Bands opposed to American Apparel products

Alternatively, there could be bands who are part of a contrarian pro-sweatshop backlash, because cruelty is, like, totally hardcore and shit.

ew, this sounds snide and patronizing. check your tone, lady!

if you did your "google research" on the rest of the ILX site, you might find there's a few existing threads in regards to american apparel. perhaps those will be helpful to you, rather than rehashing past discussion.

I'm sorry if you viewed my tone as anything but helpful, but I'm also sorry to say that you misinterpreted it completely.

I have searched the board and have not come up with any useful information from within the past year. I'm also seeking band contacts rather than people's opinions from previous posts.

Thank you for your help, though.

I want to bone American Apparel.

I am personally not entirely sure how I feel about boycotting, except in the most obvious cases. It implies a certain transparency in how businesses work that I'm not sure really exists (and I'm not completely sure should exist) (since where does it end? it's hard to see the difference between me not buying a product because I know the makers behave in a way that I don't approve of, and, say, a company denying me a job because I behave in a way they don't approve of) (also, boycotts are based on allegation rather than proof generally -- it becomes a form of vengeance, surely -- and that seems no good) (also, let's say a bad company makes the best and cheapest t-shirts; if I deny myself access to the best and cheapest t-shirts, then I am spending more money to make a worse product, which I presumably won't be able to charge as much on; this means my profit margin is smaller, and THAT means that, although the bad guys might have less money to do bad, I also have less money now to do good; and my general experience is that "bad" already has gobs of money, whereas "good" needs every penny it can get) (that is, admittedly, oversimplified but my main point is that the issue of boycotting doesn't seem as obvious to me as it does to many) (though I should also point out that even though I have my doubts, I really am of two minds about it and think it's possible it could work and be a good thing -- I really don't know) (there just seem to be better tools for this sort of thing) (legislation is better than boycotts) (and if it's not a misdeed that you wouldn't want legislated, then why this off-the-books vengeance-like form of street legislation?) (etc.).

now, working retail is depressing in some aspect but i could at least inject humor into whatever was being thrown at me -- having to wear a "rookie" button on the first few days of my job at IKEA, the numerous lame coffee shops i squandered my precious college years in, etc; working at AA toyed with my insecurities in the most sinister way ive never experienced before. im not the most attractive/skinny/cool/etc person in the world and i remember going home everyday feeling like complete shit. i barely lasted a full week.

i almost think the few relatives i know who have worked in actual sweatshops were kind of better off because they never had to deal with the creepy mindfuck of a workplace environment that AA provides. and thats really messed up to think such a thing! exploited regardless, but they just went in, did their job and went home.

anyway, if you're truly wrangling with the sweatshop/sweatshop-free t-shirt issue, here's a couple alternatives to AA:

http://www.alternativeapparel.com/
http://www.astees.com/

IMHO, i wish these companies would truly distinguish themselves by dropping the faux-AA aesthetic.

We use American Apparel for our t-shirts -- I think the bulk rates are pretty reasonable, and they're nice, well-made shirts. From what I understand, there aren't too many other options, either.

Also we support public masturbation.

well, Maria read it a certain way and so did i.

take it from someone who's been called out on this kind of thing before on ilx - self-righteousness is both easily identifiable and pretty rancid. climb down now while you still have the chance. persuade don't lecture. no one gives a rats fuck how 'noble' your cause is, guilt trips don't work period. sorry to come off so harsh, i'm talking to myself as much as you.

I was directed to this board by a musician friend who thought that this may be the proper forum to find some bands with a stong opinion towards this issue. As a few of you pointed out, this forum may not be the best area, and I thank you for your help.

For the record, this is an article and nothing more. I am not seeking bands opposed to American Apparel because I am personally opposed, so there is no "nobel cause." I am simply trying to fill a void in my article where the information is clearly unbalanced. Since posting on this board I have located a number of resources that make the story richer and balanced.

And John, interpretation always has an individual side, and I am sorry if I made you or any other reader feel as if he/she was being given a guilt trip. However, just because you read something a certain way doesn't mean you know the person's tone.

It's the internet, man. Lighten up.

I'm officially unsub'ed from this list, so goodbye and good luck.

