We all know the little smile that creeps across our lips when we spot a clever t-shirt slogan. Over here that pleasure is doubled by the idea that the t-shirt wearers may not know how clever they are.
Does the woman sporting “You must be over 21 to enjoy this ride” really get it? Or how about the guy whose chest says, “I’m not pasteurized?”
Because knowledge of English brings along some status, t-shirt slogans in
The English phrases sported by Thais range from silly to sexy to raunchy. My favorites to date: “Talk to young people—they know cool stuff that you don’t,” and “On a cellular level, I really am quite busy.”
Occasionally some local flavor gets mixed into the messages. I grinned when I walked by “Just do nothing,” which featured a meditation image instead of a Nike swoosh. Then yesterday a drawing of a large St. Bernard approached me. As it got closer I read this weird caption: “Welcome bird flu. I am not scared of you. I am a dog.”
1 comment:
In Zambia there is an entire industry build around people selling "Salalula", used clothing that wasn't sold at thrift stores in the US, so it was sent in big shipping containers to Zambia to be sold here. There are pros and cons to this industry to be sure, but it has meant many people are wearing t-shirts, etc. without understanding the cultural context. The ones that are crude always surprise me in this very conservative culture. For a long time I was also surprised by all the New York Yankees wear I would see, and needed to suppress my visceral baseball fan reaction!
Love from Lusaka, Heidi
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