Does America rely on criminals?
 

Lemme explain.

I walk through the mall today, and I probably notice 5-6 stores that openly display t-shirts, wall hangings and door covers that have marajuana leaves on them.

In a country where Marajuana is illegal, it seems part of us needs these things to show which side of the fence we stand on.

Now what really bothers me is that it's almost amazing how much America depends on this negative image. Not so much just drug-related things.

We watch movies where drugs, sex and violence run rampant. Our news covers only the most gruesome sex offenders and violent criminals. Without them, we would just be watching the weather for 30 minutes.

It seems to me we need those negative individuals to understand our own normality in the scheme of things. As if society in America relies on criminals to keep the base of it in what is "normal".

I dont even know if that makes sense.....someone agree with me?

yup i agree with ya man.

So many movies about WEED and stuff.. eventhough it is illegal.

Its becuase its a basic nature of humans to want what we cant have. Look at that whole gay guy scenario. Stereotype is that all the woman dig him. You could come up with a million excuses, hes sensative, hes caring, he has good taste, but all in all, hes gay. Look at children, they dont want anything until they cant have it. I rest my case.

where would shows like cops n america's most wanted be without criminals?

what about law and order or CSI?

tv would suck.

It just blows me away how I could buy a shirt that says "I smoke marajuana" and have leaf graphics on it, but if I actually smoke it, I'm a criminal.

If its illegal, then make everything about it illegal. Don't encourage those who don't do it for Christ sakes. Its hypocritical.

the thing is that they cant make it all illegal cause it's just a shit. i understand what you're sayin and i kinda agree but i dont think a tshirt with a pot leaf really makes anyone smoke pot. if you are buying the shirt you probably already do smoke so it doesnt really matter.

i dunno about everything else but its still doesnt seem like a big enough thing with just pot.

Art imitates Life.

Life imitates Art.



Americans feed off of Pain.

Freedom of expression. I could wear a shirt saying "I rape 8 year old girls and eat their parents' bloody corpses", and you couldn't do anything about it, as long as its in a public place.

The very thing that gives you the freedom to express yourself, gives that same freedom to pot smokers (imagine that!) :D

They can ban pot itself, but the expression of ideas conveyed through any medium, including t-shirts, is untouchable.

I don't smoke pot, or do any kind of drugs - never did and never will - but it doesn't bother me at all that people can wear pot t-shirts if they want to.

Word!

Nefir speaks the truth.

People have to remember that America was founded by rebels and populated by people from all over the world who weren't happy with the rules at home. The Constitution, and Bill of Rights basically try to establish an ordered society with as few rules as possible.

I'm not so much bothered by it. The pot thing is just an example.

I do smoke weed occasionally, I don't wear *any* clothing or other insignia that would define me as a pot smoker.

I think it just bothers me that companies profit off of crap like that.

I want to make a shirt with heroin baggies and needles all over it, and see if it sells.

When it comes to sex and violence, I'm desensitized as hell. I haven't been sheltered, but I can't honestly say I'm better or worse for it.

What gets me again is the media. It eats up sex and violence, spits it out every night. Its not informative and objective, its almost condescending and lecture like. I don't know.

Like I said, its like Americans need that negative image to feel better about its own image.

Its the theory of putting someone down to bring yourself up.

I'm shocked. Make a tshirt illegal? There's this thing, I'm not sure if you've ever heard of it, it's a pretty good read. It's called the Constitution of the United States. Some great stuff in there. You should check it out some time when you have time to do something besides watch TV and moralize about how people choose to express themselves.

Uh... what?

Commercial corporate America is very much in the business of selling fear, greed, lack and inadequacy into the masses so that they can accept products to fill up the weaknesses they've created.

Like all the huge tits that all the new female performers have or the previous thread on 8-15 year old thongs and skimpy bikinis, or the 20453452 various exercise devices that promise YOU having PERFECT ROCK SOLID MUSKLS for just 10 MINUTES A DAY and getting all the SEX you want for only 3 payments of $19.95 a month and if you ACT NOW you get this FREE...

you get the point.

Don't make the tshirt illegal, legalize the weed. That would be toward the "just and true" freedoms we're supposed to have.

The reason they have those shirts n stuff is because smoking pot makes you cool. Man, I know. I used to be a geek. Within five seconds after my first hit, I was the third most popular person at school!

Would be interesting to pose that question to some of the Worlds Leaders and compare responces.

A very interesting topic ... I might throw it around a few friends.

Yeah, it seems like this country feeds off of fear. I wish it didn't but it does seem to. What I don't understand is your tie in to pot T-shirts. I always so them as a form of political protest (one that even the bearers may not really understand they are doing, but that's at least part of the intent weather they realize it or not)

I think that the single best thing that could be done for this country is the end of the "war on drugs" I mean, come on are there ever turf wars over Jack Daniels?

the greatest producers of crime are poverty and fear, and we have a lot of both. (oh, in this particular example poverty isn't about what you have, its about what you have compared to your neighbors)

It's kind of ironic that they come here make their own screwed up rules and impose it on others.

In sociology I believe the functionalist (correct me if I'm wrong it's been a while) perspective takes the view that every part of society shares an interdependence with every other part, so that yes, crime is a crucial part of society, it actually keeps things in balance! I'm not saying this is my view, but it does kind of relate to what you've said about america relying on criminals. As for the whole dope thing, yeah it's pathetic really but people will do anything to make a buck and it's those bastards at the head of such clothing lines that are probably the real criminals...

Read: prohibition. And I'm sure there are still tons of people for it.

I'm not sure where I was going with the pot thing, it just annoyed me more than anything else. Someone profiting off of something that is supposed to be negative image in the eyes of the lawmakers.