Reactions and Thoughts on the KA-BAR Backstabber

I thought it would be good to do a quick follow up blog containing a little more info, beyond that concerning the design itself (pictured left. Click the image for a larger version).

To start I want to say that the colors on flex print are very vibrant. The red "[Backstabber]" font on the front of my t-shirt contrasts so very highly with its blackness that it can't help but catch the eyes of anyone within viewing distance. With it catching so many people's attentions, a few things have been brought to my attention...some realizations.

First, is that the pop artist known as Ke$ha has a song titled Backstabber. But the way that this knowledge was made available to me was by way of being asked "So, you like Ke$ha?" That was an interesting conversation, and I found it highly amusing, but as those of you who've read my prior post are aware, this has nothing to with Ke$ha's song.

The next realization is that t-shirts with front and back designs, in which those two designs are dependent on each other for the complete narrative, are a type of special experience for those who are exposed to them and thus become its audience. The experience of those who see the KA-BAR and the blood before the text on the front is different to those who see the text before the knife and the gore on the back. And likewise, the experience of those who only saw the back, and the way it made them feel, is very different to those who only read the text on the front of the t-shirt, and how that made them feel. How exactly? I couldn't tell you. That makes me think about the next thing though...

A girl I see around often enough, but who's a bit of a stranger to me, commented on the t-shirt. She dropped me a "Well, at least now I know not to trust you!" with a smirk. I found that intriguing. I mean, I know it was just an attempt at flirting, but I took it and I thought about it for a bit. So I ponder "What does this t-shirt say about me?" What does the Backstabber t-shirt say about the person wearing it? To answer that, I need to take this back to its origin.

In Modern Warfare 2, the Backstabber title is earned by sneaking up and stabbing an enemy player in the back while playing in any of the online multiplayer matches, and while I play (Or more like, when I played. I just don't have the time anymore) it is a title that I wear out proudly. It was a badge of honor given for being a sneaky fuck. And, honestly, I like it. You could say that I like to think of myself as a clever, sneaky, fox type of person. But the type that stabs my enemies in the back because of my cunning, not the type that tabs my friends in the back through being deceitful. Does that make sense?

To round this out though, I'll speak about how I figured these design choices would be read, and you could say that what I was aiming for initially was some sort of irony. You have a t-shirt labeling the person wearing it a backstabber, and all the while the person has a knife in their own back...

That's it for that follow up on the KA-BAR Backstabber t-shirt. Expect Backstabbers featuring different...weapons in the future. They'll start coming along as soon as I get the next thousand things out of my head. Carry on!

J, out!