Urban Outfitters Catalog Treats Jesus like Trash

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/jump.jsp?itemID=676&itemType=CATEGORY&iMainCat=336&iSubCat=676&agift&14 ^ | self

[Yaelle]

An Urban Outfitters catalog arrived yesterday and I thumbed through it. In addition to trendy clothing and gift items, they sell "cool" wrapping paper, oh so hip, in colorful prints, of things like bacon slices, sushi, martinis, and Jesus. Jesus? Yes, Warhol-style colored pictures of Jesus with halo, all over the wrapping paper.

Does this convey the true spirit of Christmas to Christians hoping for a little more religion and a little less Santa Claus? I do not think so, seeing the Jesus paper in there among martini or bacon festooned wrap. The next page of the catalog is titled "Sex, Drugs, and Christmas Kitsch" and sells books on marijuana, drinking games (that book's title: Passing Out), and DVDs of Peewee Herman.

I am offended that Christianity's holiness is mocked as a clever bit of kitsch for the anti-cultured youth of America, and I am not even Christian.

Can you imagine if copies of a Torah scroll, perhaps with the Hebrew letters colored pink and lime green, were carelessly used as something to wrap trinkets in and toss away? Passages from the Koran? Would the ACLU stand for that?

What can be done to hurt the business of this fine company who shows such utter disrespect for what is sacred for the majority of Americans?

[Yaelle]

Please ping your Christian lists and get some kind of protest going against this company. This is really low.

[Mount Athos]

You are saying the Jesus pictures appear by itself right? Not with bacon or martinis on the same paper? So what is the problem then? No problem unless the picture is especially unflattering or disrespectful right?

[clee1]

What are you doing with a Urban Outfitters catalog in the first place?

This crap company's main customers are the "Colishin' o' da Chillin'" anyway.

Does their idea of "values" surprise you?

[Rebelbase]

Jesus assoicated with trash.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

I lost whatever degree of respect I previously had for this company after they caved in to the poverty pimps and race hustlers, by removing "Ghettopoly" from its shelves.

[visualops]

They've got Xmas wrap with a hand flipping the bird. Yeah, that's how I want my gifts wrapped.

[cyborg]

LOL only you ;-)

[clee1]

I heard one of the company's founders on a talk show during the ghettopoly fiasco.

Young hipsters trying to cash in on the "hip-hop culture".

Eff 'em. I'm buying none of their trash.

[Psycho_Bunny]

I'm a non-Christian, such as yourself.  And frankly, I'm starting to get pissed off about the way the Christian faith and followers are being treated by ignorant snobs now-a-days.

But I actually view Urban Outfitters treatment of Christ as not being all that bad:  I look at it this way - they're accidentally keeping the image of Christ out there amongst the teen-set customers.

Maybe many of the customers at Urban Outfitters would find the wrapping humorous...or mocking.....but if it helps - just by planting the image out in public - to bring one person to Christ, I have the feeling that most Christians would accept it.

(Ironically, I walk past Urban Outfitters, Seattle every day too and from work.)

[the_gospel_of_thomas]

not surprising, Urban Outfitter ( and most of their patrons ) have a dim view of Christianity, and Jesus.

this ( or something like it ) in their stores for quite some time.

[Yaelle]

Ping to protest this:

"Jesus" gift wrap sold as kitsch between sushi and bacon strip wrap.

They wouldn't DARE do this to Jewish holy things; let's not let them do it to our Christian brothers.

[Yaelle]

Like making Jesus so "out" that he's "in" again?

[Yaelle]

I am not a Christian but I would be deathly offended if my religion were mocked like that, so I stand up and get offended when my fellows' religion is mocked. It's just a gut reaction that I have. If this wrapping paper does not offend Christians, then I will slink back to my corner. I thought the company deserves some backlash for this.

[Gershkies]

How do we start the BACKLASH? I'm an offended Christian!!

[durasell]

Uh, Richard Hayne, the Chairman and President of Urban Outfitters is a staunch Republican and supporter of our President. You might want to re-think that.

[Ptarmigan]

Same here. I am not a Christian either, but I do believe in God.

[Gershkies]

How did you know that tidbit about Richard Hayne?

[durasell]

It's been all over the news. U.S. News & World Report did a major feature story on it when his stores came out with "Voting is for Old People" t-shirts.

