The world we live in today is one of instant gratification. When we order something online, it will probably arrive within a day or two. We can instantly download movies and TV shows to watch from home. Video games don’t even come on a disc anymore. And when notable public figures die, the merchandise comes quickly and in large numbers.
Just as we do with musicians and movie stars, the world mourned through merchandise with the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg was already a cult figure on the left side of the political spectrum, and highly respected on both sides of the aisle for her decades-long commitment to her principles and the rule of law, as well as her status as being the second woman to serve on the court.
With her high profile in pop culture, it was only natural that fans would flock to buy RBG merch when she passed on Sept. 18.
CBS 58 reported that one local stationery business has suddenly seen lines out the door with people looking to buy RBG items.
“We have a really cool mug I’m actually looking at right now,” Alyssa Grizmer, manager of the store, told CBS 58. “It changes—so it changes from her robes from being in the Supreme Court to her wearing like a sweatsuit for working out. I think it says ‘diva’ on it, when you use coffee or like a hot drink or something like that.”
The store reportedly also sells RBG-related pins, puzzles, greeting cards and a paper doll set.
A quick search on Etsy yielded a ton of RBG merch, including T-shirts parodying the Notorious B.I.G. artwork (painting her as “The Notorious RBG”), face masks with quotes, T-shirts and enamel pins using her robes as a design element, and many things incorporating the word “dissent.”
Okay this is cool pic.twitter.com/p6FNLGPnrb
— WTFGOP (@DogginTrump) September 21, 2020
At a time when political merchandise has become so popular both to show support of your own candidates and opposition to others, there’s a particularly supportive market for things like this. In addition to showing respect to Justice Ginsburg, it’s a way for some people to tacitly voice their political beliefs.
Speaking of that opposition, the Trump Campaign already created a T-shirt supporting the administration filling the vacancy on the court, despite plenty of controversy with it being so close to the election after Mitch McConnell worked to block President Obama’s proposed selection of Merrick Garland during an election year in 2016.
A “Fill That Seat” T-shirt already popped up on the Trump Campaign store for $30:
President Trump last night: Let’s make a t-shirt. “Fill the seat.” Okay? My people are so good, tomorrow, it’ll be all over the place. That’s a good idea.
Trump campaign, today 👇https://t.co/LUOKQNLkKr pic.twitter.com/jjdqOCqUkv
— Nicole Sganga (@NicoleSganga) September 20, 2020
As the election nears, expect all things related to both President Trump and Joe Biden, as well as anything tangentially related to the two parties and their nominees, to go big with merchandise.
