Why I Hate Abercrombie & Fitch

In Dwight McBride’s, Why I hate Abercrombie & Fitch, his thesis is that purchasing Abercrombie & Fitch brands is saying that you are part of a higher and better life style because A&F portrays a upper class white male.
The chapter begins with a personal story of McBride asking “What is Abercrombie & Fitch?” He then realized that it is everywhere he travels to. He always sees it. Then he goes into about the history of the company from the start in 1892 with David T. Abercrombie to when he partners up with Ezra Fitch in 1904 creating the new shop Abercrombie & Fitch. In 1992, Michael Jefferies took over Abercrombie &Fitch creating the image for people to look up to and want to be. The Look Book is a key factor to this argument. It talks about being part of the A&F look saying it is the most important part. The store has their employees dress up in all A&F clothing to support the look so customers know what they should look like. This book also contains pictures. The book also talks about what jewelry is acceptable. One of the items is no gold chains for men. “Who has been over identified or even stereotyped with these in the popular imagination more than black men?” (71). Also the book held pictures of white men and women but mostly men. Abercrombie also discriminates against people when they are hiring. “A&F discriminates people of color, including Latinos, Asian Americans, and African Americans, in the hiring, job assignment, compensation, termination and other terms and conditions of employment” (77). There are many lawsuits out against A&F for that. Managers are also very difficult on their employees and will fire people of color saying they are “Abercrombied out”. There is also a grading scale of their employees at A&F. If employees were not an “A” they were asked to leave and would be fired.
Why do so many people still go to Abercrombie to purchase their clothing if they know about the racism and class problems they create? I think people still go to Abercrombie because they want to follow a big crowd. Also many people want to be part of the “upper class white man” group thinking it is the best way to be. They do not want to be different and be “lower class” people. Some people of the lower class purchase Abercrombie so they look like they are part of the “upper class” to either prove they can be this way or just want to make everyone else think they are.
I think this article is very interesting. I learned a lot about Abercrombie & Fitch such as the grading scale of their employees based on the way they look. I also did not know they were so racist when hiring people and would turn people down of race just because of their color. I used to buy my clothes from Abercrombie & Fitch when I was in middle school and my freshman year in high school. I finally got away from it once I realized you do not have to wear the most expensive clothing to fit in with people. It just a piece of clothing that covers the same things as a cheaper piece of clothing.

Chapter 12 El Norte: The Borderland of Chicano America

In Ronald Takaki's chapter 12, his thesis is that each group had their own positive saying towards the United States while they were coming over. The Jewish, America was the Promise Land. To the Mexicans it is "El Norte, A land across the river, this country became the stuff of boundless dreams for Mexican migrants. The movement was by choice because they believed that their lives would become better with better opportunities in the United States. They wanted better jobs and a better life and to stray away from the Mexican revolution.
"El Norte, The Borderland of Chicano America" is about how the Mexicans began to migrate into the United States. It started with Mexican Revolutions that led to economic depressions and terrible living conditions. The Chicanos wanted a new life and living style so they built a rail road that led from Mexico to the state of Texas of the United States. Most were looking for better jobs to supports their family others were just trying to escape the horror of the revolutions and just trying to stay alive. The Mexicans were discriminated against with working wages along with working similar jobs they did in Mexico.
There were many different mechanisms of social construction. One of them is education. They were taught labor and manual training. They were told that "employees must be pliant, obedient,, courteous, an willing to help enterprise"(328.) Race was also a factor because the American Federation of Labor saw Mexicans as cheap labor and would never fully become American (331).
I thought this chapter was interesting. It taught me a lot of things I was unaware of and did not know. The way they migrated is interesting from he difference they have ti migrate today.