I was reading in the
Asian Pacific Post (
Designer Profiling) that downtown nightclubs are banning entry to guest wearing
Affliction and
Ed Hardy clothing as they are labels associated with Asian gangs. Typically they are t-shirts with the fairly standard imagery that appeals to young men and older men that are trying to be young men or otherwise unable to dress their age. (That is to say they are not aware of having reached an age where they simply look like they are wearing clothing a generation below them. The same kind of men that wear baseball hats backwards. You know.)
The paper polled 7 men between the ages of 20 and 25, some knew of the labels and owned some, some knew of the labels but didn't own any and some had never heard of the labels. All of them thought that it wasn't right for bars to ban people for wearing them. Personally, based on bouncers experiences that they have had trouble with a lot of people wearing these labels, I don't see a problem with it. Dress codes have always, more or less, been in effect and although the justification and explanation of them might sometimes be vague they are at the bars discretion. In these instances it is clearly not a matter of discriminating against slobs, cowboys, goths or other aesthetic fringe elements but concerns for safety in the bar. In fact bars likely stand to lose patrons and could potentially incur backlash for rejecting certain people.
Clearly I don't really care one way or the other. I don't go to these bars. I avoid downtown as much as possible and especially on weekend nights. I think the 'Granville Entertainment District' was a huge blunder and is a disgrace. As for Asian gangs –or any other– let them have at each other. It's easier and less expensive than having the police try to crack down on them all the time.
As for the labels: they are derivative and uninspired. The sort of thing that should only appeal to teenagers and only until they get laid for the first time. Bars are doing these young men a favour. Besides, what's wrong with
Fred Perry?
Yuri.
