LATVIAN ORTHODOX!

its just an idiotic joke-bag. its manufactured by a complany called "brooklyn novelty" novelty would be the key word. there are lots of other snarky "hipster" jokes on the stupid thing. like the "oil spill" in greenpoint or the "ghetto beach" on the east river. just little throw away visual jokes. no vicious intent, no cultural misunderstanding. and there are also references to places that have been closed for years, so this thing is not brand new.

maybe its not that funny, but its also not that offensive.

at this point an apology from the designers would be appropriate. if they really did not intend to offend, they shouldn't have a problem apologizing that people were. they have every right to be angry and voice that opinion, but it was just a joke, and by doing a story in the sensationalizing post, the church has really only done itself a disservice by publicizing it and allowing it to have the weight to offend.

Wow, 49 comments!

50!

You know, I was just in Peoria. It was charming.

All kidding aside, it is annoying to move to a community and rename the landmarks and institutions because you are too lazy to learn their names.

It would be just as insulting if they renamed the cathedral "the Astrodome" or "the big building that I am too stupid to identify correctly."

Beyond the obstinacy, what kind of moron can't tell it's a cathedral? It's covered in crosses. Even if it weren't, you should be able to ID it by the numerous architectural clues.

I really don't think the beef is related to some fear or hatred of Islam-- and to claim so is disingenuous.

*shrug* cncrocket, the amusing thing is that you don't even understand that you've justified every negative hipster stereotype there is in your comments. Let's see: your idea of "embracing the city" involves selling an overpriced bag that IS shitty art at best and which blatantly copies others' work at worst, which denigrates a religious landmark. You insult the congregation and accuse them of being racist when they object to being insulted. When others object and call you out on it, OMG, you're being persecuted by the ignorant! It's just like the Nazis!

Do us all a favor, go embrace some other city. I hear Peoria is in need of enlightenment.

Don't hate. Hipsters keep down the thug population.

...but what else are you going to call the young artist living in Greenpoint designing ironic tote bags?

how about we cut of the bridge and let them stay there. Quick someone come up with a new bag renaming Williamsburg to Shitzville.

#5 yes it is the same church as the one in Seinfeld. It is the church that my gradparents and father went to. It just celebrated it's 100th anniversary.

Funny thing was that I actually had someone who just moved to NYC tell me "i was walking around williamsburg the other day and I never knew there was a mosque there. it was so huge". It took me a minute to realize that he had mistaken the church for a mosque. i guess the crucifixes weren't big enough.

i think the problem is that some people actually do believe it is a mosque. And to the priest it comes off as if they are mocking the church. i understand that they were trying to be funny, but i think that there are certain things that you can't make a joke about when you don't know enough about it in the first place. religion is a very sensitive and serious topic for some people. it think it also comes off as being disrespectful.

You could fit a sizable chunk of a hipster in one of those shitty bags.

http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/images/7/71/Internet_argument.jpg

Like when the makers of the bag say "everyone calls it that! "

you know what? you're right. im going to gather up my "hipster community" of friends (who, of course, think exactly like me) and we'll just leave the city alone. cause, yeah, we're all just the same and decided collectively to move here so we could hate it and its residents. i personally do as little as possible to observe and embrace the city around me in favor of imposing my own shitty art on everyone and accusing everyone of being stupider than me, because im rich and white and my dad paid for me to go to school, but really i just jerked off for 4 years. im sorry. i thought it was a perfectly harmless thing to do.

i think the really irksome issue here is making huge generalizations and assumptions that lead to senseless scapegoating.

cncrocket, you're really getting boring at this point. As I said before, cut the persecution complex. If you even think anti-hipster criticism has any relevance or comparison to the Holocaust or Nazi Germany, you need to grow up, get over yourself and go read a few history books.

Guess what? I'm actually a young person myself (or as young as the designers of this bag). I grew up here. And I don't think the hipster culture has contributed a single positive thing to this city. Since the city's been gentrified, I've seen long-term residents priced out of their homes, truly interesting clubs like CBGB's closed, and all of the interesting neighborhoods replaced with terribly boring ones. Sorry, but the city sucks more with you here. Transplants only help the city when they come in an actually try to contribute, not when they come in with contempt for everyone around them.

The church could put out their own tote bags with caricatures of the designers with "Dumbf%@# hipster wannabes" as the caption.

It would of course have a disclaimer on the bottom -

What? Everyone calls you guys that! It's just a joke fellas! What're you so worked up about? Get over it! Chillax! I mean, kah-man, jeez, fuhgetabboudit, whateveh..

I'm sorry, where is Williamsburg? Is that in Queens? You'll have to forgive me, I'm not familiar with your neighborhood.

Rfive what are you talking about?

(that goes for all of youz)

yappity yap yap yap

right. another definition that is extremely vague, and oh-so-easy to adapt to whatver gripe you happen to have on a given day.

"look in the mirror" ?

Okay. I got worked up when people started using the meaningless term "hipster" (which I have no problem being labled, but I still contend has no meaning)

BUT- you have NO IDEA who I am. What I do for a lving. What I wear. Where I live. My attitudes about creativity. You were in hog-heaven to dish out another "hipster" indictment. Its fun right? like saying, "hey! our city sucks. whos the easiest target? YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE MIDWEST!"

a little too close to "hey the economy sucks in post war germany. you know whose fault this is? THE JEWS!"

THIS CITY WOULD SUCK HARD WITHOUT TRANSPLANTS

they keep the city what it is. dynamic. young. fun. it would be hell without new young people moving here every day. call them hipsters if you must, but we're not going anywhere. and we're actually pretty beneign. gentrification has always existed. remember- Bed-Stuy used to be a RICH WHITE NEIGHBORHOOD.

So a couple of carpetbagging "artists" who fell off the turnip truck in Williamsburg decide that they have the final word on what things are and are not in this town. On what authority? A degree from Ball State perhaps does.

Dilettante, douchebaggery, hipster chauvinism at its finest.

-"Lahk OMFG is that lahk a mosque ovah there or some shit!? FTW it IS a mosque!! Lolz u don't see that shit in Toledo ROFLMAO!!"

-"Young man that's not a mosque is a church."

-"Ch'yeah right! WTF do you know old man! Ah'm lahk way KEEWWLER than you!"