To be outraged that the 'david and goliath' shop in bluewater is

[seeker]

Selling children's t shirts saying 'mum
says I'm on the short bus because I'm special' and 'I keep telling you I'm not a retard'
what do you think- should I fire bomb the place or just write to the md. Or both?

[BigDibbler]

Thanks for the link to the D and G website am now off to buy the ladies man tee for my three year old. Really wtf watch your language hippocrits!!

[nickelbabe]

mrstim - i can see the funny in better looking than baby jesus, but the other two she sent are awful. :(

[mrstimlovejoy]

my cousin sent me 3 tshirts from the states when i had dd
they said - 'i ate my twin'
- 'better looking than baby jesus'
- 'they shake me'
my friends ds had a cute one it said 'lock up your daughters'thought it was quite funny
my dd never wore them they are in my loft

[Lucy88]

Spacehopper5

So you think putting your child in a t-shirt with the 'F' word on it acceptable?

What is the world coming to?

[CoupleofKooks]

seeker i would imagine the forbidden nature of such words has its own appeal for teenagers
the main thing is that she recognised it was wrong - we don't alway make the choice we know to be right, especially with peer pressure etc

[sloanypony]

There is no doubt that these t-shirts are offensive, and I hope they do get removed.

But it also concerns me that a thread like this on a board like this does more to publicise them than anything. I wonder how many sales they had off the back of this. People who actually post on the thread are generally anti, as you'd only get shot down in flames for saying you actually liked it once several people had voiced their disgust. Unless you were looking for an argument.

It will be interesting to see if they pull them from the site (or whether they sell out!)

[mippy]

David and Goliath are mostly known for plagiarism these days. Google Todd Goldman. I can't believe anyone would give them their money, to be honest.

[nickelbabe]

oh seeker :(

she obviously didn't realise quite how offensive they were. she really doesn't strike me as someone that would buy that fully understanding what it implied.

[deaddei]

That's interesting seeker- my dd, nearly 14, sometimes calls ds a retard or a spaz- now obviously she is pulled up for it at home, but it seems to be a common name among the peer group.
As she has ocd and numerous twitches, it's ironic.

[Mumi]

Got a reply back from Bluewater today, saying that their retail liaison manager has been informed, so I've asked for their contact details. No reply from David and Goliath yet though.

[melikalikimaka]

As well as the American meaning of 'short bus', as in the special needs bus being short because there are not many in the school. It could also mean on the short bus because he/she is short in stature. If that makes sense, but it still isn't that amusing, if that's what it's trying to imply. If you look in the back of VIZ mag or any like it, you will see worse, but they are aimed at adults, not kids.

[DorotheaPlenticlew]

Oh seeker, that suxxxx rather. But she'll learn from it, from your reaction & it'll stick with her I'm sure, and make her more aware of thinking twice about the crap retailers push down our throats, about how they can sometimes sidle past our normal preferences in unexpected ways. We all do dumb dumb stuff as young kids. DOn't let it make you blue.

And as for your actual OP, dear god, the very existence of these shirts is fucking horrifying. Getting to the stage where not much surprises me any more.

[seeker]

Right, embarrassing development here! This was the main topic of discussion chez seeker this evening, as you can imagine, 14 year old dd has just called me into her room to tell me that she and her friends bought the "retard" shirt for a present for someone "I knew it was wrong, but the others all thought it was really funny - and so did I, a bit"

I can't get my head round 5 intelligent, aware 14 year olds, 3 of whom help run the after school club at a special school buying this crap. I suppose I'm thinking, if they do, then there is no hope at all.

[hogshead]

that should be retardation on my post - it seems that i am more tired than i thought

[Mumi]

I've e-mailed both Bluewater and the shop with my disgust as the mother of a disabled child.

"You guys dont have specific school buses so it doesnt really make any sense here anyway" - actually there are mainstream schools here which have both coaches to transport children who live out of catchment area and a minibus to transport children with special needs, and I have unfortunately seen it catch on enough to offend here too.

[hogshead]

when i worked for our local adult learning disabilties service the term `mental redartation' was still the offical american term for what we call learning disabilties in the UK - if it is an american company this is probably why theyve used this term but doesnt make it right

(excuse spelling its been a long day after a sleepless night)

[pagwatch]

It is the fact thatthey are childrens t-shirts that I find particularlu offensive.

I would much prefer that the parents buyingthese just settled for
'my mum is a complete twat with a pathetic sense of humour'

[bullet234]

Thank you.

[seeker]

AD/HD - it's the AC/DC logo.

[bullet234]

I don't actually understand the ADHD tshirt one.
I hate the "short bus" one. Both my lads take a designated bus to the special school they attend and seeing it referred to as something to mock at, or for someone to joke about angers me greatly.

[SleepyCaz]

Disgusting.

YADDDNBU

[Glitterknickaz]

I love the AD/HD one, perfect for DS2

But shirts with 'retard' and 'short bus' are just too much.

[LetThereBeRock]

I agree it's particuarly offensive on a child's t-shirt.

[CoupleofKooks]

no i agree
what i meant to convey was that it is especially offensive on a child's t-shirt (IMO), as the child is unlikely to have chosen it themselves or to fully understand the implications of the 'joke'

[LetThereBeRock]

I don't think it'd be acceptable on an adult's t-shirt either.
It's really no longer acceptable,or it shouldn't be to use the term to describe people with cognitive/learning disabilities.