Response 4, Artifact Analysis

[conus322]

After looking over the responses and listening to the midterm presentations, I've narrowed my artifact to looking at the part of the AF website that defines AF culture for both kids and adults, as shown below

Comments

[il_penseroso]

The shirt that I find most interesting is that "Rick Shaw" shirt. I think you could base most, if not all, of your paper on that one shirt alone. The use of racial stereotypes in an attempt at humor is common, but when it is done by a company, that says something about how that company views itself and its target demographic. In its definition of its culture, A and F say they target a certain age group, but their appeal is universal. Is their appeal universal to all socioeconomic groups? Is it universal to all ethnic groups? Is A and F a culture unto itself, or has it simply coopted WASP adolescent culture and sold it back to them? I think the use of a racial stereotype indicates that A and F is not quite as universal as it claims to be. The interaction between A and F's culture and more conventional ethnic culture could be a good area for examination.

[blueriver005]

I agree with il penseroso that you might consider focusing on fewer shirts. There is a lot to be said about the context of the shirt itself (AF culture: the store, the advertising, music, lighting, etc) and how the text is shaped by and shapes its context. Besides looking at the rickshaw shirt, I thought the " I Give to the Pour" t-shirt promoted an interesting message- alcoholics are cool (also to mainly underage kids 18-22). AF seems to reinforce the idea that its cool to be bad, even with the idea of children being popular and mischevious. Is that why it is also okay to rely on stereotypes and poke fun at Asians, as they do in the Rickshaw t-shirt? Are they themselves reflecting a culture where people strive to be popular and thus should commit bad things?