news
08-12-2015, 10:40 PM
For the United States, the Confederate flag has been a source of controversy. The president of a clothing brand in Argentina views it quite differently.
According to Mimi Dwyer’s opinion piece for Al Jazeera America (http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/8/why-do-argentine-teens-wear-confederate-flags.html), a clothing brand in Argentina called John L. Cook (http://www.johnlcook.com.ar/index.html) adopted the rebel flag as its logo after Ramiro Fita, the brand’s founder, first discovered one in Baltimore while in the merchant navy.
Honey, Im home! ? #weliveinlove (https://instagram.com/p/4Xj8e4JYNp/)
A photo posted by COOK, John L. Cook (@cookoficial) on Jun 25, 2015 at 3:01pm PDT
Dwyer spoke to Fita’s son, Emiliano, who is the current president of Cook. He explained what the flag represents for the company his parents started in Argentina in 1975.
"It’s just the brand’s logo," he told Dwyer. (http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/8/why-do-argentine-teens-wear-confederate-flags.html) "It symbolizes the history of self-improvement and love in the lives of my parents."
As Cook’s logo, the Confederate flag shows up on the brand’s merchandise and social media accounts, including posts featuring quotes attributed to poet, author and activist Maya Angelou and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Saturday night: Please #LiveInLove (https://instagram.com/p/3U3amFJYBn/)
A photo posted by COOK, John L. Cook (@cookoficial) on May 30, 2015 at 5:22pm PDT
In light of Dylann Roof's attack (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=2015/07/07/dylann-roof-indicted_n_7744644.html) on a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, and the subsequent taking down of the Confederate flag (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=2015/07/10/confederate-flag-taken-down-photos_n_7769666.html) at the state's Capitol grounds, the flag is a symbol of racial injustice for many in the United States. In Argentina, it's viewed differently especially for the teens who support Cook and its merchandise.
"I think that if a person likes their clothes, then they like them," 14-year-old Irina Bergman told Dwyer (http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/8/why-do-argentine-teens-wear-confederate-flags.html) after learning what the flag represents for many in the United States. "The logo is just a logo and that’s that."
Others don't agree and have made their views public. "Stop using the confederate sign of hate," wrote one commenter (https://www.facebook.com/cookoficial/posts/10153464443700891) on Cook's Facebook page. "Well these guys may want to change their brand logo rather sooner than later... LOL ? (https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/getaclue?source=feed_text&story_id=102069062469125 03)#getaclue?," wrote someone else. (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206906246912503&set=o.22438805890 &type=1)
A Change.org petition (https://www.change.org/p/no-al-logo) has also been set up requesting Cook to change its logo and currently has 239 supporters. Today reports (http://www.today.com/style/fashion-brand-john-l-cooks-confederate-flag-logo-stirs-fury-t38041) that Elena Morin, a resident of Argentina who grew up in New York, started the petition.
No offense, family. #QuoteOfTheDay (https://instagram.com/p/5c9ZnUJYK9/)
A photo posted by COOK, John L. Cook (@cookoficial) on Jul 22, 2015 at 1:51pm PDT
"Cook's Argentinian customers really have no idea what the logo represents," she told Today. "'The Dukes of Hazzard' was popular on TV in Argentina in the '80s, so I'm sure a lot of older people recognize the flag from that, but they don't recognize its meaning in the larger context of U.S. racial politics, or how it's been used as a racist symbol."
For now, it is unknown whether the petition will motivate the brand's president to replace the logo. As reported by Dwyer for Al Jazeera America, he "didn't respond to subsequent questions asking if he planned to change it."
Also on HuffPost:
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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According to Mimi Dwyer’s opinion piece for Al Jazeera America (http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/8/why-do-argentine-teens-wear-confederate-flags.html), a clothing brand in Argentina called John L. Cook (http://www.johnlcook.com.ar/index.html) adopted the rebel flag as its logo after Ramiro Fita, the brand’s founder, first discovered one in Baltimore while in the merchant navy.
Honey, Im home! ? #weliveinlove (https://instagram.com/p/4Xj8e4JYNp/)
A photo posted by COOK, John L. Cook (@cookoficial) on Jun 25, 2015 at 3:01pm PDT
Dwyer spoke to Fita’s son, Emiliano, who is the current president of Cook. He explained what the flag represents for the company his parents started in Argentina in 1975.
"It’s just the brand’s logo," he told Dwyer. (http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/8/why-do-argentine-teens-wear-confederate-flags.html) "It symbolizes the history of self-improvement and love in the lives of my parents."
As Cook’s logo, the Confederate flag shows up on the brand’s merchandise and social media accounts, including posts featuring quotes attributed to poet, author and activist Maya Angelou and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Saturday night: Please #LiveInLove (https://instagram.com/p/3U3amFJYBn/)
A photo posted by COOK, John L. Cook (@cookoficial) on May 30, 2015 at 5:22pm PDT
In light of Dylann Roof's attack (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=2015/07/07/dylann-roof-indicted_n_7744644.html) on a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, and the subsequent taking down of the Confederate flag (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=2015/07/10/confederate-flag-taken-down-photos_n_7769666.html) at the state's Capitol grounds, the flag is a symbol of racial injustice for many in the United States. In Argentina, it's viewed differently especially for the teens who support Cook and its merchandise.
"I think that if a person likes their clothes, then they like them," 14-year-old Irina Bergman told Dwyer (http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/8/why-do-argentine-teens-wear-confederate-flags.html) after learning what the flag represents for many in the United States. "The logo is just a logo and that’s that."
Others don't agree and have made their views public. "Stop using the confederate sign of hate," wrote one commenter (https://www.facebook.com/cookoficial/posts/10153464443700891) on Cook's Facebook page. "Well these guys may want to change their brand logo rather sooner than later... LOL ? (https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/getaclue?source=feed_text&story_id=102069062469125 03)#getaclue?," wrote someone else. (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206906246912503&set=o.22438805890 &type=1)
A Change.org petition (https://www.change.org/p/no-al-logo) has also been set up requesting Cook to change its logo and currently has 239 supporters. Today reports (http://www.today.com/style/fashion-brand-john-l-cooks-confederate-flag-logo-stirs-fury-t38041) that Elena Morin, a resident of Argentina who grew up in New York, started the petition.
No offense, family. #QuoteOfTheDay (https://instagram.com/p/5c9ZnUJYK9/)
A photo posted by COOK, John L. Cook (@cookoficial) on Jul 22, 2015 at 1:51pm PDT
"Cook's Argentinian customers really have no idea what the logo represents," she told Today. "'The Dukes of Hazzard' was popular on TV in Argentina in the '80s, so I'm sure a lot of older people recognize the flag from that, but they don't recognize its meaning in the larger context of U.S. racial politics, or how it's been used as a racist symbol."
For now, it is unknown whether the petition will motivate the brand's president to replace the logo. As reported by Dwyer for Al Jazeera America, he "didn't respond to subsequent questions asking if he planned to change it."
Also on HuffPost:
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234567133244/u/0/f/677045/c/35496/s/48ef575f/rc/1/rc.img (http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234567133244/u/0/f/677045/c/35496/s/48ef575f/rc/1/rc.htm)
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