A Series of Tubes

August 9th, 2006 by katherine

By now, net neutrality opponent Senator Ted Stevens’ comments bizarrely describing the Internet as a series of tubes that can become clogged have attained near-infamous status in certain tech-savvy circles. (You can read Stevens’ comments, here, or watch Jon Stewart take the piss out of them, there.)

Last week, a friend made me aware of these tee shirts, hand printed by gen-u-ine West Philadelphia activists. Proceeds from sale of the shirts go to support media activism and digital divide groups in Philly, so you know it’s a good cause. Personally, I can’t get over the shirts’ genius conjunction of imagery and message; it has what the French would call a certain “I don’t know what.” Perhaps it’s the residual teenager in me, but there’s something irresistibly subversive about replying to a crusty old senator with a diagram of lady bits. Beyond, or maybe above that, I think the shirts’ creators are way smart to work the connection between feminism and a free media.

Anyway, I’ll be wearing mine to work the moment it arrives.

char-on-pink_11.jpg

 
SMITH Magazine

SMITH Magazine is a home for storytelling.
We believe everyone has a story, and everyone
should have a place to tell it.
We're the creators and home of the
Six-Word Memoir® project.