[Thumper1960]

At least they got it right by having Jesus associated with Christmas, and not some fat dude who hangs out with little people in a commune north of Quebec.

[Moonman62]

Uh, Richard Hayne, the Chairman and President of Urban Outfitters is a staunch Republican and supporter of our President.

He needs to switch parties.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Thanks for the ping and support.

The problem is the "kitsch" part. Sacramental Christianity uses images but not in the obviously disrespectful way Urban Outfitters intends.

Too bad. I hope it has the opposite, unintended effect.

[Gershkies]

I agree. I smell a RAT.

[dangus]

I dunno... I don't have a problem with the wrapping paper itself... I just would be concerned what Urban Outfitter gifts they are wrapping with it.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Actually, there's nothing overtly anti-religous that item.

Just because these dolls happen to be sold in putatively secular surroundings, doesn't mean that they're intended as a jab at Christians specifically, or Christianity in general.

In fact, I purchased one of those figures-they also produce a similiar Moses action figure-as a present for my mother, and she seemed to enjoy it.

So far as I know, we aren't Muslims and aren't obligated to follow any sort of proscription against representing Christ in paintings, statuary, sculpture, etc.

[gidget7]

http://www.stoptheaclu.org/default.php

won't stop this particular assault, but it's a darn good start!

[gidget7]

One way is to lobby Congress and have them put thru a clause in the bill of rights, or hate crimes laws or both, that they do include Christianity, just for those who don't understand that.

[Yaelle]

Uh, Richard Hayne, the Chairman and President of Urban Outfitters is a staunch Republican and supporter of our President. You might want to re-think that.

Serious??

[durasell]

Yeah, pretty serious. I have to assume it's true. On the other hand, I can't condemn him too much. He's a businessman catering to a very, very fickle and relatively small demographic slice. Abercrombie & Fitch (SP?) gets in trouble, too, if memory serves, for its line of t-shirts.

[PowerPro]

I am a Christian and I am deeply offended that the culture feels well within bounds to trash my faith.

I am also offended that candidates from the left feel that they can swindle me into believing they share my values simply because they use the word "GOD" during the last two weeks of a campaign.

I am further enraged by the liberal left columnists who compared Christians who voted for Bush (fundies) to Islamofascists who killed 3,000 Americans and continue to wreak havoc in the Middle East.

[Jaysun]

The beat goes on. I hope that the Christians in America have opened their eyes. None of the things that Christians claim to be against in America (abortion, homosexuals blatantly flaunting themselves, the eradication of all things remotely Christian from "public" places, etc.) could go on without the Christians approval. We have been run over by nuts on the Left because we buy into their propaganda or we refuse to stand up. I've heard people in my own church say things like:

"I don't need to see the Ten Commandments in public to obey them."

"If gays want to marry that's their business - it's between them and God."

Wake up fools.

[7.62 x 51mm]

I wonder if he even knows what the catalog contains?

[durasell]

He probably does -- the whole ghetto-opoly (SP?) was a big deal.

The whole irony, iconoclastic thing has a very short shelf life. The trends cycle through at a sickeningly fast rate. This stuff will probably be gone by spring. That said, I wonder about his business model. How do you keep up with the trends and how do you mass market hip? The whole proposition seems a little shaky to me, but hey, what do I know?

[SirLurkedalot]

Thanks for your support. I know that gut reaction your're talking about.

[eagle11]

Another free gift from WHOIS.COM. Here's the info on U.O.D., Inc.

Registrant:
U.O.D., Inc.

Address:
300 Delaware Avenue Suite 307
Wilmington, DE 19801
US

First Registered:
May 01, 1996

Administrative Contact:
Kubacki, Kenneth J. (KK1770) kubacki@DEHOLD.COM
801 West Street
WILMINGTON, DE 19801-1545
US
(302) 656-8900 fax: (302) 428-1410

Technical Contact:
Master (MW1921-ORG) webmaster@URBANOUT.COM
Master, Web
U.O.D., Inc
300 Delaware Avenue Suite 307
Wilmington, DE 19801
US

[Yaelle]

I will NEVER buy from Abercrombie because of their T-shirt with the gymnast on the rings in the L position, and the caption "L is for loser," referencing Paul Hamm, probably. My son is a gymnast. I am appalled at that company too.

[Fiddlstix]

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