You don’t really need to give me many reasons to avoid going into my local Walmart. For starters, there’s the people. And then there’s the people. And … OK, really it’s just the people who have made online shopping my go-to. But not even that is safe anymore, as evidenced by the fact that up until yesterday, Walmart was selling a t-shirt that read, “Rope. Tree. Journalist. SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.”
According to RTDNA, Walmart removed the product listing, which was being sold through third party Teespring.com, just 5 hours after receiving a letter from RTDNA Executive Director Dan Shelley pointing out that “at worst, [the t-shirt] openly encourage[s] violence targeting journalists.”
BUT IT’S JUST A JOKE, RIGHT? C’mon, snowflakes.
No. No, it’s not just a joke. It is both racially insensitive, as most functioning members of society know that lynching was often a form of murdering black citizens, not to mention dangerous, for as many as 37 journalists have already been physically assaulted in the United States in 2017 alone (that we know of). So GTFO with all that “It’s just a joke” nonsense.
Thanks to POTUS’s insistence on taking a giant dump all over the Constitution — specifically the First Amendment — every chance he gets, the threat to our freedom of the press is at an all-time high. And lest any cereal box historians try to shoot back with, “But the right to sell this t-shirt is covered under the First Amendment! So there!” allow me to remind them that, among a few other items, the First Amendment does not protect the following speech:
- Fighting words
- Incitement to imminent lawless action
- True threats
- Solicitation to commit crimes
I think it’s safe to say the “Rope. Tree. Journalist.” t-shirt arguably encompasses ALLLLLLLLLLL of that.
And you know what? The only thing worse than Walmart and Teespring selling these shirts is the fact that there are people of low enough mind and character to actually purchase and wear them. And, of course, defend them. The t-shirt was reportedly first spotted in 2016 at a Trump rally in Minnesota, so this isn’t anything new, either.
Apparently, promoting homicide is fun!
As for Walmart’s part in all this, a company spokesperson has promised to review other product listings through Teespring to ensure nothing else violates their policy. And in an update to RTDNA’s original report of the incident, it appears Teespring has followed suit, removing the t-shirt from its product listings as well.
After all this, I’d say that if you know a journalist, they could likely use a giant hug right about now. And vat of booze. But a hug is probably better.
God help us all.