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Update: 'Chicago Stronger' T-shirts pulled from site; company responds

Posted by Angela Nelson, Boston.com Staff  June 14, 2013 10:31 AM

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By Sean Smyth, Boston.com correspondent

UPDATE @ 10:27 a.m. Friday: Cubby Tees has pulled the shirts. Here's a portion of the company's response:

"Had our initial message pierced the knee-jerk reaction and gotten through to more online folk, they might have recognized the design's satirical nature that targeted the tasteless exploiters in Boston's midst rather than any innocent victims. Though we: (a) are loathe to take any action that appears to bow to bullying, and; (b) had hoped that residents of the “Cradle Of Liberty” held a greater appreciation for the freedom of expression (we support you venting your opinions, not so much your threats and insistence on censorship)…we’ve nevertheless pulled the shirt in the interest of harmony between two great cities.

"We post this for posterity: judging by the tone/ignorance/froth/grammar contained in most of the notes received, we realize that a majority of the correspondents lack an open mind, earnest desire for discourse or an ability to comprehend complex concepts like parody...let alone polysyllabic words (though some sent thoughtful, well-reasoned messages which we appreciated).

"Anyone who believes that the shirt mocked those injured in the horrible events of Patriots’ Day regrettably missed our point and did not read/process our accompanying commentary; nowhere on the shirt’s face (or within its subtext or motivation) did we take aim at the victims or make light of the incident -- nor would we ever. The design poked fun at the embarrassing self-congratulatory branding of the tragedy, and its inappropriate adoption by SOME BOSTON FANS AS A MINIMIZING SPORTS ANTHEM, not the sad reality of that day’s mayhem."

What do you think of Cubby Tees' response? Click here to comment.

The original report is below.

POSTED THURSDAY: After many expressed outrage over the appearance of a "Toronto Stronger" banner during the Bruins' first-round playoff series against the Maple Leafs, you probably didn't think anyone would go there again.

You were wrong.

A Chicago firm named Cubby Tees was selling "Chicago Stronger" shirts at $19.95 a pop, and that sparked a new round of outrage inside 495. (We'll assume that The One Fund wasn't getting a cut.)

We've excerpted part of the firm's sales pitch here:

"Following the tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombing, the nation rallied around Beantown and its “Boston Strong” motto, which has since been appropriated by its sports teams. We love Boston and support/admire its people, but don’t believe that the homicidal lunacy of two disturbed locals has rendered its teams invincible. This is about hockey, this is about O-6 pride, this is about the Cup.

"Chicago is the City of Broad Shoulders – our town burned down, our winters are legendary, our Cubs have floundered for a century, yet we endure. Other cities may be strong, we’re stronger. The Bruins are strong, our Blackhawks are stronger."

As you'd expect, the Twitter reaction is ... interesting. We've posted some family friendly tweets below, to offer you a taste of what people are saying.


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