Clothing retailer Pac Sun is feeling the heat after releasing a t-shirt that features an American flag displayed upside down. The shirt has caused many to call for a boycott to the chain.
Pac Sun pulls rapper’s inverted flag shirt from shelves after outrage http://t.co/2abUsPuWZp via @MailOnline
— Rappers Corner (@RappersCorner) May 26, 2015
USA Today reported Monday that the shirt was a collaboration between Pac Sun and rapper A$AP Rocky:
According to U.S. law, “The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.” While the First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech, some were clearly outraged at the shirt. A #BoycottPacSun movement started on Twitter Monday and continued Tuesday:
@PacSun #BoycottPacSun wish more people would point out this DISGUSTING act! #DontShopPacSun!!!!
— jasko (@DrJasko) May 26, 2015
@PacSun how short-sighted, Insensitive and greedy. #BoycottPacSun
— geraldhallsf (@geraldhallsf) May 26, 2015
I have a teenaged daughter who will #BoycottPacSun. No more of my money in their pockets.
— Jim Wood (@RealDrThorne) May 26, 2015
#BoycottPacSun that shirt was anti-american
— Dennis Donohue (@senseidenny) May 26, 2015
Pac Sun capitulated to the protests of many Americans who expressed their disapproval of the shirt. The company released a statement on its Facebook page late Monday, Memorial Day, stating the shirt would be taken off its website and out of its stores:
As a retailer grounded in youth culture, PacSun values artistic and creative expression through the brands that we sell in our stores.
Out of respect for those who have put their lives on the line for our country, we have decided to stop selling the licensed flag t-shirt and are removing it from our stores and website immediately. We thank the men and women in uniform for their extraordinary service.
h/t: The Blaze
Are you going to boycott Pac Sun? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
BCN editor’s note: This article first appeared at Western Journalism.