Kent State students disperse as Ohio National Guard troops attempt to clear the studen-led protest, which occurred on May 4, 1970 over the Cambodian incursion during the Vietnam War. Photo Courtesy of Flickr
By Abigail Heinmeyer
We live in society infused with a cultural attention deficit disorder; a time of constant page-refreshes and updates, where five minutes makes a story old news. Having 15 seconds of fame has gone from being exceptional to normal, yet it corrupts the minds of so many. This twisted obsession with catching the public’s ever wandering eye has inspired numerous acts of juvenile (and often idiotic) decisions.
It is in this competition for a glimpse of the spotlight that so many have been pushed off of the edge of rationality — a place that Urban Outfitters recently saw itself speed right past.
This past week, Urban Outfitters posted a vintage Kent State sweatshirt for sale on its website. While collegiate style is nothing new, it was the twist to this particular item that sparked some controversy. Along with the university’s emblem, the pale pink sweatshirt was detailed with splatters and smears of red dye, bearing a striking resemblance to blood.
While this undoubtably violent-looking garment could be viewed as crudely inappropriate under any circumstances, it is Kent State’s infamous past that deepens the matter.
In the height of the opposition to the Vietnam War during the presidency of Richard Nixon, young people across the country protested against the Cambodian incursion in which U.S. and South Vietnamese troops tried to destroy North Vietnamese reinforcements. Protests errupted around the country shortly after the news became public.
On May 4, 1970 at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, a terrible event of American history took place. Because of a large, and (what leaders perceived as) potentially violent, student-led protest against this Cambodian campaign of the Vietnam War, the Ohio National Guard was called in by Governor Jim Rhodes to help maintain the peace.
Though the students were unarmed, violence broke out between the protesters and the authorities sent to contain them. By the end of the day, four students had been shot and killed, marking what is now known as the Kent State Massacre. It was one of the few times that U.S. citizens have been killed by American troops on American soil.
In the face of outrage over the attempted sale of the sweatshirt on Monday, Sept. 15, Urban Outfitters’ executives released an apology via Twitter, stating that “It was never [their] intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at Kent State in 1970 and [they] are extremely saddened that this item was perceived as such.”
The store added that the red splatters were simply meant to add to the vintage look and “are discoloration from the original shade of the shirt and the holes are from natural wear and fray.”
Whether this debacle was intentional or not, numerous individuals feel insulted by the company. No one shares this sentiment as much as those at Kent State.
In a statement released on the same day, Kent State responded to the situation and sale of the sweatshirt. “We take great offense to a company using our pain for their publicity and profit,” the statement read. “This item is beyond poor taste and trivializes a loss of life that still hurts the Kent State community today.”
Alongside the students of Kent State, students at Fordham were also outraged.
“I think that it is a very insensitive and tasteless thing to do. Events such as the Kent State shooting should never be taken lightly, and that is what the sweatshirt does,” Kathleen Towne, FCRH ’15, said.
Others feel deterred from shopping at the store. Like many Fordham students, Ashely Krammer, FCRH ’17, has been drawn to Urban Outfitters’ “vintage and bold style” in the past. However, with its recent displays of insensitivity, Krammer states “Now, maybe I will think again before I shop there.”
Confusion was also a common response. After seeing the controversy on the news, Joe Moresky, FCRH ’17, simply did not understand Urban Outfitters’ logic. “I think the most surprising aspect, for me anyway, is that no one at the company raised any objection,” he said.
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the garment was the Kent State Massacre, and to claim that that was not what they had in mind and that they had people green light this, shocks me a little,” Moresky added.
However, this is not the first time that this particular store has made headlines. Urban Outfitters has a long history of offensive apparel, such as a shirt reading “Eat Less,” which sparked outrage and boycotts from celebrities such as Sophia Bush.
So how much is too much?
While one — possibly two —public controversies might be deemed forgivable, when do we declare enough? And how do accept an apology from a company that has been so undoubtably brazen in the past?
This then begs the question, was the Kent State sweatshirt a simple mistake, as the company claims, or was this just another one of Urban Outfitters’ bold PR stunts?
We will most likely never know the answer, but either way Moresky is not far off in stating, “I expect a little bit more.”
Abigail Heinemeyer, FCRH ’17, is a communication and media studies major from Bethel, Connecticut.
__________
