While he pointed out some of the reasons this shirt was offensive in his blog, I want to see whether or not it was coincidence that this shirt was created at New Trier instead of another high school. It's no secret that the New Trier Township is one of the wealthiest areas in America. According to Businessweek, Winnetka is the 21st wealthiest town in America, and Kenilworth 4th, putting them well up in the 99th percentile of towns, or the 1% of wealthy towns. I believe that these statistics are key to understanding why a student would put this on a T Shirt.
Another key image on this picture is that of the sailboat. Sailing and other water sports are very popular among New Trier students. This perhaps brings up another sign of social class: the proximity to large lakes and oceans. After all, our township is often called "The North Shore". Real estate almost always gets more expensive the closer you get to water. This is because Lake Michigan is a vast, beautiful body of water with fantastic beaches. Perhaps the sailboat shows that the "1%" can afford not just to live by the lake, but relax in it too.
The t shirt itself looks like the "New Trier Bubble" leaking into clothing. How many places could you wear this shirt and not get disgusted looks thrown at you in the street? The images show that being wealthy in America doesn't entail working day in and say out for a high income, it leads to a life of relaxation and partying, which isn't uncommon in our township.
What do you think of this shirt? What "1 Percent" behavior do you see on the North Shore?
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