Hello Kitty

I missed this the first time around but it really is too good to ignore (link):

Cute Kitty Is Pink Badge of Shame in Bangkok

By SETH MYDANS

Published: August 8, 2007

BANGKOK, Aug. 7 — It is the pink armband of shame for wayward police officers, as cute as it can be, with a Hello Kitty face and a pair of linked hearts.

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Yasushi Ukigaya/Kyodo News, via Associated Press

A police officer in Bangkok shows a pink Hello Kitty armband.

If an officer parks in the wrong place, comes to work late or drops a bit of litter, that officer would be decorated with an armband depicting Hello Kitty, the Japanese symbol of cuteness, no matter how many ribbons for valor he may already wear.

“Simple warnings no longer work,” said Pongpat Chayaphan, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division here, who instituted the humiliation this week.

“This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor,” he said. “Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It’s not something macho police officers want covering their biceps.” ...

Thanks, Larry.