Location: Chicago, IL
Age: 24

About the writer:
I write by day, dance by night and study cellular respiration and diatomic particles somewhere in between. I hate driving, roaches, fake lunchmeat and people who ride their bike on the sidewalk. I love crocheting, red wine, boots and dimensional analysis. I have a cat named Ike, who plays fetch with a miniature beanie Grover. I'm not as punk rock as everyone else around here.

Top 5 Favorite Records - All Time

1. BEASTIE BOYS Check Your Head
2. THE FLAMING LIPS Clouds Taste Metallic
3. THE PIXIES Surfer Rosa
4. THE CLASH (self titled UK version)
5. KILL THE VULTURES (self titled)

WELCOME TO THE SIXTH BOROUGH. oh wait, thats philadelphia, right?

This is, apparently, the new role of the journalist: To tell you what to google. The blogs have won.

Actually I do have a vintage Big Muff which I keep rolled up in a t-shirt to keep it from getting scratched. It's an old Dead Milkmen tour shirt. I think it's Fruit of the Loom or Hanes, but AA should work fine. Don't let all the collectors and bullshit tonehounds tell you that the older shirt manufacturers are better. Cotton hasn't changed in the past 20 years. It's still analog.

WRITE THAT IN YOUR ARTICLE

For the record, this is an article and nothing more. I am not seeking bands opposed to American Apparel because I am personally opposed, so there is no "nobel cause."

well, for one, an article thats laced with an agenda is more than an article, and really, writing about AA in 2005 isnt going to win you any nobel prizes.

I am simply trying to fill a void in my article where the information is clearly unbalanced. Since posting on this board I have located a number of resources that make the story richer and balanced.

actual meaning: no one on here would say anything that would pretty much write the article so waaaaahhhhh, im leaving!

And John, interpretation always has an individual side, and I am sorry if I made you or any other reader feel as if he/she was being given a guilt trip. However, just because you read something a certain way doesn't mean you know the person's tone.

hello, could we please stop writing these paragraphs where you say one thing in the first half, only to refute the argument in the latter? if you truly believed that interpretation in a matter of individual taste, you would have considered your own tone before posting.

It's the internet, man. Lighten up.

if we're supposed to lighten up, then why are you posting this? also, why does the internet always have to be 100% jokey all the time?

I'm officially unsub'ed from this list, so goodbye and good luck.

good luck unsubbing from a public messageboard!

And then you made her cry!

yeah, im mean. but it hurt me more than it hurt her!

and as far as sizing, I was told that their shirts shrink a full size. As in general depending on the fit of a particular brand, where I am on my weight yo-yo ride and mood, I'm a large or x-large and occasionally even a medium, AA X-Large shirts after washing fit me nicely, much better then most other x-large shirts which fit me like a tent.

(Christmas is coming guys HINT HINT)

She's a journalist who is doing a story about bands and AA. She already has several bands who support them and is looking for bands who don't to balance the story and provide another view. This is a message board that someone referred her to so she posted her request - which all of you ignored and started your own conversation.

When you chat in person do you ignore what the person you're talking to just said and have your own conversation? No, you say? Because that's rude? Well, it's rude on the internet too.

Learn to communicate.

When you chat in person do you ignore what the person you're talking to just said and have your own conversation?

And besides, what's up with the pretentious email address? Purewisdom? Faithmile? Hello, I didn't know Mother Theresa was kickin' out the jams on ILX!

2. My email address is not meant to be pretentious. I looked up what my real names mean and that's what I came up with. Since most name meanings aren't negative (at least not the ones they put in name books), whatever came out is bound to make me sound glowing. As for faithmile, I'm a Christian, which isn't meant to be pretentious, either.

3. This is probably old, but I ran across it while googling something else. I'm not a friend of Sara's, but my undergrad degree is in Mass Comm, so I can feel her pain and I've heard of SO many people complaining about biased news stories that I couldn't understand people who were complaining about a journalist who was actually trying to get both sides. I'm not saying anyone had to give her information, I just don't understand the "non" responses. I chose not to go into news as a career because I felt that the ethics I was taught were not reflected in the newscasts I saw, but I have respect for the profession.

4. Since I'm not really a part of this community, I'll butt out and stop posting. Have fun!