A Modest Proposal

In 1729, author Jonathan Swift wrote a satirical essay entitled "A Modest Proposal." (http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html) My high school Humanities teacher (Berger for those who remember her) required each of us to write our own present-day "Modest Proposal." I found my 500 words last night, written in March of 2000. It's interesting how much (and how little) has changed in six years--and how much I have/haven't changed in six years. What differences can you find? My favorite is a shout-out to tech vests.

A Modest Proposal

Walking down the halls at Marcos de Niza High School, one is constantly bombarded by waves of faceless zombie twins, triplets and even quadruplets. Not identical by race, religion or genetic composition, each set of 'equals' carries the physical and material brand of a name brand store. Like branding cattle, Abercrombie and Fitch, the Gap and Tommy Hilfiger have brainwashed the minds of America's youth into advertising for their companies in high schools across the country by wearing their line of products.

Marcos de Niza is a public high school in Tempe, Arizona. The government provides the facilities, staff, and supplies used to make the school run with tax money directly from its citizens. Whereas Arizona is ranked 44th in the country for educational programs I hereby propose that the stores Abercrombie and Fitch (but not excluding the likes of The Gap, Old Navy, Ralph Lauren, etc.) pay taxes towards the State of Arizona Departments of Education.

Mainstream Marcos is becoming an advertising bonanza. Looking around in any of my classes I know without a shadow of a doubt, where my peers shop. Because it's plastered all over their shirts, pants, hats and tech-vests. Oft times I am given grief for my anti-Abercrombie attitude. But I forget that an avid Abercrombie shopper has a certain line of thinking that goes something like this:

Now isn't it neat that I can buy my clothes at absolutely outlandish prices and get such a good deal? I mean, for $39 I can buy a long sleeved gray shirt with one orange stripe across the front straight from the sweatshops of Taiwan. If I'm really lucky, the holes in the hems should emerge within the week. When I show up at school I am confident in my decision of this new shirt, when I recognize my same shirt on twelve different people. Eight people wearing my variety, three in blue, and one in yellow. How fortunate I am to not even realize how stupid I am in conforming, because if I did I may actually come to me senses and be my own person. I don't think I could handle that.

Approximately 65 % of the 2100 kids (1365) on campus wear name brand clothing. School is in session 7 hours a day. Minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. (1365 kids) x (7 hours a day) x ($5.15) = $49, 208.25 per day. School is in session 180 days a school year. (180 days) x ($49,208.25) = $8,857,485 per year. Let it be proposed that a collaboration of stores gather together and pay the Arizona State Department of Education $8,857,485 to each school in every town, in every state, every year for advertising going on during school hours.