Re: Support PEACE by wearing no zootsuits

shar-on wrote:

> >From my own historical perspective i think the zoot suits were
> originally worn by gangster members of particular ethnic groups who
> sure enough dressed "smartly" enough to call attention to themselves
> with their message in mind to impress their importance: YOU WILL NOT
> IGNORE ME/US!!! (or else). The garb was a in-your-face way to say
> how important and recognizable they thought themselves to be as
> enforcers of their will, which often resulted in violence, control,
> destruction....when you saw 'em (like human peacocks) coming you paid
> attention for the sake of your life, your business, etc. Please
> someone(s) correct me if i'm wrong here. (And don't get me wrong....i
> kinda more than like the spiffy zoot suit look, but not the negative
> connotations associated for those who might remember.)

I suppose that's one interpretation. For a more balanced view try this
one (from: http://www.bookrags.com/history/popculture/zoot-suit-bbbb-03/)

Zoot Suit

Enormously popular among young African American and Mexican American
(Chicano) men in the 1940s, the zoot suit was more than a piece of
clothing. Designed sleek enough to be stylish and loose enough for
dancing (see entry under 1900s? The Way We Lived in volume 1), the zoot
suit also represented a culture that belonged to people of color in the
United States.

It reflected an open pride in nonwhite ethnic roots that was new in
American society. Many whites felt threatened by displays of pride and
racial identity among people of color. Some even reacted violently to the
sight of young men wearing the distinctive zoot suit.

Some say the zoot suit was designed in 1941 by Chicago tailor and band
leader Harold C. "Zoot Suit" Fox (1910?1996). Inspired by the styles he
saw on poor urban teenagers, who cut down large men's suits to fit their
smaller frames, Fox wanted to design a dancing suit with style. Because
jazz (see entry under 1900s?Music in volume 1) slang labeled everything
cool and hip as "the end,"? and the letter z was the end of the
alpha-bet?he called his suit a zoot, and designed it with a "reet pleat,
reave sleeve, ripe stripe, and drape shape." In less hip English, the
zoot suit had a long jacket with broad padded shoulders and baggy pants
with narrow cuffs. It was often worn with a flat crowned hat called a
pork pie, a long key chain, and shoes with thick soles.

The zoot suit was soon adopted by many hip young blacks and Chicanos. The
suit became part of a larger zoot culture that included jazz music and
dance and jive talk. Young Chicano zooters spoke a slang called Calo that
was a rich mixture of Spanish and English. This zoot suit culture set
young African American and Chicano men apart from mainstream white
culture, and whites soon began to fear and mistrust the zoot suited
"gangs" (see entry under 1980s?The Way We Lived in volume 5). The fear
erupted more than once into violence, the most famous incident being the
"zoot suit riots" in Los Angeles, California. In June 1943, hundreds of
uniformed white sailors and marines attacked zoot-suited Mexican
Americans and African Americans, beating them severely and tearing their
suits off. The riots lasted almost two weeks. Los Angeles police did
little to stop the violence, and local newspapers supported the
servicemen's actions. Hundreds of Chicanos were injured. The publicity
surrounding the incident did serve to educate white Americans about the
large Mexican American minority that lived among them.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Support PEACE by wearing purple socks w/orange holes
    ... >> or try this one for excerpts of the governor's statement on the Zoot Suit ... >>> Enormously popular among young African American and Mexican American ... Hundreds of Chicanos were injured. ...
    (alt.gathering.rainbow)
  • Re: Support PEACE by wearing no zootsuits
    ... >>> originally worn by gangster members of particular ethnic groups who ... > or try this one for excerpts of the governor's statement on the Zoot Suit ... >> Enormously popular among young African American and Mexican American ...
    (alt.gathering.rainbow)
  • Re: Support PEACE by wearing no zootsuits
    ... or try this one for excerpts of the governor's statement on the Zoot Suit ... > Enormously popular among young African American and Mexican American ... Young Chicano zooters spoke a slang called Calo that ...
    (alt.gathering.rainbow)