Thursday, August 14, 2008

Man who makes "kick me in the balls" t-shirt is surprised when he is kicked in the balls

My friend Jayar Jackson posted this post on his Myspace blog about a retailer who made anti-Obama merchandise promoting the assassination of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and also a cute one promoting slavery of all things.

Ew. Mr. Class even has a mullet.

Anyway, the story goes, Doron Braunshtein, aka Apollo Braun (pictured left), an Israeli born douchebag has been selling his line of anti-Obama tshirts, that include violence inciting slogans such as "OBAMA IS MY SLAVE" "OBAMA=HITLER" and "WHO SHOT OBAMA?"

And so, after a woman threatened to sue him after being assaulted while wearing one of his tees, (which, if you wear trash like this, you deserve to be assaulted -- slavery isn't funny, even if you're Jewish and have been treated as badly as Black people, although the two are hardly analogous), it turns out Braun himself was assaulted on Wednesday. He claims that two big scary Black men came into his shop, shouted some shit at him, one grabbed his hands/arms and the other kicked him in the testicles.

After this deserved assault (and I have to point out that assault is almost never deserved, but, come on, when you wear a t-shirt that says "kick me in the balls" you're gonna get a foot where you least want it), Braun is reconsidering his wares while whining about how people hate him for thinking that slavery is funny.

"This is very disturbing to me that I am living in New York City and that I own a boutique for more than five and a half years [in] neighborhoods which are suppose to be the most open-minded and tolerant to any kind of art, but instead, people don't understand me, hate me and don't let me express myself the way everyone should be able to in New York."

Via Livesteez

Okay, this next bit is very important, so listen very carefully: tolerant people abhor slavery and don't tolerate people who think it's funny. It's not that they don't understand you, [M]oron, it's that you're an asshole. Even tolerant people "hate" assholes. And just because you're Jewish and experience all kinds of antisemitism doesn't mean that you can get away with racism and making racist t-shirts. Not even in New York City.

Freedom of expression is a concept that is too often abused. Yes, you have political freedom of expression. You are legally allowed to express any sentiment you want, whether it's pro-slavery, racist, sexist, whatever. Legally. However, don't fucking expect people to just laugh it off when you make a t-shirt that says "OBAMA IS MY SLAVE" and wear it on the cover of a magazine -- the real crime here though, is that this tasteless line of apparel is being sold for $69 a fucking shirt.

Moreover, there are legal limits to this concept of "freedom of expression". For instance, if you make a t-shirt that says "I'm gonna shoot Barack Obama" (which is not being alleged here, but stay with me), you're going to be arrested because you're making a threat about the likely-next president of the United States -- whether you like him or not, [M]oron -- which is illegal. In my non-legal opinion (as I have not yet studied law in a full academic setting, nor passed a bar exam in any state) making or wearing a t-shirt that says "WHO SHOT OBAMA?" is an equally violence inciting action, and this asshole should be, at the very least, kicked in the balls several more times. But, due to the First Amendment, little else can be done because someone else is just going to cry "FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION".

So let's go over this again: making and wearing these abhorrent t-shirts is not illegal (except for the questionable violence-inciting one) and you will not be arrested, ergo your freedom of expression (which appears no where in the First Amendment, by the way, I don't know if you know that) and First Amendment rights are not being infringed upon. However, if you think that people are going to patronize your place of business after this (in a very liberal city that will overwhelmingly vote for Barack Obama) you've got another thing coming. If you go out of business and cannot have children because of your so-called art, your freedom of expression is not being infringed upon still, because the market is speaking for itself. Just because you make something this sickening doesn't mean that we all have to look at it. Most of all, we don't have to buy it and deserve to shut down your establishment and make you work a demeaning 9-5 job while trying to find the time to support your art on the side.

This is not art. Making t-shirts that say disgusting things is not "expressing yourself". It's furthering concepts that promote and uphold racism both institutionalized racism and cultural racism. I mean, for god's sake, Jews and Black people need to come together and acknowledge their mutual mistreatment by the white patriarchy and work together to end racism, not work against each other to promote racism against the other group. Look, we as Jews haven't been through and don't go through the same things that Black people do -- or gays, or Muslims, or Arabs, or any other minority group -- however, the people who hate one group pretty generally hate the other with equal vehemence.

Mr. Apollo Braun needs to check his privilege. He needs to examine why people are so pissed off about his t-shirts and realize, oh hey, racism and hate isn't the way to make money. And if he still wants to make anti-Obama shirts he could at least try to be a little more clever... I mean, make fun of him in a funny way... he's got huge ears. He admits himself that he's not even close to being perfect, I'm sure there's some way this person can make anti-Obama shirts without being a fucking racist or getting kicked in the balls.

And if that fails, he might be less likely to be assaulted by wearing a t-shirt that actually says "KICK ME IN THE BALLS".

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have known enough really great artists to know that the good ones aren't full of hate. Mostly they were full of wonder.

SD

Unknown said...

