Too politically incorrect?

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OUEngineer

500+ Posts
So, many of you may remember that I'm permanently disabled. Have been since birth. My sister has the same syndrome. We both live fairly normal lives -- her more than me, but I'm not bitter.

We were talking over Labor Day weekend and came up with an idea. I've been running this by friends to get feedback. I am friends -- virtually, anyways -- with several folks on here, so I decided to run this idea by you guys, too.

CripTees.

These would be t-shirts/hats/bumper stickers that attempt to lighten or remove the awkwardness attached to the mentally and physically challenged, such as me.

Early t-shirt ideas include:

"Gimme all your $, I'm a real crip."
"I'm not a tard, but play one on television."
"Stop yelling at me. I can't walk, but I'm not deaf."
"Please give to charity. No, seriously, I need the $."

Do you think this would be over-the-line? I think if I set-up at the Fair, I'd make good $, but might also run the risk of catching a lot of flak.

Please give me some honest opinions.
 
I don't know what to say. I'm sure there are people who would find it harmless and amusing, but I am equally sure it would offend some, too. What percentages, I could not guess.

So I'm afraid I'm no help, although I can tell you I am in the "harmless and amusing" camp.

For the record, I had no idea you were disabled since birth. I just thought it was because you are a Sooner!
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i think the concept - to put people at ease and relax more around disabled people - is a fantastic idea.
but i'm with texanne - i think some people would totally miss the boat.
you're pretty amazing for having the attitude that you have.
 
If it's someone with a disability wearing it I think it would be viewed how it's intended. The problems will arise when someone who doesn't have any disability's wears one of them. At that point I think they would become offensive to anyone with a disability and the family and friends of people with disabilities.
You can test market them youself. Use Cafe Press to make a couple and wear them out and see what sort of response you get. Then have someone who doesn't have a disability wear one out and see what sort of response they get.
Best of luck.
 
If you want to do it, go for it. Political Correctness is totally ridiculous. If you get a laugh or a dollar out of it that is all that matters. You aren't forcing anyone to wear it, admire it or buy it.
 
I think the concept is good, but I don't much like any of the phrases you've created.


This may be just me, but another possible problem with this is the tension between making people at ease/amused and the appearance of saying "hey, look at me and how spunky I am handling my disability!" There's something cloying and annoying in the latter. Also, wearing such gear may suggest that a person's disability is indeed the primary statement of identity for that person.

For example, you could have chosen the handle "OUDisabledGuy," but you chose OUEngineer. The OU part comes first, then whatever you choose second seems to state how you see yourself in a general way.

But I ramble too much on the negative of the subject. The concept of making people at ease with a disability is a very good one and addresses something that is really there (I don't need to tell you that). I'm not sure a bumper sticker or tee shirt is the way to do it.

I've been wrong before. I'd love to see other ideas you have for phrasing as you develop them. Maybe:

"Don't be shy, I'm sexually active and adorable."

"Life is more than legs."

"I don't need legs to kick your ***."

I don't know. Just tossing stuff out there. But I'll want my cut.
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Texanne -- My disability came up last year when I had my car accident.

ADMIRAL -- Thanks.

RomaVista, some of your slogans were good. I like the one about "life w/o legs .." Nice.

Your statement about being so self-identified with being disabled is actually true, to a degree. People simply don't understand how much my disability plays a part in how I interact with others, how I do things on a daily basis, and just my general approach to life. How could they?

I see what you're saying, though, that there is a danger with that becoming too self-serving. Perhaps this idea is proof of that, even if unintentional. Truth be told, my sister and I have always made fun of ourselves and our relationships with others. This business idea was a natural outgrowth of that part of our life journey.

The "Stop yelling at me ..." slogan stems from the countless times I am approached by some mid-thirtysomething who feels a need to almost scream at me. As a kid, my mom had to act as the dialogue police when this would happen. If left to my own devices, I'd have yelled back the exact slogan above to the other person. Looking back on it, I get a chuckle, but this STILL happens on occasion.

I agree that the "non-afflicted" (my term) wearing the shirts may spark some conflict, but if my market is limited to my fellow tards and I, my profit potential is pretty capped. LOL..
 
If you want a serious answer, you may have to question those with similar conditions to see how many find the message offensive. If you want the usual answer from around here, you probably offend more decent human beings wearing your Sooner cap than any of those proposed t-shirts.
 
How'd you know I was wearing my Sooner cap? Damn, you.

There is actually a sick irony in your suggestion, accuratehorn. From the time we were little, we were raised around no one else who was disabled. I never had a single tard friend at school or otherwise, unless we count my sister. Same holds true for my sister. In fact, as time wore on, we grew to RESENT others with handicaps. Seriously. Our mom didn't encourage it, but since we were never in special-ed, it was natural. We didn't go around making fun of the kid with Down's, but I cannot deny that I felt more connected to the 'normal' kids (to a degree).

I'm older now and realize how stupid that mindset is, but I still don't hang with anyone who is also handicapped..
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On a related note. My step sister just had a double masechtomy. She's in her 30's. Is now in chemo and has lost her hair and is wearing biker bandanas.

She just bought a tee shirt from a company that donates part of their proceeds to cancer research that says "Yes they're fake. My real ones tried to kill me."

We all got a chuckle out of it. Shows her spirit.
 
I don't think it would be offensive, I think most people would think it's funny and not take it too seriouslly.

