Every time I join a sports team, go to an event, or heck, sometimes even a party, there's always someone who wants to make t-shirts. Sometimes they're free, sometimes they say "Hey guys, if we all chip in 10 bucks we can get team shirts. Wouldn't that be awesome?!" To me, league/event/party/corporate t-shirts perfectly capture everything wrong with consumer culture: 1. The idea that we need to buy something to celebrate any and every event. 2. The material waste of buying a one-time use t-shirt. I'm guilty of wearing a free t-shirt to mow the lawn, too, but how many lawn mowing shirts does one really need? I wonder how many litres of water were consumed, how much pollution created, and how many people were exploited in the creation of your free t-shirt? 3. The monetary waste. Funnily enough, the people who always suggest making free t-shirts are usually the most broke and indebted of your friends. 4. The idea that stuff will make an event better and more memorable, rather than say, the people there and the experiences you share together. 5. Forcing the burden of unwanted things onto others. I live in a very small condo, which I'm very happy with. That means I have to be selective with what I bring into my home. When you give me a free t-shirt, you're basically giving me garbage. Do you like it when people stuff your mailbox with flyers? Look, I'd love to attend your party/event/join your rec softball team. But please, don't make me a t-shirt. And for God's sake, if you insist on making t-shirts, could you make women's sizes? If I have to wear a stupid shirt can it at least be smaller than a swimming pool?
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