From: "B. Deutsch" <ennead-AT-teleport.com>
Subject: AUT: Re: Fwd: Biased comments by Tommy Hilfiger on "Oprah"
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000 06:50:48 -0700


This is an urban myth; Hillfiger never said these things, nor has he
ever appeared on Oprah.

Here's a couple of interesting thoughts on the myth from "African
American Urban Legends," at http://www.africana.com/index_20000529.htm
...

A legend taken seriously by even a fraction of its audience, however,
can have a powerful impact. One popular legend holds that clothing
manufacturer Tommy Hilfiger publicly made racist remarks about African
Americans. In constant circulation for months, the rumor threatened to
become a public relations nightmare for the company at a time when hip
hop culture and African Americans were increasingly embracing Hilfiger
apparel. According to the urban legend (which is remarkable in its
attention to erroneous detail), the fashion mogul appeared on The
Oprah Winfrey Show and CNN's Style with Elsa Klensch saying that he
did not make his clothes for African Americans. The truth is that
Hilfiger never appeared on either show, but the rumor was so widely
believed that the company felt it had to "set the record straight" by
releasing an official response to the public by email.

The Hilfiger...stories, as well as similar rumors about other clothing
companies, highlight African American ambivalence towards the
corporations whose products they buy but who are perceived to
contribute little to the black community.

"In today's time, it's less easy to figure out who the enemies are,"
says Professor Turner. "So it gets imposed upon the institutions that
we somehow understand may not have our best interest at heart. Tommy,
Timberland, and Claiborne are all corporations peddling products to us
that are not in any way a necessity. We don't need designer
sportswear. Those segments of the black community who get caught up in
what bell hooks calls 'wearing your money on your back' are not
serving the race particularly well. If you're putting all of your
money into high-priced clothing and not investing it in education or
in the structure of your community, that's not a good use of your
resources."

Also, most high-end apparel is manufactured in developing countries by
non-whites who often work in unhealthy conditions for extremely low
wages. According to Turner, this fact is the "kernel of truth" that
informs many urban legends of corporate racism. She says that in
Hilfiger's case, many African Americans have interpreted the company's
manufacturing techniques as evidence of an uncaring attitude towards
people of color.

"Part of what they're saying is that he, as the head of a corporation,
is indifferent to the circumstances of minorities," Turner said.
"[Urban legends of corporate racism reflect the belief] that the
people who are making these things attractive to us are guilty of
something deeper and more pernicious. It's interesting to see what
kinds of companies don't have legends growing up around them. You don'
t hear things about milk, the necessities of life. It's very often
fashion, higher end kinds of products that the rumors develop around."


----- Original Message -----
From: "bob brown" <vacirca-AT-charm.net>
To: "M-Fem" <M-Fem-AT-csf.colorado.edu>; "autopsy"
<aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>; "poco"
<postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>; "claustro"
<claustro-AT-charm.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2000 7:49 PM
Subject: FW: Fwd: Biased comments by Tommy Hilfiger on "Oprah"


:
: --
: "solidarity means sharing the same risks" - Che
: ( la solidarita significa correre gli stessi rischi)
:
: ----------
: From: LeonPender-AT-aol.com
: To: LeonPender-AT-aol.com
: Subject: Fwd: Biased comments by Tommy Hilfiger on "Oprah"
: Date: Tue, Jul 25, 2000, 9:48 AM
:
:
: I'm sure many of you watched the recent taping of the Oprah
: Winfrey show where her guest was Tommy Hilfiger. On the
: show, she asked him if the statements about race he was
: accused of saying were true.
:
: Statements like:"...if I'd known African-Americans, Hispanics,
: Jewish and Asians would buy my clothes, I would not have
: made them so nice.  I wish these people would *NOT* buy
: my clothes, as they are made for upper class white people."
: His answer to Oprah was a simple "YES".
:
: Where after she immediately asked him to leave her show.
:
: My suggestion? Let's give him what he asked for. Let's not
: buy his clothes! let's put him in a financial state where he
: himself will not be able to afford the ridiculous prices he puts
: on his clothes.
:
: BOYCOTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
: PLEASE SEND THIS MESSAGE TO ANYONE YOU KNOW
: WHO SPENDS THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY ON
: CLOTHES MADE BY SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT
: RESPECT THEM AS A PERSON OR  A PEOPLE
:
: Elaine Leslie
: Purchasing Services
: New York University
: 269 Mercer St. 5th Fl.
: New York, NY  10003
: e-mail: elaine.leslie-AT-nyu.edu
: http://www.nyu.edu/purchasing.services
:


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