Walmart "Stalking" T-shirt Angers Stalking Victim

A stalking victim that has found she has little legal recourse against her harasser due to North Carolina’s weak laws is angry at Walmart for selling a T-shirt that makes light of stalking.

The t-shirt reads: “Some call it stalking, I call it ‘love’.”

The Raleigh News&Observer says:

For the past two years, this woman has been stalked until she feels like a prisoner in her own life. She has been spied upon, bullied and threatened with her life.

She has been in frequent communication with local authorities. Yet, because North Carolina has one of the most vague stalking laws in the nation (a bill is wending its way through the legislature to address that), her recourse has been limited.

So when she saw the T-shirts, clearly aimed for the teen-younger adult set, she didn’t see the humor.

“It’s reprehensible,” said the woman, whose story is well documented but who asked not to be identified for fear that her stalker might retaliate.

“People don’t realize how serious stalking is,” she said. “You constantly live in fear, look over your shoulder and suffer from psychological and physical symptoms due to the stress of the stalker.”
She wondered aloud: What’s next?

“Some say it’s rape, I call it hot sex”? Or: “Some call it domestic violence, I say I’m just teaching her a lesson”?

Wow, that’s depressing. We feel really bad for this woman and hope North Carolina’s government wakes up and realizes that stalking is a crime…

…Then again, she should remember that she’s complaining about a t-shirt sold by an organization that was subject to an FBI investigation for (allegedly) wiretapping reporters. Now we understand. It was just love.

T-shirt isn’t funny to stalking victims [Raleigh News & Observer] (Thanks, David!)
(Photo:Raleigh News & Observer)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.