Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them!
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Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them! is a slogan on a popular T-shirt by Florida company David and Goliath. The slogan is printed next to a cartoon image of a boy running away from five stones flying in his direction.
In 2004, radio-host and men's rights activist Glenn Sacks started a campaign against the misandrous T-shirts, which raised national attention and led to the removal in 2005 of the shirts from several thousand retail outlets.[citation needed]
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[edit] The T-shirt and its success
The T-shirt was designed by company founder Todd Goldman, who started David and Goliath in 1999 with "Boys are Smelly" T-shirts. It now features clothes with a variety of slogans, such as "Boys tell lies, poke them in the eyes!", or "The stupid factory, where boys are made". "Boys are stupid..." has evolved into a successful object for merchandise, which includes all types of clothes, mugs, key chains, posters, etc. In 2005 Goldman published a book with the same title (ISBN 0-7611-3593-6). In 2006, it was translated and published in Russia.[1]
Goldman claims that the campaign against his company has boosted its sales. According to the Wall Street Journal, the sales volume of David and Goliath was expected to rise to US$ 100 million in 2005, up from US$ 90 million in the previous year.
[edit] The controversy and the campaign
LA-based radio host and men's rights activist Glenn Sacks initiated a campaign against the T-shirts in 2004. He claims that they are part of a general societal mood that stigmatizes and victimizes boys.[2] The company says that their shirts are meant only to be humorous.[citation needed]
The campaign against the line received support from several men's rights groups, such as the National Coalition of Free Men, but also from groups with broader agendas, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center.[3] Many critics of the T-shirts pointed out that similar slogans directed against girls or ethnic groups would be widely regarded as unacceptable. The Canadian Children's Rights Council has termed the slogan hate speech.[4] The campaign has led to the removal of the shirts by several retailers, including Bon-Macy's, and Claire's. Campaign organizers claim that they have been removed from more than 3,000 retail outlets.
Some, including the National Organization for Women, generally discount the issue as unimportant and depict Sacks as hypocritical, as they claim he publicizes anti-women views in his radio broadcast.[citation needed] Others, like San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jane Ganahl have ridiculed Sacks' efforts,[5] arguing that the T-shirts are perceived as harmless fun by children and that sexism against women is a far more widespread and substantial problem in U.S. society.
Glenn Sacks has responded that this criticism is dismissive of the feelings of boys, that the idea that boys should laugh at the joke at their expense creates a double bind for boys.[citation needed]
