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[NYCmetsfan]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/.../zara-stops-selling-holocaust-shirt/14671937/

Fashion retailer Zara has pulled a toddler's shirt after people complained online that it looked like a Holocaust prisoner's uniform.

"We honestly apologize. The T-shirt was inspired by the sheriff's stars from the Classic Western films and is no longer in our stores," Zara tweeted Wednesday.

@zh1nt0 We honestly apologize, the T Shirt was inspired by the sheriff’s stars from the Classic Western films and is no longer in our stores
— ZARA (@ZARA) August 27, 2014

The shirt has blue and white stripes and the word "sheriff" over a yellow star on the front.

"The Zara version sports horizontal rather than vertical stripes. However, the shirt bears a large six-pointed star on the upper-left section, in the exact place where Nazis forced Jews to wear the Star of David," according to Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper.

Tweeters criticized the Spanish company for its insensitivity.

"Someone at @ZARA is about to get fired.. and their boss.. and their boss... #disgusting," one person tweeted.

"Think Holocaust is fashionable? This is a total disgrace," someone else tweeted.

It's not the first time Zara has faced criticism for poor judgment. In 2007, the retailer pulled a handbag with a swastika design. (Swastikas are also historically known as a religious symbol for peace in Buddhism and Hinduism.)

Zara also came under fire this month for a T-shirt with the phrase "White is the new black" on the front, which some read as racially insensitive.

some of their other hits

Also, from their response in Hebrew?

The exact Hebrew word is “ויושמדו.” While it can also be translated as “will be destroyed,” hashmada is the exact word used to describe the Nazi genocidal practices – for example, Mahanot haHashmada, extermination camps. And since this is the precise issue on which the apology is being offered, few Israeli readers would miss the connotation. You’d think Zara would take the time to thumb through a thesaurus, or something.

http://972mag.com/nstt_feeditem/zara-apologizes-says-yellow-star-shirts-will-be-exterminated/

Good job!

 

[pj]

why would the sheriff wear prison stripes?

 

[Dictator93]

I will admit, their tactless response got a chuckle ut of me with the last line.

Completely tasteless though.

why would the sheriff wear prison stripes?

It does look like that actually...

 

[RevoDS]

That has to be on purpose, some kind of joke by a bored employee.

It's unfortunate, but actually hilarious at the same time that they'd be so inconsiderate.

 

[speculawyer]

I heard about this on the radio and figured someone was exaggerating things . . . but . . .

Holy shit!

How did that get approved?

 

[sixteen-bit]

how tone deaf u gotta be?

 

[Fuchsdh]

Looks like they just took a normal striped shirt and added the badge.

I don't think they were intentionally going for anything here. It's just a bad coincidence.

 

[MacNille]

This is hillarious. Didn't someone say to the design team that it looks like a holocaust shirt?

 

[DECK'ARD]

Oops

 

[Cagey]

I heard about this on the radio and figured someone was exaggerating things . . . but . . .


Holy shit!

How did that get approved?

I clicked on the thread and was expecting to go "meh really" and then saw the picture in the OP and burst out laughing at how absurd the shirt is. So much worse than I expected.

 

[dani_dc]

I can only guess that someone suggested this as a tasteless gag, some ignorant higher ups thought it was a good design not realizing it's significance, and then no one had the guts to go "... guys, really?" in fear of being fired.

That's the only explanation that I can even come up with for this to make sense.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

"Woah, it's just like it but the stripes are much closer together, horizontal rather than vertical and, you know, it's not a shirt.

But woah right?"

Ridiculous conclusion jumping. Some people just love to find something to complain about.

 

[OG Kush]

some of their other hits

Whats wrong with this? Why do westerners get so uppity about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/卍

Its a religious symbol, that just because the Nazis used it, has no evil significance.

 

[studyguy]

Looks like the laziest of designs, just like every other baby shirt.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

This is far closer to the uniform in question:

But you know what? I bet this is just a blue and white stripey garment with absolutely zero ill intent too.

 

[Mr.Pig]

Not even a slight resemblance.

 

[Truant]

For comparison.

 

[LevelNth]

Absurd overreaction. Or, par for the course nowadays.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Whats wrong with this? Why do westerners get so uppity about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/卍

Its a religious symbol, that just because the Nazis used it, has no evil significance.

It has a lot of significance in the west now. You can't just forget about that and pretend the Nazis didn't appropriate it

 

[Member876]

why would the sheriff wear prison stripes?

1. Panel: In USA
3. Panel: Back home. Jewish people are still forced to wear star in US.

 

[Mr.Pig]

This is far closer to the uniform in question:

But you know what? I bet this is just a blue and white stripey garment with absolutely zero ill intent too.

