Wander logo

Bad Things Happen in Philly T-shirts

The Fad that Rang out Across the City

By Hillary HanakPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
2

The Fad that Rang out Across a City:

In less than 24 hours after five words were spoken by the President, “Bad things happen in Philadelphia”, t-shirts of all shapes, sizes and colors were made with that saying and plastered all over the internet for people to purchase, thus creating a new fad in a matter of minutes. Philly has had its fair share of fads over the decades. From the Philly Special in the Superbowl, Philly-Philly in Budweiser commercials, to Gritty and the Philly Fanatic, everything makes it onto a t-shirt in Philadelphia. This was the first time that something negative was put onto a t-shirt representing Philadelphia.

Perception Vs. Reality:

Over the years, Philadelphians have been called many things: Brash, intense, rude, ridiculous, boisterous, avid sports enthusiasts, and rough and tumble characters. They are a passionate people who tell it like it is and don’t care what other people think. But Philadelphian’s are also people who care about their city. They care about the people in and around that city and stand up for what’s right no matter what. This has been demonstrated in the massive protests that have gone on over this past year. We have seen people stand together against adversaries to speak for those who have no voice anymore.

Taking it Back:

What is very interesting about these five little words is that they are intended to have a negative connotation. But Philadelphian’s decided to take back those five words and make it a mantra against those who muttered it, especially proving their point when the results to the election were announced. The people of Philly are good, hardworking Americans who are not afraid. They are not afraid to embrace a motto that is supposed to be discouraging. And say “No! You know what? Bad things happen in Philadelphia? No. Bad things are going to happen for YOU in Philadelphia because we are united. You come after one of us, you come after all of us.” The comradery of this city is felt here more than any other place I have traveled in the world. It can be messy, but people from all walks of life are able to come together and unite because they are not only people, but Philly people.

The Fad Needs to Fade:

The reason why I want this fad to go away is because of people who don’t understand what Philadelphian’s all are about. I don’t want people to just remember those five little words and make an assumption about our city and our people. Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania. The city is different from others because of our love of the arts and celebrating differences. Just take a drive around the city and you will see why it is known for having the most mural arts of any city. Celebrating arts, culture, and people is the core to what makes Philadelphia great. Philly is not a place where bad things innately happen. Bad things happen all over the world every single day, but what people don’t see or talk about are the good things that happen in Philadelphia. The things that we do to help those in need when the time comes. The Philadelphia passion for people is an underlying common factor that resonates throughout the city. Whether it’s taking food to the homeless shelter, giving a bottle of water to someone on the street, celebrating a victorious win or just watching out for your neighbor while they are away, every little bit helps keep our community strong. And I know that even though my underlining message for this story is unification, I hope that the t shirts of 2021 will be different. I hope and pray that the t-shirts of 2020 will be replaced with the following mantra “Good things happen for Everyone in Philadelphia”.

culture
2

About the Creator

Hillary Hanak

Storytelling

Filmmaking

Visual Arts

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.