I am absolutely horrified at your suggestion that a man simply wearing a T-shirt with a message on which you don't agree with should deserve a kick in the testicles. Speaking from experience, I claim that no woman can ever experience the level of pain an accurate placed kick to the testicles can produce, and for you to suggest that the wearer of the T-shirt (in your words) "should be, at the very least, kicked in the balls several more times" abhors me.
I was once kneed in the balls by a woman for wearing a message on a top after an argument followed from her disagreeing with what I had printed on it. She was with two other women and there was no sympathy from any of them while I was in absolute agony and unable to stand up. A result of feminism perhaps ?
Women should NEVER attack or make suggestions like you have about attacking testicles. This type of behaviour must stop.
I'll probably be censored with you being a feminist but at least I'll get my message across to you !

Unknown said...

I am absolutely horrified at your suggestion that a man simply wearing a T-shirt with a message on which you don't agree with should deserve a kick in the testicles. Speaking from experience, I claim that no woman can ever experience the level of pain an accurate placed kick to the testicles can produce, and for you to suggest that the wearer of the T-shirt (in your words) "should be, at the very least, kicked in the balls several more times" abhors me.
I was once kneed in the balls by a woman for wearing a message on a top after an argument followed from her disagreeing with what I had printed on it. She was with two other women and there was no sympathy from any of them while I was in absolute agony and unable to stand up. A result of feminism perhaps ?
Women should NEVER attack or make suggestions like you have about attacking testicles. This type of behaviour must stop.
I'll probably be censored with you being a feminist but at least I'll get my message across to you !

The Empress said...

Tim: be as horrified as you want, but the point remains that he was kicked in the testicles, whether any of us approves of it or not.

Furthermore, how many decisions are men allowed to make against women? Men are allowed equal say over the function of a woman's uterus -- is that fair?

Even furthermore, the people attacking this piece of human trash were men, and not women, while countless women are attacked by men each year.

And you're right, I shouldn't be advocating violence against those with whom I disagree, but I stand by my statement that this racist piece of trash got what he deserved.

The Empress said...

Hey Timmy, how many times are you gonna post that one comment?

I published your fucking comment and didn't even hesitate to do so (the first time), I published it a second time because your repetitiveness makes you look like a jackass. I won't be publishing it a third time because I have more respect for my readers than you have for me.

You've made your point and I responded to it. Now go away or say something interesting. Preferably the former.

Unknown said...

Yes I do think that it's fair that men can have an equal say over the function of a womans uterus - if a man has made a woman pregnant then of course he should have a say. Another case a man may have a say over the function of a womans uterus may be for medical reasons. In such a case it may be for her own good.
Contrast that to women kicking men in the testicles. This is of course only performed as an act of violence so I don't think that the uterus comparison is a valid one.
The woman that kneed me in the balls turned out to be a feminist who thought that my top degraded women due to what it had printed on it. I was nearly hospitalised due to her actions and suffered physical pain for several days.
You women should watch your step regarding your views on men getting kneed/kicked in the balls as some men may get angry over this, and overall we're bigger and stronger than you. Men don't have testicles to be hit in them !

Unknown said...

Rachel,
It appears that I've either upset you or possibly frightened you with my comments. I wish to apologise as that was not my intention at all. You are correct, I do have a problem with feminists, but only the 2nd and 3rd wave ones. I do blame much of their behaviours (well spooted - I'm ex UK) for many of the troubles of todays societies and there are many angry men out there due to them. I have 2 beautiful young daughters whose welfare comes above everything else in my life and hence I do see feminism as a problem. I've targeted the wrong person in you. Sorry.
I'm not an aggressive or violent man in any way and I despise thugs/rapists.
I shall not trouble you again and hope that you lead a nice life.
Best regards,
Tim

The Empress said...

Not only are your targeting the wrong person in me, you're targeting the wrong thing in blaming feminism for society's ills. Feminists have brought about a lot of change to society, but I, for one, think that those changes are good, even if they do make big scary men angry.

The thing that needs to be targeted, rather than feminists, is the tendencies in society to react to things that are different or what we don't like with violence. Such as calling me out for suggesting that violence was the appropriate answer to someone making a terribly racist shirt.

Feminists haven't caused the problems, we're just reacting to them, and since your daughters' well-being comes first for you, I assume that you have made no bones about telling them they can do whatever they want with their lives, be whatever they want, and whether they're good at traditionally female things or traditionally male things, you still love them. Feminism did that. Feminism made that possible.

I hope that you don't continue to hate feminists because some person assaulted you. We're not all like that. There are many kinds of feminists in the world, and the radical feminists (the "man-haters", who also happen to hate feminists like me because I'm pro-porn, and pro-sex-worker-rights, etc) are in the minority. My suggestion would be to go read Feministing.com, seriously and with an open mind. You'll find a lot of stuff there that, while feminist, seeks to protect men as well. You may well learn a few things.

Anonymous said...

whoshotobama.com

The Empress said...

OMG! I've been Freeped!

Anonymous said...

Obama really is a "fascist" and he's also a believer in one world communism. Also, "feminism" really is a form of "Marxism". You can check my claims out for yourself. The proof is all over the internet.