FIRST?

OMG - too funny. Did you point that out to the shop?

Perhaps the TAG is made in Nicaragua?

HaHaHa!!!!!

Things like this make me want to MOVE to Nicaragua.

Irony indeed.. and I'm afraid to look at my underwear labels. Or anyone's, really.

Brilliant!

As a side note, who would wear a shirt like that, anyways?!

*SNORT*

That level of irony should make that shirt just...burst into flames or something.

Wow! I had no idea that Nicaragua was now part of the US. Learn something new everyday LOL.

hey, do you remember the commercial with a bunch of union workers, american garment industry i think, singing "Look for the union label, when you are buying a blah,blah....blah blah...." i can hum the tune even now. so what the hell happened to us, to let all our product go overseas or to south america! i think the manufacturing business was a much needed employment niche in our country. we need jobs for every step of ability! i think the only steps rising right now are rich executives and landscaping/housecleaning!
- alarmed american -

classic

DRIPPING with irony.

AWSUM

I'm guessing Walmart?

I bought a pair of pillow cases at a store which shall remain nameless but begins with a Wal and ends with a Mart that said loud and proud on the front of the package: 100% cotton. On the back in small print it said: 65% cotton 35% polyester. When I took them back I showed the discrepancy to the service clerk, and she shrugged. I shrugged her back and said, "I want my money back." What do they think we are, morons?

How much do I love that you checked the label and had your camera on hand to catch it! Must remember to keep my camera in bag.

Our 51st state....I had no idea!

As my dad would say, "That's an 'aw shi#' " !!! (rhymes with "mitt"...)

Laurie, you have the keenest observation skills, I swear! Thanks for making me smile today.

I'm just surprised it didn't say "Made in China" like so many do. Check out where many American flags are made sometime...

Actually, if I remember my Central American history, there was something of a take-over bid made by an American military man, William something, I think, in the 19th century. Not to mention the covert operations that took place during the 20th century.

I was going to guess WalMart but someone beat me to it.....

and it's Laurie for the WIN!!!

that is the kind of stuff that ticks my husband off.

Love it. Absolutely love it.

Nicaraugua isn't in the U.S.????????

That is one big hunk of irony, with a big dollop of sad.

Nic-A-rag-uga

Makes me think if Beavis and ButtHead everytime heehee - yup I am 12.

I'm guessing they meant that the wearer of the shirt was "made in the USA" -- so I guess those born overseas can't wear it?

Still, it's pretty dumb to go around saying "I was made in the USA!" using a shirt made by sweatshop workers in Nicaragua.

Sheesh. Another fine example of why this country's economy is in the toilet. Great looking out, Laurie!

You've got to be kidding me.

I love this (and proud of it!), even though it must be wrong on so many levels to get laffs at the expense of some moronic silkscreener and a poor Nicaraguan...

Maybe you guys have a new state you aren't aware of. Hahahahahahahahahha.

Outsourcing!!

J-A

Bwahahahaha! Love it!

Oh, woe betide the store who has intelligent, aware shoppers!

Though I have an idea that it's the wearer who is supposedly claiming s/he's "made in the USA" but then do they check citzenship when they sell the shirt? Naawwww.

Truly a meaningless catch phrase. People don't even think about what they're saying (or buying).

That's just genius that is!
Directions for use: Put on shirt. Say yee-haw.Talk about the "dang illegals" and controlling borders. Open another beer. Torment the pitbull.

very funny but you might want to buy it for that girl on your sidebar - she's not wearing very much y'know!

Too funny--blog, pictures and the comments. Thanks for the laugh. Maybe the fertilizer used to grow the cotton was made in the US--you know, it came straight from the mill in Washington, D.C.

I'm inclined to believe that it's supposed to be the person wearing the shirt that is made in the USA, not necessarily the shirt itself.

Wait? Does this mean we invaded Nicaragua and now own them? Send up the salsa!

That shirt looks worn to me. Was that taken in a Goodwill shop or something?

Doesn't that just figure.

Ironic, and sad. I'm in NC, where we've lost *so* many manufacturing jobs. Better alternatives were promised... but what's here is clerking at the Wal-Mart. Now, that's ironic! Wal-Mart used to proudly claim that everything they sold was made in the US, but their greed got the best of 'em (as well as folks clamoring for cheaper and cheaper sh**); now US-made stuff is a rarity there. So it's Wal-Mart's actions that caused the bust that caused the unemployment that caused people lining up for jobs at Wal-Mart. Maybe that was the plan all along - steady source of cheap, desperate labor.

Not that I'm bitter.

I'd hide that shirt under the counter-or wear it backwards. It'd look better:)

I can't believe how many people found this funny!

Sad, may-be, an example of a lack of integrity definitely. Anything for a buck, a lie is okay if you want to sell something.

