to object to the t-shirt worn by shop assistant today...

[margoandjerry]

In the dry cleaners this morning. Perfectly pleasant young man serving - he was polite and everything. His t-shirt said "Doggy style. The bitches love me". Why is this ok? It isn't ok. I'm pissed off.

Not OK for workwear, obviously.

Out of work, it's just twattish - I wouldn't be offended by it particularly, but I'd definitely think the wearer was a bit of a saddo.

I have a Cradle of Filth t-shirt (bought by dh) that, frankly, I'll never be able to wear in public, because the slogan incorporates sexual swear words in a context calculated to upset religious people (it's slightly more subtle than the Tool one. But not much.)

I like the band & the t-shirt makes me smirk to myself, but I save it for wearing in bed on cold winter nights.

It's not that I'm particularly averse to being rude about religion, if someone wants to have that conversation, but I wouldn't wear anything publically that goes out of its way to cause unprovoked offence: it's just unnecessarily rude.

I wouldn't bother complaining about the t-shirt in the OP, though - I'd just assume that the lad in question knew no better. Not my job to set him straight.

Well fuck me. Haven't you got anything real to worry about?

YABVFU with your dirty, dirty mind. This man is clearly a big fan of Crufts, can't a man even have an innocent hobby without some middle-aged singer trying to seduce him over the counter. :( Anne Bancroft you ain't sweetheart.

It isn't acceptable for working with the public, and I'd write the letter to his boss.
The boss should know what his employees are wearing if it offends customers. He may not have been in that day and not have any idea.
I wouldn't be concerned about my child reading it, I'd just say he loves dogs.

@ alpine pony

So the consensus on this thread is that it's ok to wear any slogan on a t shirt? Anything at all? Any anyone who doesn't like it is uptight or lacking a sense of humour?

This is not a suitable item of clothing to wear to work. I would have called the shop and asked the manager to make sure staff don't wear those kind of items. It shows immaturity of the wear plus says to any customer that the establishment doesn't give a toss about you. Any job which deals with the public should not be wearing offensive clothing.

Why should A twat like this introduce such a word to my child's vocabulary?

I would have been as disgusted.

margoandjerry, wouldn't it have been possible to just say 'No, men are bigger so their willies are bigger.'?

It seems like a straightforward answer to a straightforward question.

Kids eventually pick up on the fact that there are some kinds of questions they never get answers, thay's when they will stop talking to you and find out from their friends/the internet.

I don't think it's suitable at all. I dislike swearing in general and I think the more it is banded about as slogans on t.shirts the more acceptable it becomes it use in every day life. On a train yesterday a group of lads (about 18/19) were f*ing and blinding, despite there being several children around they seemed to think it was completely acceptable. It's so mainstream now I don't think a lot of youngsters even think wearing these clothes/using that language.

So it's ok for me to wear my "I've Found Jesus! (he was taking a shit all this time!)" T shirt today, is it? And tomorrow i'll wear "I ride the short bus because I'm special" Oh,and the next day "Christians Uphold New Testament"

Ok with everyone?

Have you seriously got nothing better to worry about

Yanbu - what SGM ^ said.

Yanbu it's inappropriate for customer facing role as well as offensive

I don't think those t-shirts are ok but you won't get people to stop wearing them if they thnk they've being funny and cool. We have no control over what strangers do but we can tell our children to AVOID THESE PEOPLE LIKE THE PLAGUE - never go for a pint with them, never sleep with them and never, ever breed with them. Job done, no?

GothAnne... You're more likely to turn people off actually agreeing with you when you randomly insult great swathes of people. Isn't that the opposite of the outcome you're looking for?

I have a bit of a wicked mind, so if it'd been me, I would have been very tempted to say to my DD, 'Oh look darling! Can you read any of the words on that nice man's top? That's right, doggy! Well done! Bitches....ooooh, I'm not sure what that means, my love. It's a bit confusing, isn't it? [then to the shop assistant] What does your top mean, dear? Sophie here (or whatever her name is) is just learning to read, she's soing so well, and it's so important for her to make sense of the world around her, she reads everything wherever we go, you know. So could you just explain to her what that means, love? Is it something to do with your pet?'

I am going to be terrible by the time I'm 70.

I never understand the "haven't you got anything better to worry about" replies - OP never said this was the Biggest Issue Ever

If I saw the t-shirt in the street (on a person, not just randomly floating about) I'd roll my eyes, but somebody serving customers, yes I'd probably write an email or something. Not appropriate for work. Plenty of other t-shirts around.

I wouldn't give the wearer the satisfaction of taking any notice of their nonsensical and immature garb, least of all draw a child's attention to it. Ignoring them is the very best barb, I think. Using passive aggressive methods just sound silly and a bit cowardly to me.

Raven you know you have to tell us the cradle of filth slogan, don't you :o

fuzzpig... Yes, I missed that - workwear, not at all appropriate and I'd complain too, then and there if the manager was available, quietly and in private.

I loved Tool in my dim and distant youth - I saw them at the Astoria they were brilliant

I used to have a Sisters of Mercy T Shirt that said something offensive about Jesus (although I can't remember what it said and it wasn't as bad as Ravens)

I'm a bit now when I think back. Very teenage to wear something so purposefully offensive. The music's great but luckily most people grow out of being adolescents. I certainly wouldn't have expected to be allowed to wear it for work.

I find the T-Shirt in the OP more childish than offensive but it is certainly not ok to be worn for work where you will be serving the public.

There's all gun's blazing, I want to see your manager complaining and 'Ew, that's not what I want to see out shopping on a Saturday morning.' I'd have done the latter in this case.

I did a combination of the two when the teenage twat at the deli wore a tshirt saying Arbeit macht frei and had no idea what it meant.

Who prints these t-shirts? It just reminds me of 'emperors's new clothes'... the slogans are so moronic. Even if they aren't insulting, I just don't understand the humour at all...