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| Europe | ||||
| 'Devilish' Jeans a Hot Seller in Sweden | ||||
| 2005-12-30 | ||||
What every girl and boy wanted under the Christmas tree. Logo designer Bjorn Atldax says he's not just trying for an antiestablishment vibe. Yo must be kidding??? How could I have ever figured that out without Bjorn admitting it?!?! "It is an active statement against Christianity," Atldax told The Associated Press. "I'm not a Satanist myself, but I have a great dislike for organized religion." Sounds like a candidate for the ACLU. The label's makers say it's more of a joke ... Yeah...uh huh. Well...how about marketing jeans that symbolize Swedes as a bunch of blockhead blondes? It's all in fun?? ... but Atldax insists his graphic designs have a purpose beyond selling denim: to make young people question Christianity, a "force of evil" that he blames for sparking wars throughout history. Yes, Chief...it's the old "Christianity is a force of evil" trick. Bjorn: You are so right. Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Kim Il Sung, Saddaam Hussein...Every one an evil, nasty Christian. In more religious countries, that might raise a furious response, maybe even prompt retailers to drop the brand. You might try France. They haven't been much for organized religion for years. Not in Sweden, a secular country that cherishes its free speech and where churchgoing has been declining for decades. How about this for free speech: SAAB's SUCK!!! Cheap Mondays are flying off the shelves at 400 kronor (about $50) a pair. Makers say about 200,000 pairs have been sold since March 2004 — and little attention has been paid to the grinning skull and dark texts such as "Over My Dead Body." Even the predominant Lutheran Church of Sweden reacts with a shrug. The Lutheran Church of Sweden has as much life as Generalissimo Franco.
What about some anti-minority jeans? Would you be horrified then? "It is abundantly clear that this designer wants to create public opinion against the Christian faith ... but I believe that the way to deal with this is to start a discussion about what religion means." Yeah. That makes sense. Let's call your mother a lesbian prostitute child molester...plaster it across billboards and on jean labels...and let's use it as a place to start a discussion about what that means. Out in the parishes, however, some Christians believe that approach is too soft. "One cannot just keep quiet about this," said the Rev. Karl-Erik Nylund, vicar of St. Mary Magdalene Church in Stockholm. "This is a deliberate provocation (against Christians) and I object to that." Sounds like a lunatic religious fanatic to me.
Ya think? "No one wants to provoke Jews or Muslims, but it's totally OK to provoke Christians," he said. Yeah...if Bjorn had cajones he would have put Mohammend on the jeans eating bacon with a Star of David on his tunic. No...he knows the muslims would have done a "van Gogh" on his sorry a** and cut his throat. Some buyers have ripped off the Cheap Monday labels, or even returned the jeans once they realized what the logo represents. But such cases are very few, said Orjan Andersson, the creator of the brand, who doesn't take Atldax' message too seriously. "I don't believe in neither the devil nor God. I'm not interested in religion," he said. "I'm more interested in that the logo looks good." Henrik Petersson, 26, said he picked up his first pair of Cheap Monday jeans a few months after they were launched because he liked their punk-rocker style and the logo caught his eye. "I think it's a cool thing. It stands out from the rest," he said. "I haven't really reflected over whether there is an underlying message."
Cheap Mondays have started to sell abroad. The jeans are being shipped to Norway, Denmark, Britain, the Netherlands, France and Australia. Andersson said they're working on introducing them in the United States and elsewhere. And he did not expect the ungodly logo to get in the way. "Surely, most people understand that we are not evil people," he said, laughing. "My mom doesn't think so at least." No...evil resides in those who see the right thing to do, and refuse to do it. Your mom also told you that eating sugar will give you diabetes. And don't call me Shirley. | ||||
| Posted by:anymouse |
| #4 Please gater boy no FSU Linebaker in the SLam jokes. That wouldn't be classy. And that's, Sir Gator, to you. Thanks. |
| Posted by: Florida Gators (DragonFly) 2005-12-30 19:50 |
| #3 Cheap Monday jeans Don't ask about the Saturday Nite Specials. Please gater boy no FSU Linebaker in the SLam jokes. |
| Posted by: Leon Clavin 2005-12-30 16:40 |
| #2 How about this for free speech: SAAB's SUCK!!! ...and are only driven by liberals. |
| Posted by: Florida Gators (DragonFly) 2005-12-30 14:57 |
| #1 Methinks their muslim guests just won't be able to control themselves when they see what's on the Swedish girls tender young bottoms. "Your Honor, the devil made me do it." |
| Posted by: ed 2005-12-30 14:51 |