Hypocrisy Has a Brand Name
Ah, where to begin? After reading a letter to the editor in the Tide in response to my article, "A Blatant Attack on Shallowness," from the last issue of Samizdat, I found myself appalled, disgusted, and highly amused by its sheer hypocrisy and shallowness. The two students who wrote the article state that my article is "nothing more than a hypocritical judgment." They assert that it was written in a "rather hypocritical and insensitive manner." They are apparently upset with the "use of a school publication to make pointed attacks on other individuals." Their supporting arguments consist of a series of quotes taken out of context and generalizations attributed to me that I simply did not make. Ladies, I don't know what article you read, but it certainly wasn't mine.
In my article, I made it a point to assert that I was not making generalizations about people who wear preppy clothing. Throughout the entire article, not once do I make any ad homonym attack on the preppy community. Any insult I render is focused directly or indirectly on the attitude that glorifies conformity and antagonizes individuality, as well as on the fashion industry that promotes this attitude. My comments about over-priced, brand-name designer garbage reflect my hostility toward an industry that declares that "this cotton T-shirt that happens to have the letters 'CK' on it is worth over $20 because it will make you cool." They were not directed at the people who wear over-priced, brand-name designer garbage. A lot of the stuff looks pretty good. I own a lot of the stuff. A lot of my friends own a lot the stuff. On the day Samizdat came out, I was wearing a sweater from Abercromie and Fitch. Does this mean I am a hypocrite? Certainly not! It means I like the way that sweater looks. I have no problem if you buy or wear this clothing as long as you don't use it as an excuse to treat people who don't as inferior.
Nowhere in my article do I make any generalization that "all people who wear preppy clothing are shallow and superficial." On the contrary, I specifically state that one of my best friends in the world dresses preppily. However, most of the people I know who do have shallow, sadistic attitudes about fashion do dress that way. This is partially a result of the aforementioned fashion industry which portrays their products as the only road to social acceptability. I literally heard a clothing commercial that declared, "It doesn't matter if you're not smart, as long as you look smart." It is this industry that uses advertising to encourage shallowness and conformity that prompted my use of the term "Gap clone."
This is not to say that the only people who are superficial about appearances are preppy. There are few more repugnant sights than a person who conforms to the "non-conformist look" and looks down on those who don't. It infuriates me when people flaunt their "freakiness" and make generalizations about "the preps." There is a point where self-expression ceases to be self-expression and starts to be a pathetic attempt to become a cartooned, over-simplified version of one's self. These people give those of us who are actually just being ourselves a bad name. I can't remember how many times I've been accused of being a "posuer" or a "wannabe" just because so many other people are insincere about their personalities. In this sense, the authors of the letter which prompted this tirade are correct. This brand of bigotry does indeed run both ways. However, my article did not subscribe to either form of prejudice. It merely focused on the prejudice that I see as more potentially detrimental to people on an individual basis. That is the prejudice that is controlled by large corporations. That is the prejudice that can turn a good, kind individual into an outcast.
I'd like to clarify my argument to those who have misinterpreted it. I make no judgements about anyone based merely on the fact that they wear preppy clothing. My article was not addressed to the preppy community in general. However, if you think that you are better than other people because of the way you dress, then you've got another thing coming to you. You are the ones to whom I was addressing in my article. You are the ones who need to take a look in the mirror and see that you are quite possibly making someone's life miserable just because they have the courage not to let a fashion designer control their pocketbook. You are the ones who will, one of these days, see that your entire outlook on life is based on a few petty scraps of fabric.
OK. Now that that's clarified I'd like to make a few comments on the letter to the editor that so hypocritically criticized my article. Ladies, your letter amuses me immensely. You criticize my "use of a school publication to make pointed attacks on individuals." Nowhere in my article do I attack "individuals." My article is an open letter to the shallow fashion sadists among us. If you choose to believe that the article was addressed to you, then you are acknowledging your own superficiality. You say that I instruct "those who wear 'designer get-ups'" to look in the mirror and "shudder in disgust." I say nothing of the sort. My mirror comment was directed at shallow people in general. Look at the text, ladies. You attack me for being hypocritical and go on to make the same "hypocritical judgement" that you accuse me of. You say that, upon introspection, people will "discover that what they wear is a part of who they are." You later declare, "The type of clothing which one prefers has no bearing on inner character or personality." Mm-hmm...I need not point out the obvious contradiction here. Even without this blatant declaration of hypocrisy, I would very much like to see how the rhetoric in your article sizes up to your actions in real life. I will not elaborate on that point for fear of "using a school publication to make pointed attacks on other individuals."
I hope that I have eradicated any misunderstandings that might have been generated from my article. I pray that maybe, upon reading this or my previous item, someone has realized the error in his or her ways and will make a conscious effort to change for the better. That was my motivation for verbalizing my frustrations in the first place. While I wonder whether this will actually happen, it was worth a shot. And the next time you want to write a letter to the editor complaining that you find an article offensive, try actually reading the article and understanding what it says rather than assuming that someone is out to get you. I hope all miscommunications are cleared up.
Please feel free to compare the previous articles.
Click Here to View the Original Article
Click Here to View the Response from the Tide
To Comment, Email Here
Email: fishlove@aol.com
