Wendy's and Arby's have joined forces and were having a little meeting and the CIW was there to encourage them to get their tomatoes and other fresh vegetables in an ethical manner..... and to notify some pedestrians about the situation. that situation being modern-day slavery-Haitian and Mexican undocumented workers being chained when they're not in the fields slaving, being made to wash their hands in bleach, being paid literally pennies a day. the executives of these fast food companies (and non-fast food companies as well) know of this but, apparently paying someone 46 cents per 32 lb. bucket of tomatoes is too much to ask. have you ever wondered how in the world these fast food companies are able to make, sell, and earn a profit from selling hamburgers, chicken nuggets, and tacos for $1? there is no way food can be that cheap without fucking someone over in the process. you, the consumer are being fucked over because you're consuming far-from nutritious food and these workers are being fucked over.
and while i was protesting, i saw the chick (i swear) from this video i keep seeing everywhere.
the protest was in middle Manhattan near a bunch of fancy schmancy businesses and....people. and she walked by twice, probably staying in the hotel. and i've been meaning to put this video up, but i've forgotten about it until i saw her.
from maybe the 8th grade until i graduated high school, i wanted to be a fashion designer. my measly little paychecks were spent on clothing, fabric, sewing machine accessories, and fashion magazines. most American fashion magazines are around $4, but imported ones like French and Italian Vogue could be $10 each. special editions went for around $20. yes....for a damn magazine. i would never do that now, but at the time, it was my life.
anywho....in retrospect, i think the magazines did add a lot to my internal racism. and it's sad, but i don't think the fashion designers should be blamed any more than the society at large should be. and fashion designer that wants to have a successful company knows that the art of fashion has to be second, and business first. they know the consumer better than we know ourselves. they know that white people buy what other white people wear, and (too many) minorities want what whites have. putting a black girl on their runway is like putting Monique's character from Precious or Aunt Esther from Sanford & Son in your fashion show because that is the often seen black woman.
just recently, i've been watching the new series Glee on my minuscule cable, mainly to see what all the hype is about. and, just as predicted, the black girl is the finger-shaking, neck-twisting, loud, and in-your-face girl. WHY? i've also been watching the sewage dump that is known as Grey's Anatomy. and gee by golly the black woman is....finger-shaking, neck-twisting, loud, and in-your-face. not only that, but she's always having these outbursts and crying. i'm starting to think her character is possibly a manic-depressant. and although she has a child and a husband, she's an asexual character-sporting a 1982 mop 'do and always in ill-fitting clothing. she's basically Shrek in scrubs with a vagina. look at the photo below. she's the one scowling in the bottom left corner. everyone else is semi-smiling, and she's ready to shank you with a scalpel....whats the deal?
i'm nearing a tangent, so i'll stop. i think you get my point. when black women in films are more often than not the aforementioned women, then isn't it just a ripple effect that the fashion industry choose its models with these stereotypes in mind? what more could be expected from a capitalistic and materialistic industry (for the most part. every now and then ....here and there some amazing art is taking place)?
post racial society? where?....
watch the video. check out the CIW. get involved. comment. think. criticize.
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