There’s not much that could be considered news that riles me. After a while you just realize truth is often stranger than fiction and human beings are capable of doing some unbelievably idiotic things.

Maybe you read or heard the story about Star Simpson last week, the M.I.T. student who went to pick up her boyfriend at Boston’s Logan Airport, in a shirt that was made up to look like a bomb. Can you say “stupid.”

Naturally, security personnel bore down on her with guns, and she was shocked by their reaction, even though this was the very same airport where the 9/11 flights originated. Her actions showed disregard for airport employees and travelers inconvenienced and endangered by her lapse of judgment, which may have led to gunfire.

I was so riled I went on this tirade and wanted to blog it right away. I was like, she should be thrown in jail and fined $50,000. That’s not so bad. I think one of my colleagues suggested she should be shot. But I didn’t want to go medieval on her ass right away. I thought I’d think about it for awhile, and haven’t really changed my mind.

I don’t argue against her right to wear her shirt, as sophomoric as it sounds. (That whole lighted up circuitboard idea sounds super trite and cliche and unbefitting an M.I.T. student.) On the street, at an art gallery, fine. But at an airport, where until recently security made us toss all liquids and lighters? She had to expect an adverse reaction. I mean, I’m not a terrorist either but I’m made to pull out my I.D. several times, take off my shoes, jacket, jewelry and pull out my computer and cameras when I go through airport checkpoints.

I have nothing against employing art or clothing as political statement. But in this case, she didn’t even have the courage of conviction in her actions. It’s the equivalent of provoking someone, then running away. Cowardly. My quibble with S.S. is that she described the T-shirt as a work of art, then when her little stunt backfired, she claimed innocence in putting it on that day.

My contention is that you don’t claim a shirt is art, then pretend you don’t understand you are making a statement when you put it on. People younger than her who wear message T-shirts, for example, understand they are saying something when they wear those T-shirts, whether it’s to reflect state of mind, irritate the parents, or goad authority.

In effect, I believe she knew exactly what she was doing when she got dressed that day, then when she got a violent reaction, she got scared and played dumb. I thought that was lame. She should have said, “Yeah, I wore the shirt. Security overreacted. What has this world come to because of war.”

It would have been a great political statement. Now she just looks like a dumb chick from Hawaii. Thanks a lot, and please don’t get on my next flight to Vegas.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007 at 11:29 pm and is filed under art, crimes of fashion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.