The shop with two names, Cat's Meow/Trillium, keeps its banner, encouraging locally focused economics, up all year. A large portion of us own one of their "Willits" T-shirts, as displayed in the picture above. Mine's a nice, milk chocolate brown.
Colors have meaning and history all their own in different cultures. For a long time, red was the symbol of communism and labor and extreme leftist politics. But when Reagan became president, it was known that his wife's favorite color was red, and she used it in decorating and clothing. All through the 80s, it was fashionable for men to wear red ties with their business suits. Then the news agencies started using red to designate Republican victories on maps of the states of the US, during political campaigns. And because the US flag colors are red, white, and blue, the states favoring Democrats were colored blue, where not too many decades ago the liberals would have been pejoratively called "reds" or "pinkos" in keeping with the Communist use of the color.
Anyway, the red star on these shirts seems to impart more of an Old West feeling than any sympathy with Old Communism. It's more likely that, when I wear mine, I should have to explain that, 'No, really, I'm a Liberal!' The world keeps spinning.
7 comments:
That is intresting Elaine!
I am Liberal,too ;)
Very lovely photo showing off the storefront and Willits shirt. Now, with that star, I was thinking it was and SF Mime Troupe rip off ;^). Cocoa colored sounds nice with a red star.
-Kim
Seattle Daily Photo
I've never heard that story. Interesting factoid
Even in ancient times, knights wore their "colors." I prefer to just let my freak flag fly.
I do like the idea of the world continuing to spin. And it's so true that what was "true" of something once is not always that way. Change and evolution and perhaps even growth. Nice post, Elaine.
Oh Elaine, this is fun. NOw I'm thinking about all of the contradictory historical references to the color red -- Garibaldi's red shirts, the Bolshevik flag, the color of good luck in China, India's wedding dress color...
That red star T-shirt really does look like Willits is a socialist town, or maybe a a workers union... (I want one of those shirts!)
Sara - I wonder if different colors have special meaning in Iran too.
Kim - The colors of the storefront reminded me of autumn. I forgot to mention that.
PA - Just keep in mind that you heard it from me, and I offer no proof other than my memory.
P - There are so many things that I could say to that, but better not on a "family" blog. I first heard that line on "The Family Stone". 6^)
Chuck - Thank you. What goes around, comes around, I've heard it said.
Laurie - OR it means we all miss Ronald Reagan desperately. You have to come to Willits to get one of these shirts. (tee-hee!)
Thanks for stopping by, everyone.
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