Godless jeans a hit in Sweden
6 August 2008 by Stardust
Swedish Designer Bjorn Atldax, who claims to be a devout anti-Christian, created the logo on Cheap Monday jeans with the intention of making Christians angry. (The logo is a pretty lame illustration of a skull with an upside-down cross.)
LINK: Swedish Designer Makes Waves With Satanic Jeans
He also plans to come up with an anti-Hindu logo as well as other religions, except for Islam because he says there are already enough anti-Islamic sentiments. I think he is just afraid of the outrage and potential for violence from the Muslims in Europe and elsewhere.
On one hand, this might not be such a good thing to intentionally anger the religious. One might say that we are angered all the time with religion shoved in our face at every turn. But when Christians put their symbols out there, it really isn’t to anger anyone. It’s just to try to win more converts to their religion. If we want to make people stop and question their beliefs, is this really the way to go about it? Then again, just wearing the atheist red A, or the American Atheist atomic symbol would be enough to anger most god believers.
What are your opinions about being this antagonistic toward Christians and other varieties of god believers?
6 August 2008, on 11:27 pm
Stardust:
I think a lot of the display of religious iconography IS to upset others. There’s way too many KKKristians who are cheerful about destroying Islam these days and I don’t even have to be told about them Krrrrazzy hajis. Btw, pissing off the Hindus might not be the best idea in the world, there are somewhat fewer of them then there are muslims, but they’re pretty much one nationality–that’s a big group to pick a fight with.
7 August 2008, on 12:05 am
By the by, Stardust…
it seems this story goes back to 2005; which was finally brought home by reading some of the comments on the Beliefnet page, and noticing the dates.
WTF…”Deja Fooh!…all over again”? Or, am I missing something. And where, by the way, are those jeans actually manufactured?
Let me guess! (cue GifS chorus…2,3,4)…
CHINA?
Personally, the mention of the designer being in Sweden [I'm Swedish on my dad's side] started me wondering whether my own atheism might somehow have a subtle genetic source. The other 1/2 Irish roots from my mom’s side certainly gave me my heavy-duty Catlick upbringing…i.e…
my dad’s less dogmatic…”mamby-pamby”(?)…Lutheran, roots had to give way to the MUCH heavier Irish/Catholic ass kissing…(whether literal, or not)?
I certainly went through a lot of pschizoid-like consciousness evolution on the way to my present (pschizoid?) anti-religious/atheist/profoundly skeptical state of mind.
If I REALLY had money; I’d seriously consider moving to the more atheistic Sweden if the next election turns out badly…meaning…another insane, horrifying, 4 year dose of totally corrupt Rethuglicanism. Actually, if that does happen, I’ll probably be searching for access to some sort of handy, lethal…bite-down “cyanide capsules” and some clear (see-through), air-tight plastic over-the-head bags…with handy draw-string closures!
Of course, then again, it’s been over 22 years since my last quart of cheap Vodka…or medium-cheap Scotch!
Of course, there’s always…Swedish “Glug”! “Ooooh…Yummy!”
However…SERIOUSLY…I’m the only atheist “that I know of” in my family; at least with the current crop of known surviving, rather totally deluded, madcap ancestors.
7 August 2008, on 12:25 am
I saw that the article was dated 2005, however the jeans are still being sold in all sorts of styles (as well as other kids of clothing like shirts, jackets, etc.)
They can be found here at Cheap Monday at Tobi
and Karma Loop and many other places via Shop.com, Shopzilla.com
Urban Outfitters and a bunch of other places. It seems they are selling big here in the US as well.
7 August 2008, on 2:00 am
OT, but chronologically relevant: see the latest ignorant, hateful, fatuous fucktardery displayed in my local paper:
http://www.register-herald.com/letters/local_story_219224125.html?keyword=topstory
Summary: we atheists should be thankful we aren’t killed.
Is this 2008 or 1408?
FSM save me!
