Here’s an old ‘news’ snippet about work and leisure:
When family rights advocate John De Graff started doing some historical research, he came across a shocking discovery — that medieval European peasants had more vacation time than modern American office workers.
De Graff, the national coordinator of Take Back Your Time Day, based his figures on the number of religious holidays peasants took off to eat, drink, and spend time with their families, and found it was about two weeks extra. He even printed up T-shirts saying: “Medieval Peasants Had More Vacation Than You.”
(thanks, Cindy)
First of all, really, is anyone surprised by this? Americans work themselves to death because they have d/evolved to do so: all those Puritans breeding with each other for generations and fixing the Work Ethic gene. This is a continent full of motivated mutants. So, you worker bees, take some time off, go find a lazy, happy peasant and breed up a storm. It’s good for you.
Second, wow, can you think of a lamer t-shirt? Uh, that’s a rhetorical question. But, okay, I’m open to suggestions for (or links to existing) really, really cool t-shirts. My current favourite: The only good language is a dead language. If someone ever felt the urge to make me one, with a cool design, I’d smile and say ‘Gimme!’
So what’s your favourite t-shirt?
Nicola Griffith 
Done. I’ll make you a t-shirt with that slogan. This one cracks me up: < HREF="http://www.threadless.com/product/696/Interpretive_Dance?streetteam=simulakra" REL="nofollow" TITLE="... Interpretive Dance - Threadless, Best T-shirts Ever">“Allow me to explain through interpretative dance.”<> I know at least two people that would jump at the opportunity to do just that, and on top of a desk, too. And will hum or sing or turn on the portable sound system they carry in their backpacks.On the street, I saw one that commanded, “Fuck Your Gender”. I thought it was neat. Also the girl wearing it.Esmeralda brought me one from Amsterdam that has the Oral-B logo, but instead reads “Oral-Me”. And one with diagram instructions on how to avoid a cop. It goes more or less this way: “1. Hide” (stick-figure hiding behind tree from stick-figure cop), “2. Run Away” (stick-figure chase), “3. Throw him a doughnut” (puzzled stick-figure cop looking at doughnut). I’m usually self-conscious and feel a little guilty when I see a cop watching me wear it. I do hope they have a sense of humor and it brightens their day more than it may ever offend them.More t-shirts… Oh, you shouldn’t have gotten me started on this. I like my “Dykesburg Diving Club: going down since 1978” (which is coincidentally the year I was born). I’m not so crazy about Esmeralda’s “I love my vibrating strap-on” one. It has a smiling Wii game control. It must be a gamer thing. It’s a hit when we go to the arcades. You have no idea how many women, especially if they are Japanese, come up to her and tell her it’s the best t-shirt ever. They also say, “It’s soooooo cuuuuute.”
You didn’t say what’s your size and preferred t-shirt style for the language thing…
“The only good language is a dead language.”You mean Latin?
When I was nine, my brothers made me a t-shirt that said: <>It ain’t fair. <> Well, it isn’t.
I saw this as a bumper sticker years ago, but it would make a nice tee shirt: “My karma ran over your dogma.”
karina, yep, I like that threadless tee. I’ve never seen anyone wear it, though. As for size and style–with threadless tees I get a girly xl–I have v. broad shoulders, big rib cage. I can squeeze into a girly large but I feel as though I’m suffocating (but K thinks it looks awesome). For ‘unisex’ tees I usually wear medium. Boys’ tees I do small. Everything is relative.evecho, any dead language: Old English, Old Irish, Pictish, Ancient Greek, Mayan. The latin translation would be <>sola lingua bona est lingua mortua<>.ssas, I know, I knowchadao, oof
My favorite T-shirt was one that said, “I’m not getting older, I’m getting bitter.” I had two of them that I wore out. Diane DiMassa’s “No Guilt” was a good’un too.The others suggested here sound good as well.
What’s my favourite t-shirt, eh? I have so many. I’ll just list a few of them. I own this one: “Dear Sir or Madam, please do not refer to me by the genitalia you think I have.”“Studies Show…that starting any sentence with ‘studies show’ makes people more likely to believe whatever nonsense you say.”For those geeks out there (like me): “I’m not slacking off, my code’s compiling.”I really have this compelling need to shout this from the rooftops, so I suppose a t-shirt would be adequate: “Explain to me again how my marriage would threaten yours.”Back in the ’90s there was a fad where people would wear shirts with “Yes I Am” on the front, and on the back, finish the phrase with something like, “Irish.” Minnesotans have a habit of saying “yep” anytime they mean yes. The queers had a brilliant idea of creating this shirt–Front: Yep I Am, Back: blank. I got so many questions, “Yep you are what?”And for those days (you know the ones I mean):“meh.”
I have a “Jesus Hates the Yankees” t-shirt. (from bustedtees.com, as I recall)And one with a picture of the White House that says “No Boys Allowed!”EEW
My favorite Tee says “Sometimes I wake up grouchy, but usually I just let her sleep.” The other says, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.”
everyone: I think we need to have a t-shirt convention.Most of my favourites are non-verbal e.g. this threadless tee (which I own but don’t have a pic of):http://tinyurl.com/5rsw5x
Favorite tees: Thisis the shirt I wear when I don’t give a crap; It’s all fun and games until the cops show up (great at parties); and my current favorite (and which gets me the most pensive glances) I don’t want to hurt you, but it’s still on my list. There’s Bad cop, no doughnut, but that’s a sticker on myhelmet. I would wear that tee if I could find it as a reminder to be good. I like my doughnuts.
anon, I think we have some of the same tastes, especially on grumpy days…
I don’t own many t-shirts other than plain ones but I love this saying (I have it as a fridge magnet)What if the Hokie Pokie <>is<> what it’s all about. (I swear it cracks me up everytime.)Year ago when I was even more anti-socia than I am now,l a friend bought me a t-shirt with “The more people I meet, the more I like my cat.” I haven’t worn it in years, but I loved it at the time.I do wear my “Got Tofu” one sometimes (I’m vegan, so no milk).Oh, and of course, one of my favorites is “The Only Bush I Trust is My Own.” I’ve never seen it as a t-shirt (and would probably never wear it myself), but I think it’s great.
nadina, I like the hokie pokie one, though, being English, I’d have to change it to Hokey cokey…
Get Bent! I stole the expression from the insane drummer in Spinal Tap and had it inscribed on my favorite tank top. But these days I’m thinking hard about making a new one, the choice being between “Wakeup America” and “Enough is Enough”.