I worked at WalMart in 2001, in the fabric and yarn department. The day after 9-11, we were told to go thru all the fabric on the wall and pull everything that was NOT made in America.

I looked at the other girl in the department with me, with a "WTF" look, and then we told the manager that we'd probably have to pull every bolt of fabric on the wall and all the four-ways. Just about every scrap of fabric-sold-by-the-yard that WM sold was made in Pakistan, with the occasional "made in China" thrown in for fun.

One of the few products that was made in "North" America was some yarn that was made in Canada. (most of the yarns were produced in Turkey tho)

The crochet hooks and knitting needles were being made in Mexico. The candles and potpourri's were made in China. I think the crochet and knitting patterns were one of the few things with "made in America" or "Printed in America" on them.

It's a myth that WalMart still sells American-made products. I'd buy American-made if I could find something made here.

Unbelievable. And very, very sad.

i love it!

someone mentioned the girl on the sidebar... I want to know, is that picture supposed to make me want to buy that swimsuit? 'Cause personally I think it is hideous and totally unflattering. it makes her hips look wide, her boobs look squished downward and what is the weird lump on her left side? Her expression seems to say: Help me get out of this monstrosity before it permanently disfigures me!

Of course perhaps it is just me being critical and catty.....

Yes, it's a sad sign of the times. But, don't just bust Walmart's chops. Go check the labels of clothing and shoes at Sears, Penney's, Target, Footlocker and other big name stores. The high priced Columbia brand items aren't made here either....it's a vicious circle - we want to be paid more and more per hour, thus costing the manufacturers more money, thus raising the cost of doing business - to the point it's cheaper to take the whole thing overseas....maybe if we were more selective in how and what we buy, we could gain some control back...Just a thought!

I usually refer to the $1 section in Target (as you walk in the door) as the "Made in China" section. I also mentally refer to Dollar stores (of any variety) as "Made in China" stores.

Love you for having the camera and the wide open eyes! Great shot and, unfortunately, an apt comment.

I think this is a symptom of my age: I read it as "hey, man, yeah, we made it in the theatre during the flic!" Or alternatively, "why would someone want everyone to know where they made it?"
However, the irony is acute, to be sure. I'm with Patti in KS - "with a big dollop of sad".........

ROTFLOL! I love your blog - the knitting, the cats, the funny stuff...

That could have been a daily double!

@ Risha - The reason that the girl in the side bar looks lumpy & squishy is because she hasn't been photoshoped to twig-thin smoothness.
(they've even left the little fat deposits on her inner thighs!)

They have some strange looking clothes and evenstranger models on that American Apparrel site. Wonder if they sell much?

You win the award for Irony!!

I bought something accidentally at Target a few weeks ago. I was looking at watering cans, and was so surprised that it was manufactured in Indiana, I bought it!

Actually, those American Apparel women HAVE been photoshopped - so it makes the lumps even more egregious! Friend of mine is one of their models, and her final picture looks horrible compared to what she looks like in reality. I haven't seen a single suit in their ads that makes me want to buy. So far they all make me cringe...

makes you want to cry doesn't it?

wow... that says it all doesn't it.

thanks for the laugh!

Now, I'm no fan of Wal-Mart, but they wouldn't be selling stuff made in China/Pakistan/Nicaragua if there wasn't someone out there buying them. And why are they buying them? Because they cost less and we think we need to be able to afford a new wardrobe each and every season. Keep on inspiring us with your buy less stuff efforts, Laurie!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Heh

It's funny, ironic, tragic, and sad.
Do you remember when things cost a lot, but they lasted a long time?
I guess I am just tooo darn old.
That's why we troll thrift stores, and the clearance section (we buy nothing unless it is marked at least 75% off) and the clothing is for work, school, etc.
Keep looking for life's little ironies!!!
People - enough about the ads in the side panel!!! Lighten up, if you don't like them, ignore them.

to add to the irony... the local grocery store has brat and pop (soda for the rest of the world) sales for whatever group... some church, little league, etc.

last week it was for the american cancer society.
buy a brat and a pop (hopefully diet to move it along!) and support the american cancer society. probably in the way they didn't intend...

Was that the melting pot?

bwahahahahahahaha

there is a site called Fail Blog that posts pix like this - you should submit it!

Oh no way. Get out.

Gotta love it.

Kathym has it right: "...it's a vicious circle - we want to be paid more and more per hour, thus costing the manufacturers more money, thus raising the cost of doing business - to the point it's cheaper to take the whole thing overseas..."

People are the same in my country. We kvetch about how much "made right here" things cost, buy cheaper versions, then kvetch about jobs going overseas. Inane.

That is ironic/funny/sad all at the same time.

