Go Achtungbaby

[deez nuts]

In protest of the costume, the Asian-American news Web site Yellowworld.org started an online petition drive. "Asian-Americans don't want to be Halloween masks," said Elbert Oh, founder of the site.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/16/...ain525891.shtml (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/16/national/main525891.shtml)



<!--EDIT|Chasiubao_Boy|Oct 17 2002, 09:15 AM-->

[SunWuKong]

hey cool. CBS News mentioned YW!

ooh, i think this is going to drive up traffic. more newbies.

[kasia]

:) thanks ab for noticing the costume and starting the campaign. thanks to all members of yw - esp yw mods :) - who did all the initial outreach last week. it's cause of you guys that this thing blew up.

[kimpossible]

I've said this privately, now I'll say this publicly: AB you are a leader. A humble, and strong one. Way to be a great example on how initiative, hard work and dedication can make a difference.

edit. I was wrong. Congrats to the whole team.



<!--EDIT|Hello_Hapa|Oct 17 2002, 08:29 AM-->

[deez nuts]

Originally posted by kasia@Oct 17 2002, 11:26 AM
:) thanks ab for noticing the costume and starting the campaign. thanks to all members of yw - esp yw mods :) - who did all the initial outreach last week. it's cause of you guys that this thing blew up.
Well props to AB, no doubt.

But props to Kasia, for using her mad lawyer skills and putting th pressure on. And thanks again to Kasia for reinforcing to my parents and reviving the age old hounding from them on why I should've went into law or to find a lawyer as a wife, after telling them about this issue <_< .

My folks should chill out and get off my case in about a month or two. ;)

[Chris]

AB. We can't be any prouder than you right now. YW is making a name for itself and that we are force not to be reckon with any more! *\o/* GO AB GO!

[achtungbaby]

Thanks everyone, you're all doing a phenomenal job with this. I've been involved in a campaign or two before, and it's not often when you can mobilize, present a united front, and essentially, have all of your demands met.

But it's not quite over yet. While the mask is in the process of being pulled, we still need to keep pressure on retailers who already possess the product and could care less whether it gets in the hands of a child.

This weekend, please keep the pressure on retailers! If you find "Kung Fool" anywhere, take a picture and send it to us!!

[amietron]

'Wacky' Halloween Costume Arouses Angry Response From Community

A "Kung Fool" Halloween costume being sold by Disguise Inc. is being targeted by man angry Asian American activists, who are demanding that the product be withdrawn.

The costume, described by the manufacturer as "wacky," consists of a vinyl half-cap --a bucktoothed, squinty-eyed caricature wearing a headband --and a happi coat (described in the catalog as a "kimono").

Disguise ships its products to retailers across the country, including Wal-Mart and Target.

A petition being circulated by Yellowworld.org, a website that covers Asian American political and social issues, reads, in part: “We, the undersigned, are shocked and disgusted by the sheer audacity of manufacturer Disguise in releasing their new ‘Kung Fool’ costume...

“Certainly, this type of overt racism, passed off half-heartingly as ‘humor,’ is familiar to many Asians. Six months ago, clothing manufacturer Abercrombie & Fitch tried to push their ‘Wong Brothers Laundry Service’ onto young adults and teens, claiming the shirts were ‘cheeky, irreverent, funny.’

“Unfortunately, they actively chose to overlook that such depictions are blatantly offensive to many who’ve had to endure them, and indeed, have been used consistently and historically to marginalize an entire community.

“More insidious this time, however, is the current attempt to perpetuate racist thought amongst children. While many of Disguise’s costumes offer model cartoon heroes, fictional characters and even infamous celebrities, no other costume singles out for ridicule like a community like ‘Kung Fool.’ We seriously doubt Disguise Inc. would ever consider marketing a costume to children that was questionably offensive to African Americans.”

The petitioners are demanding that Disguise “issue and immediate, official and published apology and remove the ‘Kung Fool’ costume immediately from retailers nationwide” and “offer full and unconditional refunds or incentives for costumes already purchased.”

Kasie Lee of Yellowworld.org this week reported a phone conversation with Disguise’s corporate office in which an executive apologized for upsetting the Asian American community and promised to pull the product.

Disguise, founded in San Diego in 1987 and now owned by Group Cesar, a French company, is headquartered in Poway, San Diego County, where the Organization of Chinese Americans and other community groups are planning to hold a protest on Oct. 18.

The costume was mentioned in recent article by local newspaper, the North County Times, which described Jeff Coppens, the company’s marketing director, putting on the “Kung Fool” mask and jumping into a martial arts stance. Coppens explained that the symbol on the headband is the Chinese character for “loser.”

In the same article, Coppens discusses the company’s standards, noting that Disguise does not use characters from R-rated movies and also spurns requests for special costumes of questionable taste.

“We’ve had people ask us to make a costume of [Osama] bin Laden, but we won’t do it,” he told the North County Times. “There are some things that are more important than something that may get some sales.” Thursday, Oct. 27, 2002
from Hokubei Mainichi
1746 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415)567-7324

[achtungbaby]

In case ya'll are interested in media updates, you can check out:

http://petition.yellowworld.org/news/artic...icles.php?cat=2 (http://petition.yellowworld.org/news/articles.php?cat=2)

[tapestrybabe]

being in the limelight.. while it seems all exciting to me... it must feel kinda tough at the same time... cuz while your fighting for something that you believe in.. your also getting different opinions from the opposite side as well... like, this is all being blown out of proportion, your over reacting, etc.. etc...

and kudos to you for your leadership and standing your own ground... and not backing down.. despite what other may say....

[achtungbaby]

Originally posted by tapestrybabe@Oct 19 2002, 06:57 PM
cuz while your fighting for something that you believe in.. your also getting different opinions from the opposite side as well... like, this is all being blown out of proportion, your over reacting, etc.. etc...
I think I typically respond this way too. But for some reason, after I had heard others dismiss all of this, I personally became more resolved, in part because of how idiotic their claims sounded...:)

[achtungbaby]

Just to add, to me, it goes without saying that others were instrumental (and I cannot stress this enough) in bringing about Disguise's capitulation, notably the sorta unseen YW Legal Team, which included kasia and arex. It's not there in the soundbites nor squeezed into a press release, but it was their knowledge and application of the law that proved vital in our negotiations with them, and certainly their courage and willingness to place their legal reputations on the line.

It really does help to have counsel:) A reality in America: if you don't know the law, you're going to get it up the arse.