Corporate monster Wal-Mart has filed a federal lawsuit against Charles Smith of Conyers, GA for making up a batch of these and selling them on his Web site.
Smith filed a countersuit citing a free speech defense, though he acknowledges that the spoof logo is utterly tasteless.
He writes:
I worry that by even implying that anything could compare to the horror of the Holocaust, the worst tragedy in history, I cheapen the term. But when I came up with the word “Walocaust,” I had been reading articles about how the Holocaust was the mass destruction of human beings by other human beings. While I read that, a story came on the TV about how many goods Wal-Mart was importing from China and how many jobs this cost America. I was thinking what would be a word to use to express the destruction of human beings by corporations.
I’ve been weighing the bad taste vs. massive global/labor exploitation issue, and I think can forgive the former for lambasting the latter.
BTW, Smith has made a total of $5.10 with gross sales of … one.
He’s right to call the Holocaust the worst tragedy in history and it was a mass destruction of human beings by other human beings but no matter how ruthless Wal Mart might be with it’s employees t still employs them.
This is the kind of sh#$ that cheapens the Holocaust for my students. Every tragedy or catastrophe, or even uncomfortable situation, gets compared to the Holocaust-the Arabs have been doing it for years-deliberately- to cheapen the lives of those who were killed- and now this guy compares Wal-mart to it? What’s next, A few guys get hurt playing football and the announcers are going to say “It’s like Auschwitz out there.”??? or maybe we’re going to see Treblinka brand jeans for “really skinny girls.”? At least most people are decent enough not to buy his stinking shirt. I hope he chokes on the remainders.
Sorry for getting angry.
Amishav, your anger is totally justified. I’m sure you won’t be the only one.