Shirts Sport French Insults to President

AP ^ | 4/22/04 | MELANTHIA MITCHELL

[shhrubbery!]

Today: April 22, 2004 at 19:16:15 PDT

Shirts Sport French Insults to President

By MELANTHIA MITCHELL
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE (AP) - Clothes can make a statement. Urban-bag designer Tom Bihn has discovered that labels can, too. Bihn's sales have doubled since a French-language presidential insult mysteriously made its way onto the bilingual washing instructions for hundreds of his laptop bags and backpacks.

The labels read: "Nous sommes desoles que notre president soit un idiot. Nous n'avons pas vote pour lui."

Translated into English: "We are sorry that our president is an idiot. We didn't vote for him."

Bihn's self-titled company has drawn national media attention and sparked Internet chatter since a Seattle customer spotted the insult and posted a photo of his bag's label on his Web log.

Bihn is careful to note that the tag doesn't specify who "our president" refers to.

"I'm going with the idea that it's a joke about me, the president of the company," Bihn said Thursday, but "clearly when you use the word 'idiot' and 'president' in the same sentence people jump to other conclusions."

Bihn, 43, said he knew nothing of the tag until calls and e-mails started coming in from people around the country asking for "the bag with the label."

Bihn figures about 2,000 labels were printed and hundreds had been sewn into his bags in the past five to six months.

About 500 labels remain, and Bihn continues to use them. He also has given them to customers who want just the label.

The company also has rolled out a line of "French Label" T-shirts with the enlarged label silkscreened onto the front. The company says all profits from the shirts are donated to the Seattle Vet Center.

Bihn, who has a Seattle store and a Port Angeles factory outlet, said he has gotten some complaints, but most people who call him say the labels are funny.

None of Bihn's 10 employees has taken responsibility for the tags.

"We're not really looking real hard because it's been really good for business," Bihn said. "If somebody admits to doing it we'll give 'em a raise."

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On the Net:

http://www.tombihn.com/

[shhrubbery!]

The shirt's label:

[shhrubbery!]

Message to Mr. Bihn: We f**t in your general direction!

[crz]

Yes I agree...Chirac is an idiot! Can the French read?

[hometoroost]

The culprit is no doubt a latte-drinking surrender monkey.

[wrathof59]

Just like a cowardly Frenchman: we won't put it in English and stand by it, we'll do it underhandedly like a little weasal.

I proudly despise the entire French culture.

[shhrubbery!]

Feel free to congratulate Mr. Bihn for his bon mot -NOT. Here's his company's email: inquiries@tombihn.com

[RightOnline]

I'm heading to Europe near the end of next month to hold a series of seminars around the continent on behalf of my very large company. The last session is supposed to be in Paris. I will be returning home prior to that session, specifically because I do not choose to set foot in that pissant country.

[financeprof]

"Nous sommes desoles que notre president soit un idiot. Nous n'avons pas vote pour lui."

That's an awful lot to put on a t-shirt--somebody'd have to be pretty wide for all that to be readable. I have something much more succinct that fits perfectly on a t-shirt:

BAISE LES GRENOUILLES.

[Bahbah]

"Nous n'avons pas vote pour lui."
I am sure that a fellow FReeper has already pointed out that this is bad French.

[wingster]

Translated into English: "We are sorry that our president is an idiot. We didn't vote for him."

We didn't?

Huh...

I guess W must have had a lucky night out in Vegas in '00! REALLY lucky!

[azcap]

"Bihn, who has a Seattle store and a Port Angeles factory outlet, said he has gotten some complaints, but most people who call him say the labels are funny."

 

Since my company  has been selling Axis of Weasels T's we have been getting not only complaints but some great pidgin-English death threat emails. We file them with the death threats  we get from American liberals for selling pro-life and pro-bush T's.  We like to have diversity in our hate mail.

[wingster]

That's an awful lot to put on a t-shirt--somebody'd have to be pretty wide for all that to be readable. I have something much more succinct that fits perfectly on a t-shirt:

Just make sure all the Ts are white. That way if the French accidentally, :D, find themselves in combat, they can use them as surrender flags!

[ride the whirlwind]

Here's more bad French:

C'est tres stupide, Monsieur Bihn!

[cookcounty]

C'est en francais. Clairment, "le President," dans cette situation, est Jacques Chirac.

(It's in French. Clearly, "le President" in this situation, refers to Jacques Chirac)

[Dick Vomer]

vos hommes ont de grands seins et un petit pénis

your men have large breasts and a small penis

[Dick Vomer]

sus hombres tienen pechos grandes y un pene pequeño

For our Spanish lurkers...

your men have large breasts and a small penis

[Sofa King]

I'd actually like to have translated into french the following phrase to use for sigs or whatnot:

If you can read this, eat sh!t and die.

[Bahbah]

Actually, your grammer is much better.

[Lancey Howard]

Obviously, some of the people in France hate Chirac and know he's an idiot, and this is their way of trying to apologize to America. Sorry, too late.