7 August 2008, on 8:58 am
Meh, if you really want to make an anti-Christian statement through your clothing, a lot of heavy metal T-shirts do a far better job. Just wear one for a group like Impaled Nazarene or Marduk (the latter of whose logo incorporates an inverted cross and the number 666), or that perennial crowd-displeaser, the Cradle of Filth T-shirt emblazoned with “JESUS IS A CUNT” in large, unfriendly letters on the back. As for the question of whether it’s wise to provoke the religious, that reminds me of a time a few years back when I took a trip to the States. I spent much of my time there in San Antonio (mainly because a friend was living there at the time), and one day, decided to venture out in a suitably anti-social-looking outfit that included a T-shirt for an Australian metal band called Jesus Anal Penetration. It was one of those things that seemed like a great idea until it was too late to change my mind about it - one thing I saw a lot of in the aforementioned city was large, thuggish-looking young men wearing humungous-sized crucifixes around their necks (I gather the thinking behind that was that the bigger your cross, the more you must love Jeeeeezus), and I ended up becoming paranoid that I was going to be served a colossal can of whoop-ass by one of them (if I wasn’t simply shot).
7 August 2008, on 10:04 am
Though we- and by “we” I mean those of us here in the deep end of the pool- may put out product, whether it be t-shirts, jeans, stickers, tattoos, or whatever, with an intent to anger the religious illiterati, we also understand that rational, reasonable folks, folks with a sense of humor would not be offended. So, our flung insults are really directed at a specific subset of hypersensitive (sub)humans who are probably offended at their own morning wood and who stitch their assholes tight around the stick lodged there just to prevent those vile bowel movements. It’s like; Red Cape, meet Bull, or Blood, meet Shark, or Lisa Edelstein, meet Raindogzilla. It really can’t be helped.
When I see a Salamist crescent, I am reminded of a croissandwich and more inclined to face/floor the Burger King than to Allan- that final “h” was a typo in the original. So, harm only to my waistline.
When I see a star of Dave, I see the outline of a spur, which leads me to Zosimus’ San Antonio, to Eva Longoria, to “Desperate Housewives”, to bad television shows in general, to good television shows in general, to “House, M.D.”, to, will wonders never cease, Lisa Edelstein. And Lisa Edelstein is never wrong.
7 August 2008, on 1:00 pm
RDZ - I agree with you on Lisa Edelstein and House. Great show!
As to this idea of logos. All a cross, ankh, or undetermined religious symbol really can be is a logo. It is the ultimate attempt at brand recognition. Thankfully, these stupid idols are great indicators as to the lunacy level of the person whom is adorned with said logos. Personally, I’m not much for logos. They tend to pigeon-hole people and ideas. Take the atheist “A” for example. Surely, all of us here have a variety of opinions as to a great many subjects and ideas, yet those outside of our particular sub-culture can and generally do view all of those that wear the “A” as being part of the same group. I often have to remind myself that all those who wear a cross are not necessarily a fundie dipshit. They could just like it as a fashion statement. Given, this type of fashion pisses me off but who (besides me) really gives two shits about that?
7 August 2008, on 1:04 pm
I was raised baptist and was taught - at length and often - that adversity serves only to bring one closer to the Savior.
So, it seems that at least the baptist god believers need all the adveristy they can get.
Lay on, MacDuff!
* * * *
Also, on “overheardinnewyork.com” (paraphrased):
Woman: Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
Train Passenger: Yes - many years ago. Now fuck off!
7 August 2008, on 3:49 pm
Out here in the “real” world, I make a point not to go out of my way to provoke or confront anyone for the sake of my personal definition of civility, so in-your-face-fuck-off symbols, logos, brands, et al, aren’t for me (heck, I even hate those little embroidered animals and crests on polo shirts; if I’m going to serve as advertising for a company or group, they’d better pay me).
On the other hand, other people doing it or wearing them don’t bother me - pay attention, Crackergate wackaloons - because I choose not to be bothered, provoked, or offended. I take freedom of expression very seriously even when I disagree with what and how others decide to express themselves (short of their directly or physically interfering with my individual rights, of course).
Now, crosses, crescents, and other symbols religious and not interest me in an aesthetic sense. I own and wear several crosses and crucifixes that I chose not because of what they symbolize (although my fascination with them probably stems in part from what I know about them and their history), but because of how they look. I also own crescent earrings and star (but not Star of David, come to think of it) brooches, again because I just like them.
Of course, this penchant of mine probably means that there are countless strangers out there who have seen me once and assumed that I’m either some form of xian or pagan or whatnot - but in the end I don’t really care that much about what people on the street think.
Probably because I’m otherwise pretty innocuous-looking…<:-/