[Elphaba]

Originally Posted by Gwen

elph, darling, sweetie, though i agree with how it looks.... when was the last time you were in (or anywhere near) dear old mississippi in which you noted so much histroy?>snip<

Hello my friend.

I am not saying the people in Mississippi are at fault, or that they're not fairly tame (a great word to use, btw). I am not saying the AFA's employees are guilty of purposely buying a product because it could evoke the image of the burning cross. I don't think the AFA was being malicious at all.

However, I do not believe the residents of Mississippi are oblivious to its contribution to the horror of terrorizing black Americans. The three examples I gave are the most notorious and well-known. But they are not the only incidents.

Additionally, I grew up in So. CA, where I never saw any white supremacist groups burning any crosses. Yet, as Wing said, I have read history books that included the history of the civil rights movement and the KKK.

So, if I knew about them, why wouldn't Mississippi’s citizens know about them as well? Especially since the state's relatively recent history was rife with this violent hate.

i can see this being totally missed by non extream yungsters whose minds are focused on one thing.

The AFA is such a large entity, and its product line is so extensive, I'm sure the people who make these decisions are professionals. It's not a few youngsters making the decision to accept the product or not.

for the record we have many lighted crosses in our town at christmas (i'm in alabama) that do not look like they are on fire. the issue isn't a lighted cross it's the poor design of this one with lights sticking out everywhere which remove the clean lines that make it look like they are on fire.

I agree, and it goes to my point. The design of this particular cross evokes the image. And as you point out, it’s caused by the way the lights are attached.

i see this as an innocent mistake and we can throw it in the file with the obama sock monkey to pull out for a good laugh about ignorance when a good laugh at someone's expense is needed.

The company that designed and marketed that sock puppet consisted of a few family members, or at least I think they were family. Either way, it is an extremely small company run by people who had no knowledge of the do's and don'ts of marketing. They just thought they were making a fun puppet to sell, and that was it. But when they discovered the puppet offended a number of people, they stopped selling it, which was the right thing to do.

And the AFA should do the same.

The company does not drop the product simply because it's not PC to offend anyone. It drops the product because it would lose its profit, and tarnish its image. If people don’t trust the company, they won’t purchase its products.

and though i know many would disagree and i do not advocate forgetting history in the least... >snip<if that makes any since.

Yes, it makes perfect sense, and I think it’s a very good point when looking at the social implications of moving on.

However, wanting to move on beyond the negative history has nothing to do with a product's viability. If the product evokes an abhorrent image to some of its customers, the product is dropped. It's too risky not to.

As Cutler Beckett said: "It's just good business."

I am curious to see if the AFA responds to my e-mail.

Elphie