Why I Hate Abercrombie and Fitch: Essays on Race and Sexuality (Sexual Cultures) (Sexual Cultures Series) Book

"McBride has emerged as one of the most eloquent public voices in both queer studies and black studies. In this wide-ranging book—written with intelligence, passion, and humor—he brings the insights of each field to the blind spots of the other. We all have something to learn from him."
—Michael Warner, Rutgers University

Why hate Abercrombie? In a world ripe with human cruelty and oppression, why waste your scorn on a popular clothing retailer? The rationale, Dwight A. McBride argues, lies in "the banality of evil," or the quiet way discriminatory hiring practices and racist ad campaigns seep into and reflect malevolent undertones in American culture.

McBride maintains that issues of race and sexuality are often subtle and always messy, and his compelling new book does not offer simple answers. Instead, in a collection of essays about such diverse topics as biased marketing strategies, black gay media representations, the role of African American studies in higher education, gay personal ads, and pornography, he offers the evolving insights of one black gay male scholar.

As adept at analyzing affirmative action as dissecting Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, McBride employs a range of academic, journalistic, and autobiographical writing styles. Each chapter speaks a version of the truth about black gay male life, African American studies, and the black community. Original and astute, Why I Hate Abercrombie & Fitch is a powerful vision of a rapidly changing social landscape.

Praise for Impossible Witnesses:
"A necessary and compelling work.
—Toni Morrison
"McBride teases out complexity and depth heretofore overlooked. Don't miss this important text!"
—Cornel West
"Ambitious and thought-provoking."
—The Journal of American History