AN IRISH-AMERICAN man is taking a stand against Walmart and a series of St Patrick’s Day themed t-shirts.
The offending t-shirts feature captions “Kiss Me I’m Drunk Or Irish Or Whatever”, “Let’s Get Ready To Stumble” and “Feck Me Liver”.
According to Kevin B. Wheatley, the designs are guilty of perpetuating negative Irish stereotypes around alcohol.
Taking to Facebook, Wheatley urged his followers to boycott the retail giant for the month of March as a mark of respect to “St Patrick and our Irish relatives and ancestors.”
Wheatley has previously protested against some of the designs sold in Walmart and, while some are no longer sold in stores, they remain available online.
“St. Patrick’s Day is a holy day in Ireland,” he said in a message to Walmart.
“People usually start their day by attending mass. Some visit a St. Brigid’s Holy Well and spend the rest of the day with friends and family. Much like the way we celebrate Thanksgiving.
“All stereotypes are bad, regardless what group they demean. Think of the thousands of job or housing opportunities have been lost because of them. Would you sell offensive stereotypical T shirts for Dr. King Day, Puerto Rico Day, St. Joseph’s Day, etc.”
Wheatley has contacted Walmart with a request to have the t-shirts removed from stock but he has yet to receive a reply.
A raft of designs have come in for criticism including an Irish-themed Donald Trump design that declares: “Let’s Make St Patrick’s Day Great Again”.
