes, "Left" or "Satanic", were outraged when World Youth Day managed to seduce our government and law-makers (although, it was really the economic boost that motivated such devoted faith amongst our politicians) into creating a law that banned "offensive" t-shirts featuring any anti-Christian sentiment. That didn't stop me - I used my actual mouth to voice my concerns to just about any pilgrim I came across (quite a few); but I was outraged, nonetheless. I'd hazard a guess to say that most of the readers of this website were, too. But about an hour ago, I probably became a little hypocritical, when I stumbled across a news story you're not going to see on Fox News, any time in the near future, about a little fashion craze stemming from New York and spreading its way through Ebay: self-professed "punk rock" designer, Doron Braunshtein (who goes by the runway name of Apollo Braun) and his disturbing line of racist anti-Obama shirts, including the one pictured here, "Obama is my slave." I was outraged - just as outraged as I was when I was told I couldn't wear my "George Pell doesn't fuck me now that I'm no longer a minor" shirt. Well, okay, I don't have such a shirt. But if I did.... 

 

Anyway, here's the deal. Young Jewish wannabe fashion designer, Doran Braunstein, moves from The Holy City to New York (in 2001, just before the planes hit) and makes a name for himself within the New York fashion underground for his controversial fashion sensibilities - such as having two gay men simulate sex on the runway, wearing the masks of George W Bush and Osama Bin Laden. The gullible fashion and arts scene laps up what seems to be a left-wing rebel. But, no, Mr Braun seems now only to be a PR-savvy wannabe who has now milked a cash cow of his own creation, with a variety of offensive slogans he has printed onto his shirts. Apart from "OBAMA IS MY SLAVE", these also include other gems such as "JEWS AGAINST OBAMA", "WHO KILLED OBAMA?" and "OBAMA = HITLER". Since these shirts are fashion, darling, they sell from $129 (US) upward. 

 

And they're selling. But it doesn't stop there. Braunstein seems to have learnt much from the American model of media, and concocted a false story of a white woman who became a "victim" of a bashing, by a group of African American girls, for wearing the shirt. A variety of press actually fell for it - most notably, The New York Metro, who gave it the front page. Braunstein's clothing made it into the news, and sales immediately went through the roof. A few days later, the editor of The Metro, (after the story was uncovered to be a sham) was fired. 

 

And I, alas, am torn. If we are to be big boys and girls, we do have to acknowledge that human beings have a tendency to be a little... well... one-sided, when it comes to who we think has the right to offend who. I sat around with my friends, during World Youth Day, thinking of T-shirt slogans that would offend the Christians. It was, as we saw it, our right to express whatever sentiment we please. And it is our right.

 

But, in all fairness, it was as much our right to protest against the Christians at World Youth Day, as it was their right to condemn gays, or single mothers, or any of the groups Christians so despise. What was wrong, in the situation in Sydney, was the power imbalance: one group was suppressed, while another was legally allowed to say whatever they pleased. And what's wrong with knowing that thousands of Americans are forking out hundreds of dollars for a racist shirt like these ones, is that, quite simply, they would. And, indeed, that anyone would stoop to making money and celebrity off it. That's okay to observe and conclude. But it is not our right to expect such shirts to be made illegal, however much we detest them; although, unsurprisingly, that is what most are calling for in the cyber battle around these shirts. To criminalise them fairly, would mean that there would have to be a ban across the board. That means the things I think are "right" would be out the window with all those other people's opinions I think are wrong. But you can't have an imbalance - that is discrimination in its purest form.

 

However, if such matters incite violence, fine, a line is crossed. In the end, it's easy, then, to damn these T-shirts on that basis, as many already have. However, the irony here is that there has only been one reported incident of violence, and it turned out to be nothing more than a PR hook to garner free advertising for the shirts. Where do we draw the line for freedom of expression? It's a blurred line, most of the time, it's an easily corrupted line, and it so often tugs at the supposed ideology of those who call for such "freedom", even though, quite often - something both the right and left are guilty of - they are talking about their own freedom, and are less concerned with that of others. 

 

I don't like Apollo Braun. I certainly don't like his fashion. But I quite like my freedom. I guess, then, I have to like his, too.