On May 4, 1970, four students at Kent State University lost their lives. After President Nixon set the bar for 150,000 soldiers to be sent to fight in the Vietnam War, campuses across the country broke out in protest, including Kent State University. In fact the riots at Kent State were so violent that the governor of Ohio sent 900 National Guardsman to defuse the riot and bring peace back to the campus. This move completely backfired when the guardsmen opened fire on the crowd, wounding nine students and killing four others. This terrifying incident would go down in history as the Kent State Massacre. 

If you flip through any history textbook and come across an event involving the killing of human beings, it is never a positive story. A massacre is murder, whether it is police doing the shooting or citizens. Simply and succinctly is not moral. So who in their right mind would dream of promoting it? The answer is the over-priced and over-rated clothing store Urban Outfitters. 

Last week the extremely controversial teen clothing store released a vintage-inspired Kent State sweatshirt — remember the massacre took place in 1970, so the vintage aspect is key — covered in a red paint that bares a horrifying resemblance to blood spatter. Oh yeah, and it costs $129.00 on Urban Outfitters’ website. 

Although this is not the first time the company has taken it upon themselves to plaster controversial topics on their clothing, the reaction to their newest addition has produced more public outcry than ever before, including from officials at Kent State. A statement released from the university on Sept. 15 said, “We take great offense to a company using our pain for their publicity and profit.” 

Just because this tragic event took place 44 years ago does not make it any less of a sensitive subject for those who were alive when the incident took place and especially for those who attended the university at the time. 

But what I would say the worst part of this whole ordeal is is the fact that only a week after the design’s release, the stock completely sold out, according to Forbes.com. Let that sink in — sold out. That means that people across the nation have made the conscious choice to spend the ungodly amount of $129 on a sweatshirt essentially negating the tragedy of the Kent State Massacre. For the people of my generation, that would be the equivalent of walking around wearing a Columbine High School T-shirt with a bunch of bullet holes in it. The sentiment, or shall I say the lack there of, is the same except there just happens to be a roughly a 30-year time gap. 

As for as a response from the company about the controversy, an extended tweet was released explaining what went wrong with the sweatshirt and that the intent did not come from a morbid place. On Sept. 15 a representative for the Philadelphia-based company, via TwitLonger, which allows users to tweet beyond 140 characters, tweeted, “The one-of-a-kind item was purchased as part of our sun-faded vintage collection. There is no blood on this shirt nor has this item been altered in any way. The red stains are discoloration from the original shade of the shirt and the holes are from natural wear and fray. Again, we deeply regret that this item was perceived negatively.” 

So yes, they apologized. Good for them. But let’s be honest, this is not the first time this retailer has crossed moral lines. They have tiptoed the brink of impropriety in terms of politics, religions and eating disorders. Some of the more memorable items were the tank top worn by a rail-thin model saying “Eat less” and a yellow shirt with a black Star of David printed on the front, referencing the Holocaust, and using a color combination on various clothing items called Obama/black. 

This despicable sweatshirt is not their first offense, so why should we believe that they are truly sorry? They don’t have to be 100 percent genuine in their apology because they know that they have teenage shoppers wrapped around their little finger. This franchise has been pushing their limits since the very beginning. Sales have not suffered because we keep buying their products, even though we are walking around saying that what they’re promoting is wrong. People who purchase their products are nonverbally condoning their actions, which is why Urban Outfitters is getting away with whatever they want once again. The only way they will learn and be truly sorry for offending most of the country is when we stop shelling out hundreds of dollars for their ignorant clothing. Urban Outfitters is producing the problem, but shoppers are just as much to blame because we are buying it. Literally.