Crude or funny: What do you think of these socks sold at the UW bookstore?
Feb 15, 2016, 11:07 AM | Updated: 11:07 am
Socks sold at the University Washington bookstore have at least one person upset over the phrases that are on them. (Contributed)
(Contributed)
College is a time to be experimental. Based on a top-selling item in the University of Washington bookstore, it’s also a time to be vulgar.
The store is selling socks with phrases that can’t be published on this website. But it was enough to spark one KIRO Radio listener to write a letter to Dave Ross and Seattle’s Morning News.
Related: Ferndale’s donkey basketball games are ‘simply wrong’ and ‘boring’
In short, the author of the letter was upset by the words on the socks. He contacted the manager and owner of the bookstore, but both seemed fine with the products — the socks are a high-selling item after all.
Dave Ross said he, too, is offended by the socks. He hates seeing people walking around in public with obscenities on their clothing.
KIRO Radio’s Tom Tangney disagrees.
“I think it’s funny,” he told John Curley. “They’re college kids. Of all the problems college kids have to face…”
“Oh yeah, the college kids have a lot of problems,” Curley said sarcastically.
Though he may take issue with mass-produced anti-authoritarian clothing, Tangney said if anyone is upset by a few swear words they just need to relax. Curley says it’s one thing for someone to say it, but to have clothing that is in people’s faces is offensive. Tangney argued a silent F-word is better than a verbalized one.
“It’s crude,” Curley said. “Doesn’t [the bookstore] have some kind of standards? I’m sure it could sell other crude things and they would sell well.”
Curley had some ideas for future merchandise. We’ll let him tell you. Listen below:
