O, the Jocularity of Unintentional Self-Satire!
(‘Jocularity’ h/t Father Francis Mulcahy on M*A*S*H*) There are times when all that’s left to do is…laugh.
‘For just $58! AOC’s ‘Tax the Rich’ sweatshirts combine socialist slogans with a capitalist price tag’, 3 Dec, 2020, RT.com
“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is known for her fiery invectives against the billionaire class. But it turns out that ‘AOC’ isn’t above a little capitalism of her own, selling ‘Tax The Rich’ sweatshirts online for a princely sum.
New York’s Ocasio-Cortez is a self-described “democratic socialist,” and probably the best known face of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing. She’s proposed hitting the wealthiest Americans with a whopping 70 percent* income tax to fund massive environmental and social spending, and led a campaign to drive Amazon from taking advantage of generous tax breaks to set up its second headquarters in the Big Apple.
As of late, however, she’s been engaging in a little capitalism of her own, selling tshirts, sweatshirts, and all manner of merchandise on her official web store. The latest additions to her line, on Twitter by Ocasio-Cortez, include clothes promoting the ‘Green New Deal’ and the cancellation of student debt, as well as sweatshirts reading ‘Drink Water and Don’t be Racist’ and ‘Tax The Rich.’
Thanks!
Preorders are open now
https://t.co/J973Ot2VAt pic.twitter.com/yY7SpOG4VD
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 2, 2020
“Though Ocasio-Cortez boasted on Wednesday that her apparel is “made in the US with dignified, union jobs paying living wages,” the price tag will likely turn off all but the most comfortable champagne socialists and limousine liberals. A ‘Tax The Rich’ shirt will set the customer back $58, plus more than $5 in sales taxes if ordered from AOC’s home state of New York.
Conservative pundits and commentators took turns ripping on AOC’s apparent conversion to the capitalist cause. “At $58.00 for a sweatshirt, you’re not taxing the rich, you’re overcharging the stupid,” one Twitter user wrote.
@hollandcourtney Dec 2
‘AOC: “Capitalism sucks!” Also AOC: “Buy my Green New Deal sweatshirt for $65!”
“The irony, however, doesn’t stop there. AOC’s ‘Green New Deal’ clothing line is made using polyester, a non-renewable petroleum-based fibre. At least if AOC gets her way and the ‘Green New Deal’ eliminates fossil fuels by 2030, shirts bought now will outlast the hemp and flaxen apparel that will surely replace them.”
There is no end to the ironies for sale in the @AOC store. #GreenNewDeal
— Christopher Bedford (@CBedfordDC) December 3, 2020
Some actual socialists on Twitter had great fun at her expense as well.
Now AOC on Twitter has 10.7 million followers; what percentage might buy her new very pricey products?
…………………………………………………….
*We can discuss how whopping 70% is…or isn’t, but it’s a bit beside the point for this satire.
Comments
When you are talking
American made w/ union labor the price is about right. Ya get what ya pay for.
I'm sure she could have sourced the fabric from Vietnam and had them made in China a lot cheaper. Imagine how that would playout.
I've been saying since the 60s, don't buy Japanese products. Which morphed into South Korean, then Chinese.
And look where we are. No jobs here for Americans.
Criticize OC all you want, but at least she put Americans to work.
Try buying a sweatshirt from Harley-Davidson.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
yes, she's putting people
to work, and profiting from it as well, lol. but note that she says: 'made in the US with dignified, union jobs paying living wages', no mention of what a living wage might be.
nor does 'made in the US' imply the origin of the fabrics;; to me 'made' means cut and sewn.
I bet those same people that are poo-pooing
AOC for the price of her sweatshirt will happily pay the same price for a sweatshirt from L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, Tommy Bahama or any other big name clothing lable.
I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.
i won't take the bet,
but iirc the RT piece had mentioned a right-wing pundit or so; you may be right about them, no way of knowing. the socialists on twitter laughing about it certainly would not, lol.