"My mind works just fine, thank you."

There's got to be something you could throw in there about Roosevelt... I keep thinking about one of my students who wears a t-shirt that says "My President is BLACK." Maybe you could do "My president is a crip" I dunno...

You'd make millions if you could get Stephen Hawking to wear one....
 
I seem to recall a TV commercial quite a few years back by mass mutts or washingtoncovia or some sort of financial planning racket that had an actor who stuttered and couldn't communicate with ease. The actor then went home and sat down in front of a computer and the words were just flowing from his/her fingers and the message was something along the lines of "So you can handle what life throws at you". Well, people with speech issues went ballistic and refused to back down even when it was explained to the public that the architect of the commercial was himself challenged by stuttering and thought of the message in nothing but positive terms.

I remember being exasperated with the PC crowd at that point while I am bristling a little at the use of the word "tard". You see, my daughter has issues which don't fall neatly into definitions or classifications. According to the county and state, she fits their definition of being mentally retarded (yeah, I know). I'd just as soon we delete certain words like nigger and chink and spic and gook and tard. They are words of division and I think you can accomplish your goal (which I think is very cool) without words of division. Hey, even GoatRopers Need Love Too!

Btw, the girl is now attending public high school as a senior. She is absolutely loving it despite her very great and probably real fears about going to the big school. She is learning to navigate the mass transit system and will be getting a bona fide job in the very near future. She visited one of her SA buddies in Austin this past weekend at the buddy's apartment and came home with even more empowerment.

I know that had little to do with the thread, but I enjoyed writing it down.

My hypocrisy is easily explained for all the reasons that are obvious to anyone who might read it, but it highlights the fact that you can't even count on a consistent response from the same person.
 
All I can offer is a few more ideas..........

"My penis still works, in case you were wondering."
"Hey baby, wanna change my diaper?"
"Don't feel sorry for me, I get tons of sympathy ***."
"Aggy in disguise."
"Kiss me, I'm Irish........and handicapped."
"Chicks dig slobber."
"I forgot to charge my chair, someone give me a push."
"Why don't liquor stores have wheelchair ramps?"
"Nickleback fan"
"Somebody pinch me! Above the waist."


And I say go for it if you want. Make some money, and freak out the politically correct a-holes. It's a win win.
 
alt, some of those are allsome. The "punch me ..." one had me rolling, literally.
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NickDanger, really appreciate your perspective. Yea, I realize use of the word 'tard' isn't always the nicest thing, but my sister and I have come to think of it as a term of endearment. That's awesome to hear your daughter gaining some independence. She probably has more than I do, actually. I couldn't go to SA by myself, that's for sure.

I have registered the domain name, criptees.com. It isn't active, but just doing it before someone can scoop me.
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You might never have to buy a beer if you wheeled into the neighborhood bar wearing the "I don't need legs to kick your ***" t-shirt. That would be hilarious.
I think most people like a self-depricating sense of humor, although some would find it a bit strange.
 
We took her up to her buddy's place on the way to the Tech game. She didn't go by herself. They just hung out together. There are really some very cool programs available now that you might not have had access to.

We've been fierce in our efforts to always keep her self-esteem as high as possible and we haven't been about to let some silly words get in the way. Now that you are mature, you can be comfortable with the hand you have been dealt if you choose to. She's not growed up yet enough to handle ostracism. Hearing someone call her a name would absolutely devastate her. She doesn't even really grasp the whole concept of mental retardation because we've never used those words. She just knows she has trouble learning things, but she is one perservering person.

Anyway, I think your idea is great, but I also think you would do best to drop "tard" from the T-shirt vocabulary.
 
OUEngineer, life is what you make of it. Never let your problems get you down. If you can inspire others and feel better by doing this, go full steam ahead.

I remember when I was living in Jester at UT back in the 80s. There was a wing of rooms that were specially equipped for the handicapped. Those guys kept up a good attitude. I remember that they had their own informal fraternity and called themselves the Gimps. Those guys were always inspirational to me because they could keep up their spirits in spite of being in a difficult situation.
 
How about-"Try Walking a Mile in MY Shoes?"
Really, you can wear those shirts and get away with it, and more power to you, but I wouldn't wear one because I could easily offend someone in a big way, and I wouldn't want to do that. If I knew it was OK, for instance you were having a tailgate party or fundraiser or such, I would wear one.
 
This seems to be more of an exercise in self-expression, or self-acceptance on your part and that's fine. When you make public t-shirts, however, that talk about "crips" or "tards" or "give me money cuz I'm really handicapped" you denigrate, degrade, and dishonor many good people who do not share your "enlightened" views on this egregious "in your face" assault, an assault masquarading as some kind of distorted public service announcement.

You may think this is humor; many would not.

But I'm funny that way. I would also find it distasteful if blacks would be sporting t-shirts with various N-word sayings.
 
Maybe you could have a "friends of Crips" section... Stuff like,

"Would you think I was cute if I was handicapped?"

or

"I heart gimps"



I was just reminded about a shirt...The Link

Kinda along the same lines, maybe not so offensive?
 
hahaha... I was visiting the life skills rooms today at my school and noticed one of the pretty severe kids wearing a durex condoms shirt. I giggled... the teacher down there told me the kid wears it alot b/c the parents think it's funny. Nothing's quite as effective in advertising birth control...
 
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