Friday, August 19, 2005

Snitch Fashion Pointers

Today we ponder the social implication of the Stop Snitch'n t-shirt craze. In case you live in the Real World, that is, the semi-mythical place where 13-year-old girls don't dress like worn out street meat, all Chevies aren't 2 inches off the ground and they don't sell ultraviolent photonovellas at the local bodega, here's the news you can use:

No matter where you live, soomewhere in your local mall you can get fashionable hip-hop t-shirts that real Stop Snitch'n. Your kids will tell you it's a hip-hop thing, and that's where it probably started. It's hard to keep up with who hates whom in Rap World these days...like trying to get all the names right on a current map of Eastern Europe. So, yes, somebody hates somebody else for dropping a dime on them...probably for "impersonating someone with talent," a felony in hip-hop.

Of course, the real message of the Stop Snitch'n t-shirts is to...stop snitching. I think this shirt from eBay says it all: Snitch Killer.

Here's the skinny from Philly:

It's one of Philadelphia's hottest - and most controversial - fashion statements: T-shirts and hats that say, "Stop Snitch'n."
Those who wear and sell the shirts say it's a style, a fad, the in-look - like Jay-Z's oversize striped, button-down shirts were a few months back.
But these shirts are far more sinister, with some picturing guns, crosshairs and messages that advise, "Don't Talk 2 Police."

The implicit threat is particularly disturbing given that witness intimidation has been repeatedly cited by police and prosecutors as a major problem in the city.
And from San Diego, Baltimore, Denver, etc.

So what does it all mean? Heck, I don't know. However, I would personally like to see a t-shirt that read something to the effect of: "Kill All Punk-Ass 'Bangers." A simple succinct message that I think 99.95% of the United States could get on board with. Maybe we can get 50 Cent to write and record the theme rap...then again, maybe not.

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