Disgusting. Burn it! ;-)

 

[CornBurrito]

Whats wrong with this? Why do westerners get so uppity about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/卍

Its a religious symbol, that just because the Nazis used it, has no evil significance.

Symbols are like language. Meanings can change with time and location. Sorry but in the western world the Swastika is unacceptable.

 

[moggio]

It's obviously a sheriff's badge, not a Star of David.

A very lazy design though.

 

[John Kowalski]

That's kind of unfortunate, it's a cute piece of clothing.

Whats wrong with this? Why do westerners get so uppity about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/卍

Its a religious symbol, that just because the Nazis used it, has no evil significance.

Symbols are given meaning (significance) through their use and the associations given to them, it's remarkably naive to believe that the Nazi movement didn't infuse that symbol with their own beliefs, and by the rest of the world by what they believed the Nazis meant with it.

 

[strafer]

I don't see it.

 

[Corronchilejano]

What's wrong with the purse?

 

[Onemic]

Seems like this has less to do with the stripes and everything to do with the star on the side.

What's wrong with the purse?

has a swastika on it

 

[backflip10019]

I see a striped shirt with a sheriff's badge on it. Not sure why there's outrage over this.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

I don't see it.

I see a striped shirt with a sheriff's badge on it. Not sure why there's outrage over this.

Really? You can't understand? You see no resemblance?

 

[frankie_baby]

Sorry but there is just no comparison between them, it's just outrage for the sake of outrage, zara shouldn't have taken them off the shelves

 

[mantidor]

Symbols are like language. Meanings can change with time and location. Sorry but in the western world the Swastika is unacceptable.

This is exaggerated, I get symbols changing meanings but banning symbols altogether is absurd.

Besides, we live in a globalized world, far more people associate swastikas with Buddhism than with nazis. We should stop being so eurocentric.

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

Really? You can't understand? You see no resemblance?

Some people don't seek out offense through shapes and clothing patterns.

 

[Sub_Level]

If they took off the star it would be fine.

Why would they do that lol

Some people don't seek out offense through shapes and clothing patterns.

The Star of David is on the shirt. It's not really an interpretation thing.

 

[Ultima_5]

Whats wrong with this? Why do westerners get so uppity about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/卍

Its a religious symbol, that just because the Nazis used it, has no evil significance.

Because it was a symbol that a group decided to use to to represent them while they exterminated my people. That's why I get so 'uppity'

 

[Bomber Bob]

Ok that shirt is pretty tasteless.

I doubt the designer actually knew the meaning of it (kids these days knows shit about stuff) but still

 

[speculawyer]

I don't see it.

No?

They did get the stripes in the wrong orientation.

 

[frankie_baby]

If they took off the star it would be fine.

Why would they do that lol



The Star of David is on the shirt. It's not really an interpretation thing.

I wasn't aware Judaism had a monopoly on six pointed stars

 

[TUSR]

I see a sheriff's badge and horizontal equally spaced stripes. the placement and size of the star i think is the problem.

 

[Krauser Kat]

does the star of david have balls at the end of its points?

they could have made a way less ambiguous shape for the badge but this is just a hilarious clash of tension and thoughtlessness.

 

[Sub_Level]

I wasn't aware Judaism had a monopoly on six pointed stars

"It's just a coincidence guys."

Yeah ok reptile.

 

[sploatee]

I wasn't aware Judaism had a monopoly on six pointed stars

We copyrighted them. You can use them for a small fee!

 

[ComputerMKII]

There is no such thing as bad publicity, I guess

 

[frankie_baby]

Because it was a symbol that a group decided to use to to represent them while they exterminated my people. That's why I get so 'uppity'

Then maybe it's time to let people take the symbol back to its real meanings

 

[frankie_baby]

"It's just a coincidence guys."

Yeah ok reptile.

I do hope that was some meme that I didn't get

 

[Alebrije]

The shirt is ugly.

 

[robotzombie]

The Star of David is on the shirt. It's not really an interpretation thing.

A Sheriff's Badge is on the shirt. It's not really an interpretation thing.

 

[poppabk]

Seems like this has less to do with the stripes and everything to do with the star on the side.

A search on Google does not lead to any images of people in concentration camp uniforms with stars on them. Some have nothing, others a downturned triangle, but no star.
Edit: I see an image above with stars in the same location.

 

[backflip10019]

Really? You can't understand? You see no resemblance?

I can see how some people are forcing it in their minds to look like it. But if I were to see that in a store or on a child, I'd in now way come to that conclusion myself.

 

[Kurita]

Ridiculous backlash...

 

[Corronchilejano]

Then maybe it's time to let people take the symbol back to its real meanings

I don't think that'll be quite possible for the next hundred years. There're still living holocaust survivors you know.