The headline in this morning’s NY Post was pretty clear. John Galliano has some serious chutzpah coming back to NYC to design after making some pretty awful slurs about Jews in recent years. The slurs were so bad that Natalie Portman severed her then ties to Christian Dior, the fashion house he designed for. It wasn’t the usual cheap-Jew, big-nose-Jew slurs we’ve all grown accustomed to from the time we’re children. It was siding with Hitler and suggesting we all should’ve been gassed that left a fairly bitter taste on kosher (and not so kosher) tongues worldwide. As a proud Jew, these things shocked me, but as a friend to just about every culture out there I was even more surprised that this level of intolerance is still tolerated. If Galliano made the same slur about my Asian friends, he’d likely have a good billion or so people boycotting his work (me included), or if the comment was made about African Americans you know his designs for Oscar de la Renta would never grace our first lady again.
Michelle Obama wearing Oscar de la Renta before Galliano joined the fashion house.
I was quoted in the article in the NY Post saying that I’d steer clear of buying De la Renta while Galliano is there, but is that enough? What’s the right way to stand up to prejudice without becoming just as intolerant as the offender? I stand by my statement in the paper, but after several intense tweets at me this morning on my @brycegruber handle, I’m left wondering if there’s a way to please both sides. Can you stand up to an intolerant bully without becoming one yourself?
I’d love everyone’s opinions and thoughts on this one!
I think people is very hypocrite because there people with more lewd insults and they aren’t say nothing, but one person like Galliano that is a public figure is creates a scandal of huge magnitude. And there is a old topic, He wasn’t in his sane and is well known that oneself says things when is angry and precisely isn’t something true, just for feel nuisance to the othe person, and the pressure of his in Dior was horrible because he wasn’t making designs, he was responsible of all the parts of the business of Dior. The things that he said aren’t laudable but nobody is except of refering to other people with the same words and after people come with this false defense that is all the contrary of themselves. Any person deserves an opportunity of amend his faults and begin again. What would you do if you were in the same position? the person who is without fault cast the first stone. He has made all the possible for apologize and the Jews community little to little have accepted his apologizes and also they helped for that he will learn about all the pain produced by the holocaust. I like that he is back because is a master in what he made, and all people deserve a new opportunity, the
hatred and resentment don’t help at all.
Hey Bryce, ‘as a proud Jew’ why don’t you tell the world how you see yourself? Do you see yourself as an American first or as a Jew first who just happens to be making a fortune here in America? Boy am I glad im in the U.S. Or I could be a convicted anti Semite for just saying that right? The mind control and speech control and race card being used relentlessly are all communist in nature just like you are. The Maia with PHDs that bankrolls your speech has been exposed and is falling apart (the financial crisis) Galliano returning is a middle finger in your face. You are the racist who sees herself as an elite. Why are you elite all so ugly? The bad guys are always ugly..
You know why there are 0 comments or maybe just this one if they leave it up? Because she pulls anything that doesn’t agree with her. Nice freedom of expression here.. Hahaha
Funny how porn is thrown in our faces and thats freedom of expression but an opinion is prison time in Europe, so obvious..
Your bio is so worldly and without humility. Get to Cvs and pick up some 2,000,000 sunblock because you’re gonna need it..
You have a face for radio Bryce
Now I know what to think about when I’m trying not to orgasm
100% agreed bryce–thank you for writing this piece!! the replies to your post are absurd.
Thank you Bryce for writing this informative post and being courageous to state your views.
I completely agree with GalaRosse. How does boycotting him and running him out of town help the situation? Now, I’m not saying that you have to spend your money in an effort to show your displeasure. However, trying to repeatedly run him into the ground and sabotage any attempt he makes to rebuild his life makes you and your community look bad. It’s bad PR for you. Furthermore,before anyone says that I don’t know what it feels like to be made fun of on a racial standpoint, I’ll tell you this: I’m a young Black woman in America.I know exactly what it feels like to have racist comments said about me both in front of my face and behind my back. But I’ve never ascribed to the whole “You said something that offended me so I’m going to make sure that you and your descendants are blacklisted for life.” I believe in education. I believe in conscientiously saying “You fucked up when you said that,and this is why.” Education is much more powerful. Blacklisting Galliano just shows that you and your community are bullies. I don’t think that’s the image you want to send out to the world.
It is sad that the ny fashion community has such little sense of integrity that a hatred spewing designer is welcomed and it is accurate and important that people observe and object. shame on de la renta who has prospered in ny for years, imagine his reaction if someone insulted central americans. thank you for standing up to race baiting. maybe it’s time to check out some homegrown independent designers.
I agree that what John Galliano said was wrong, but there are several things that most people don’t seem to realize:
1. The man was drunk when he said that. I’m not excusing it, but can you honestly say that a person is thinking straight when they start to drink? And seriously, do you really believe that he meant every word he said?
2. He was being filmed. Now, he could have been goaded or tricked into saying those things thinking that it was just something they were playing at(not nice, but still). Also, whomever posted that video was the real sicko in my opinion.
3. He apologized already! He went to rehab, went to a history class and did what he was supposed to do. Give. It. A. Rest. I think he deserves a second chance, and Oscar’s inviting him to his studio shows that he is a class act.
4. John Galliano is of Jewish descent. Now put that in your pipe and smoke it.