2008 Woodie Awards
Would you like to "Re-Defeat Bush?" Maybe you'd rather, "Flush the Johns" and send Kerry and Edwards packing. These days there's a slogan for every political position and a T-shirt to match.
We've come a long way from "I Like Ike." Now political slogans aren't just engineered by candidates; they're cooked up by organizations, businesses and individuals who want to voice their opinions. And what better way to tell the world about a political stance than by wearing a T-shirt?
"It's a form of expressing yourself but not a demand for attention," freshman Gillian McHale said of her collection of liberal leaning T-shirts. "I'd like to think it gets people to think about the issues, to pay attention to the election."
McHale began wearing political T-shirts back in her hometown of Doylestown, Pa. - a traditionally GOP dominated area - as a way of showing that vocal Democrats existed in the area.
"Shirts like this help the minority show their presence," McHale said. "They help fight stereotypes about an area."
Few people on campus understand that feeling better than junior Jeff Holth, vice chair of the College Republicans. Holth spent Wednesday afternoon wearing a Republican National Convention shirt and a giant Flip-Flop costume (symbolizing the GOP contention that Kerry flip-flops on issues) to get the word out about conservatives on campus.
"There are conservatives here," Holth said. "People think only liberals go to GW, so we want to make our voices heard."
Unfortunately, politically active young people like Holth and McHale are exceptions to a national trend of political apathy among people ages 18 to 24. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that only 36 percent of all eligible voters in that age demographic voted in the 2000 election. Organizations across the country have been trying for years to mobilize the youth vote, yet the rate has steadily declined since 1972. But that was before P. Diddy got involved.
We've come a long way from "I Like Ike." Now political slogans aren't just engineered by candidates; they're cooked up by organizations, businesses and individuals who want to voice their opinions. And what better way to tell the world about a political stance than by wearing a T-shirt?
"It's a form of expressing yourself but not a demand for attention," freshman Gillian McHale said of her collection of liberal leaning T-shirts. "I'd like to think it gets people to think about the issues, to pay attention to the election."
McHale began wearing political T-shirts back in her hometown of Doylestown, Pa. - a traditionally GOP dominated area - as a way of showing that vocal Democrats existed in the area.
"Shirts like this help the minority show their presence," McHale said. "They help fight stereotypes about an area."
Few people on campus understand that feeling better than junior Jeff Holth, vice chair of the College Republicans. Holth spent Wednesday afternoon wearing a Republican National Convention shirt and a giant Flip-Flop costume (symbolizing the GOP contention that Kerry flip-flops on issues) to get the word out about conservatives on campus.
"There are conservatives here," Holth said. "People think only liberals go to GW, so we want to make our voices heard."
Unfortunately, politically active young people like Holth and McHale are exceptions to a national trend of political apathy among people ages 18 to 24. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that only 36 percent of all eligible voters in that age demographic voted in the 2000 election. Organizations across the country have been trying for years to mobilize the youth vote, yet the rate has steadily declined since 1972. But that was before P. Diddy got involved.