Bur if they already have money to burn why not buy hers?
But sometimes even suckers don't have the money to buy something just because of what's written or stamped on it.
That's why there are fake brand name clothing lines and they only differ in price but look just as good, or bad.
What if AOC were to dedicate a certain percentage of all sales to helping someone other than herself, like some worthy organizations that are doing what they can to help the poor, with food, rent, clothing, bills, legal problems, counseling, etc.?
They do exist due to donations, one is where I live and they help people with landlord disputes, electric bills, legal aide, food stamp problems, access to clothing donations, counseling and many other needs.
Homeless people are even given a phone number and message service to use so they can get a call back number from potential employers, or rental openings or other critical ties.
Maybe AOC does contribute to similar agencies, but honestly I doubt it or else we would've heard all about it, which I don't object to as maybe it could inspire others to do the same to support those kinds of organizations.
Because the govt. certainly doesn't do it, nor plan to do it, witnessed by the fact that these types of organizations are needed for the people.
I bought two Bernie sweatshirts
One in 2026 and 2020. They cost about the same as what AOC is selling. Both were made here in the US. Yes, I thought they were expensive, but 1) I figured the people who made it were being paid a decent wage and 2) any profit was going to a good cause. The polyester thing never occurred to me but that's standard now for sweatshirts - keeps them from shrinking.
AOC doesn't dial for dollars so I guess some might consider the profit going to a good cause. She kind of has her own support system for progressive candidates.
"The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it."
Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
somewhere i'd read how
long ago she'd begun her online store, as i'd thought jan. 2019, but her site doesn't mention it as far as i could discover.
although t the end of the FAQs:
so i guess she's her own good cause. nothing is mentioned as to other candidates, causes, but her home website sure lets us know all the good things she's doing, as does her Twitter account. ; )
but hey, this is a tough room, even for satire!
etsy (whatever that is) carries a zillion other AOC products as well, and again: no mentions of causes, etc. but as does Obomba, she does have Star Power, no doubt about that!
Jocularity
While I'm never quite sure what to make of AOC, one thing I do know is that whenever I encounter the word jocularity, I instantly think of that MASH episode! Everytime I see it, or even think of it, I have to laugh aloud. In fact, before reading even one word below your title, I was already laughing.
@travelerxxx Was that the name of an
Was that the name of an episode?
For some reason, it makes me think of Charles (?) or Frank ?
I think Ive seen every episode at least once when I was a kid. The great neon babysitter...
No, it was Father Mulcahy
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
Jamie Farr on it.
I'm sure there was an episode name, but I don't recall it. Here's a video link to Jamie Farr discussing it ...with a few scenes. In the show, they were making fun of Father Mulcahy by mimicking him. Evidently, all unrehearsed. There's always been something about it that just cracks me up. Seems it had the same effect on a whole lot of people.
Was about to post this, but after paying closer attention to what Farr says at the very beginning of the video, it sounds as though the episode name might have been "Movie Tonight."
wasn't he a peach?
william christopher (RIP) was type-cast for the part! closest i could find:
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa91Xr8C8e4]
i know entirely too much about AOC for my own good, it seems, given the sense of the room (recs on this thread). it would have had about 18 thumbs down. ; )
on edit: i'd forgotten to say good night, all.
No AOC is who you say she is
It's just on the issue she wasn't as wrong or something as it 1st seemed if the price takes in good paying jobs. She is doing lots of yakking and keeping people involved, but is it going anywhere? We'll see when the speaker vote comes up. And the next vote on the bailout.
i did laugh that
under the FAQs was: 'no exchanges, no returns', though. yes, her claim was 'union made with living wages', whatever that means.
but you can't get away from web pages that have this in titles: 'AOC says....' and that sort of star power translates into few actually making the time to see if her public rhetoric matches her votes...remember her scrubbed Tweets...or that her bio info is shall we say, rather fluid?
she's definitely going to run for Pres in 2024 (or 2028 if Kopmala the Camel runs again).