Shirts that I've seen

Back in fall quarter I was in the college bookstore trying to return stuff past the deadline and I saw a guy wearing a Stalin t-shirt. I assume it was meant to be ironic since despite liberal students' obsession with all things communist, I doubt even us pinkos would be infatuated with someone like Joseph Stalin. Che Guevara, sure, but Stalin seems rather extreme. As far as irony goes, Stalin is generally regarded to be nearly as evil as Hitler and not even the most pretentious art student in the world would dare pull of a Hitler t-shirt. So what's up with Stalin? Or do students just hear communist leader and think "YES! I will wear him on a shirt and people will think I'm worldly and open-minded!" Although on that note, I haven't really seen Mao Zedong or Kim Jong Il staring back at me from anybody's chest either. So again I ask, why Stalin?

***And before anybody leaves a reaaally long comment about how Stalin actually killed way more people than Hitler, I know this. But Hitler is still regarded as the more evil one. 


Another disturbing one was about a month ago on the metro. I've tried to find it online but can't. At first glance the shirt looks like a McDonald's logo, except that the arches are the pathways of two planes, that end at two twin towers. Underneath it said "Eat This". Now this guy may very well have not been aware of what his tshirt was depicting. A few days ago I saw a very butch guy wearing a shirt that said "Your boyfriend likes me in this shirt", and I'm pretty sure he had no clue what it actually said. But the metro t-shirt was primarily just a drawing so I can't imagine that it would really escape someone's comprehension. And while I might understand someone wearing that shirt in, say, Iran, it really stood out in Santiago.

That is all. Thoughts?

Rants

I've got several. 

• Yesterday I was running excruciatingly late to my 7pm class because I had a paper due and we all know that I prefer ulcer-inducing pressure to get things like that done. It was 6:50 and it takes me about half an hour to get to class so I panicked and decided to take a taxi. For those living in Santiago, you understand how stupid I just sounded. You don't take a taxi at 6:50PM on a weekday because you won't get anywhere. In fact you should really just stay home because taking public transportation means that you WILL be pressed up against a couple whose loud smacks in your ear are the only distraction you have from the sweat that is pouring down everywhere and everyone. But I digress...
  
  I told the guy to take me to the Universidad Católica metro stop. And he asks me where that IS. Now I am already freaking out because I was 20 minutes late to class last time and I really did not want to have a repeat performance. But for the record, when you don't know where a metro stop is that is RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE CITY you have so completely failed at your job that you should just abandon your car on the street and go become an alcoholic. I tried all I could to explain to him where it was:
  
  "It is one stop away from Metro Baquedano." (He knew where that was.)
  
  "It is on Bernardo O'Higgins" (Basically the biggest, most central street in the city.)
  
  "If you're on Plaza Italia facing Baquedano you would need to turn to the right" (So the fool actually goes in the wrong direction to GET to Plaza Italia so I could direct him from there, even though we were BETWEEN Universidad Católica and Baquedano at this point.)
  
  I got so fed up with him I just got out and walked. 25 minutes late. I don't know whether I've described the incompetence of this man to the proper degree but I'm sure my fellow Santiago compatriots will understand what a complete waste of space this man was. 



• This next rant has been inspired by my friend Cassie's post, although I've been wanting to say something for a while. Many in America complain about people that don't speak English. Thanks to my vast web of Republican acquaintances, my inbox is full of email forwards that bemoan the way immigrants are coddled, how all instructions nowadays are in two or more languages, how OH MY GOD AMERICA IS AN ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY SO WHY DON'T THEY GET OFF THEIR LAZY BUTTS AND LEARN A LANGUAGE THAT QUITE FRANKLY IS NOT HARD AT ALL.
  
  And let me just be clear, I do think that when you go to live in a country you should try and learn the majority language. My grandparents go to adult school for over 15 hours a week to learn a language that frustrates them with its ridiculous rules and exceptions each and every day. Immigrants, trust me, want nothing MORE than to know English. But it can be such a welcome relief when you call PG&E or you go to the supermarket or you're on a website trying to figure out flight information and hear/read something that you completely understand. As a student living in this country and speaking Spanish with very little fluidez, the fact that there are places here that try and help us gringas by providing English translations is a blessing. Quite frankly I'm thrilled that America is on top of making things easier for immigrants. And don't kid yourselves, just because you can call AT&T and hear your options in Spanish does not mean that these darn immigrants are going to get lazy and not learn English. 
  
  If you don't want to read the Spanish instructions, then don't. If you don't want to "press 2 for Spanish", then don't. But please, PLEASE, for all that is good and holy quit your whining. Because YOU are the ones that go to Mexico or to France or to Italy and refuse to even pick up a phrase book, knowing that you will get by just fine with your English. YOU are the ones who are that ARROGANT that even though so much of the rest of the world wants nothing more than to know English, you are comfortable living under your monolingual rock. The second language option is staying. Deal with it.
  
  Wow, this was a lot more ranty than I intended it. For a less emotional view, seriously go read about an actual Chilean's opinion of the English language. 

• A Mexican friend of mine informed me recently that burritos aren't Mexican. Mind is officially blown.



• I don't have a microwave. And while this is going to sound incredibly prissy and lazy, can everyone PLEASE say hello to the 21st century? Thanks so much.