» HADOUKEN « make america...just stop
Do you remember when C. Montgomery Burns ran for governor of the still unknown state in which Springfield is located? Boy did it really shake up the town! Even politically agnostic and personally apathetic Simpson's patriarch, Homer, got in the mix. The fever divided the Simpson's household 50-50 with angry, doltish male conservatives aligning with Monty and optimistic, enlightened female progressives opting for incumbent Mary Bailey.
Originally airing in 1990, right around the time of the George H.W. Bush administration's midterm elections, the episode is best known for its depiction of Mr. Burns as a sinister, self-indulgent maniac hell bent on controlling the state to advance his own interests as billionaire nuclear power plant proprietor. The only reason he even ran for office was to find ways to avoid regulatory scrutiny after Bart appears on the news having found a three eyed fish swimming downstream from one of his plant's reactors.
The episode is as relevant as ever in today's political climate. However, it's a quick exchange at the breakfast table that resonates with me most. As Homer and Marge bicker over who's voting for whom, Lisa, always beyond her years and seemingly not of the same Simpson gene pool, swoons "Oooh...a political discussion at our table! I feel like a Kennedy...!"
What does this have to do with fashion? Well, if New York is the breakfast table and the fashion industry is the Simpson's household, well gosh darn it, I must be Lisa Simpson. And let's be clear: sure, a part of Lisa was gloating over her family's newfound fervor; however, for the most part, she was being sarcastic.
I don't feel like a Kennedy. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
What I mean is, the vast majority of those who are speaking out on politics in fashion right now are doing so because either they 1. think it's fashionable or 2. are trying to make money. (And in some cases, it is both.) From Urban Outfitters' "IDK NOT TRUMP THO" t-shirts being sold even before the election to Public School's lazy "Make America New York" hats ::shudders:: these brands come off as careless, fickle, confused and worst of all opportunistic. Even worse is the recklessness of assuming that the entire industry is united on this. My eyeballs almost fell out of my skull a few weeks ago when I read a piece by the founder and CEO of a major fashion trade publication basically stating that every fashion company has a duty to make its political views known (and that those views better be in line with his own). Right, because when New Balance, in a fairly moderate and logical way, tweeted that a pro-America administration might be good for domestic manufacturing that went over real well for them.
Now before you fall into the trap of labelling me as "a Trump apologist" or "not woke," chill out for a second. (And if that's the way your brain works, then you seriously need to slow down and think about what it means to be tolerant, progressive and diverse.) I am a registered New York City republican who votes democrat probably 75% of the time. I (begrudgingly) voted for Hillary, and I think President Trump will go down in history as the great American scourge. It's this sort of political diversity that makes America great, not vapid hats, t-shirts and misguided rhetoric calling for uniformity on issues that are simply more complex than "I don't know, what color do you like better? Yeah, me too, let's go with that!" It's our robust ideas, experiences, relationships, communities and the free flow of information that makes the future exciting, not arrogantly (and in many cases publicly shaming) those who disagree with you.
If you want to literally wear your politics on your sleeve, go for it. Just be mindful of two things: 1. even if you live in a coastal elite metropolis it's only a matter of time before you find yourself in disagreement, and 2. there's a good chance that you are being viewed as sheep. To quote a different Homer, the Greek poet, "Words empty as the wind are best left unsaid." I love my first amendment right as much as the next guy (big shout out to Tiny Letter), I just hope we all think a little more critically about what we are saying and how we say it is all.