Vote with Your T-Shirt 2020

I’ve always loved funny tees. A lot has changed since 2013, when I put this directory together to share favorite designs I find all over the Web. For one thing, Donald Trump became president and life became a series of increasingly bizarre situations. I’ve always been a smartass but Trump made me an activist. After I went to the first Women’s March (in NYC), I started making protest signs for myself. People liked them so I taught myself basic design using freeware and started a business, Fighting Words Designs, to sell anti-Trump tees, signs, stickers, and buttons, among other things.

I heard a lot of advice that I shouldn’t make political designs because I’d alienate people. Or, if I insisted on going ahead, I should make pro-Trump tees as well. I ignored that because I can’t make something I don’t believe in and also, not doing something I feel passionate about would drain the joy out of it. Also, if I went to a site that sold both Republican and Democratic party stuff, I wouldn’t shop there. It feels disingenuous to play both sides of the fence.

I understand that it’s a bit odd to build a whole business around designs that I desperately want to become obsolete after Election Day. (I have plenty of other subjects to create designs around. I’m never going to run out of fighting words.) Rather than feeling defeated, I went ahead and did what I wanted. I didn’t sell much but it was a creative outlet for me, one that I could turn to combat the demoralization I felt watching the news.

Gradually, people’s outrage has caught up with mine. I’m never going to get rich with this, but I’ve had the opportunity to connect with customers and make friends around the globe. That’s been especially gratifying since COVID-19 hit and all my relationships, except with buddies I see–masked up and distanced–at protests, have become virtual. I’ve registered voters here in NYC, too, and the interactions have been overwhelmingly positive, with a couple of notable exceptions. But nothing came to blows, so I consider that a win.

While I’ve never stopped linking to new tees and cool stuff I find, I’ve neglected this blog in the last four years. After all, if you’ve landed here, you’re looking for T-shirts, not my deathless prose. If you’re still reading this and are interested in my stuff, check out my shop, Fighting Words Designs. And thanks for sticking around. I’ll keep letting you know when I find funny stuff and, hopefully, soon I’ll need to repopulate my own shop with new stuff that has nothing to do with Donald Trump!