However, the prohibitive cost of good made in America is a complex one. Workers want a high wage, the government taxes businesses to death (as though somehow punishing "big business" has no effect on those who work for them and those who buy from them), and the consumer wants a cheaper product - partially because they have less disposable income from being taxed to death as well.

And as an aside...

Just because someone is proud to be American doesn't make them an illiterate, immigrant hating, beer swilling, pitbull owning redneck. As some have (offensively) stated.

As others have noted, clothing is made in other countries because labor (the biggest cost) is far cheaper there. And as Anonymous pointed out, American workers want high wages and cheap manufactured goods. We cannot have both indefinitely. The more jobs go overseas (not just textile jobs -- any job that needn't be done from a particular location, like graphic design or technical writing), the more downward pressure will build on US wages, because there will be too many workers for too few jobs.

(considers veering off into politics) (bites tongue) (bites keyboard)

Economics rant aside, funny post. I have to go make a dental appointment now.

i have a shirt that says "made in canada" and the tag says its made in pakistan....
you would be surprised how many "patriotic" items are made over seas.

Now if only that shirt just said "Made in America"; then it could legitimately have been made anywhere from Hudson's Bay to Tierra del Fuego.

We can't have it both ways in this country: either suck it up and pay more for fewer items to keep a larger percentage of us gainfully employed or get what you pay for with a sweatshop item that may be all you'll be able to afford.

Hey Laurie, I went to Hawaii in Feb. and thought it would be nice to bring back Choc. covered Macadamian Nuts...from a big company over there...Ma**a Loa ..from Hawaii right???...nope, on the back of the package it had 'Product of Canada'....boy was I torqued. Of course I didn't find that out until I was back on the mainland...Also I just bought some Maryland Style Crab Cakes from a very expensive online food retailer..back east and famous for their great steaks. I was so excited about the Maryland Crab Cakes, till my husband pointed out the package said 'product of India'...ooohhh I was hoppin mad about that one, they got a nasty letter. They actually called me and said in order to keep costs down, they used crab from India...hey at $80. for 6 cakes, I'd say they weren't doin such a great job...(it was a promo, so I didn't pay for them..but that didn't matter)....I guess it just shows a different work ethic in some companies..not a really nice one either....

Ah yes, the patriotic stuff made not in the country. As someone else pointed out, check out the Stars and Stripes some time - most are made in China. LOL

When the United States Army introduced the really snazzy new beret's for all the soldiers, it was a big surprise that the beret's were made in China. (This was back around the turn of the century. Not sure if it was 2000, or 2001)

When the Army's Chief of Staff found out that the beret's were made in China, he ordered that the beret's be tossed, and new ones (not made in China) be issued to the soldiers.

Risha,
you can see that swimsuit in action here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m_rKTucKWc&feature=related

Uh huh

Laurie and her keen eyesite FTW!

Hey I work in the garment trade. It's leaving North American shores fast. A rethink is needed. You need to be willing to pay more to buy something of quality that's going to last and you can't expect to wear a new look every season (this is where we go back to "do I need all this stuff?, what am I blowing my money on?") There is a Pony in this and that is you will probably get a better fitting garment as the process will be back under control (patternmakers need to see garments on fit models to assess it and make changes and repeat the process till it works)

You'll love this one-I bought Prince Edward Island (province in Canada) Medley from Costco. It was frozen green and yellow beans with baby carrots I looked at the label one day and discovered it was from France/Belgium!!!!!!. I've never bought it again and wrote them a comment (yes I enjoy pissing in the wind). Surely you can get these vegetables in southern Ontario, for crying out loud I can grow them in my back yard. I'm very tempted to take my grease pencil and point this out right on their freezer door.

Of course everything is made over there(?), this is what Regean, Elder Bush, Clinton, Young Bush have all signed on to. They are not citizens of the USA in the same way that you and I are. They are "globalist" or internationalists. There thinking is "higher" than our thinking. We think of survival, they think of stock market. If you arent' used to this fact, yet, give it time, you have no other choice.
Thank you Congress and other bought off leaders. Fed up with trying to pick the lesser of 2 evils,

Another thought. Did the Unions price themselves right out of the jobs that their members needed for survival????? I am thinking YES>
We have many to curse or thank for this downward spiral of the "American Way"

I once blogged a photograph of a pencil eraser shaped like an American flag with "America" underneath. In tiny letters, it was also stamped, "Made in Taiwan".

I can't stop laughing.

OH! The hypocritical joy!

BRACK!!!

I have a similar phenomenon to report: a couple summers back, in our little town in the middle of Ohio, a CHURCH GROUP marching in the 4th of July parade handed out little American flag magnets... This pushes all kinds of buttons for me already, but it gets better: We flipped them over to the back and, you guessed it, MADE IN CHINA!

Somehow, that whole episode really captures where I live...