To Wear or Not to Wear? The Band T Debate

So this has been going on for a while regarding people wearing a bands T-shirt. The question is, should a person be able to wear a band T-shirt if they don’t listen to the band? There are two sides.

A) People are free to wear whatever they want. Don’t be an elitist and harp on people. Fashion freedom.

B) People should only wear bands shirts if they are fans of the band. You’re representing a fan base.

Sometimes this debate gets pretty heated. So, I thought I’d chip in my two cents. Where does Mr. Macabre fall? I’m leaning with side B.

Wait! Wait! Wait! Before you start to clamor to call me an elitist, let me explain. Sure, at the very base level side A had the point your can wear what your want, however I view these shirts as conversation pieces.

If you’re looking to strike up a conversation with someone and you recognize the band on their shirt, it’s an easy icebreaker. You can talk about favorite songs, albums, shows, etc…

It is elitist to do the “name 3 songs” thing. Someone could get caught up in the moment and forget especially if they’re a casual fan. I don’t think you need to know every little detail about the band, but knowing a little goes a long way. I think it’s also cool if you don’t really know the band, but you saw them live and wanted to support them.

The thing is about side A, if you approach someone and they know nothing about the band then it just becomes awkward. But if this situation does occur, I don’t think we should berate people for not knowing, a possible solution could be asking if they would be interested in listening to the band and suggesting some songs if they are.

My side does have to accept that certain shirts have become fashion symbols too. Not everyone wearing a Metallica or Nirvana shirt is a fan of those bands. Don’t be a jerk if they don’t listen, but like I just said, see if they are interested or just move on.

Your are on side A please try and view it as conversation pieces and this will widen your perspective. We don’t have to be jerks to each other, and we should be open to learn from each other.

To Wear or Not to Wear? The Band T Debate is marked with CC0 1.0