There is no denying that as the global conflict with the army of ISIS escalates, one heroic people have so far emerged in the battle; it is the Kurds – both the women and well as the men. Please bear with me as I re-tell this story and then completely leave it for a bigger topic.
The Kurdish women serve in an army unit, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units or YPG. They are fierce fighters and to be honest, without turning this discussion into a political commentary, while the world debates and wrings its hands and tries to come up with fanciful names for future battle operations, it is the Kurds who are engaging these lunatics on the ground.
The Kurdish women wear fatigues into battle. It is not a costume, but a uniform. The fatigues are khaki colored. However, they are not alone. Women as well as men wear battle fatigues; for example the women of the Chinese army, Polish army, Israeli army, Swedish army and Russian army all wear fatigues.
There is a fatigue chic, and like the style or not, women wear it. It is not new, it is not radical fashion, and it has not just magically appeared on the fashion scene.
H&M is a huge, international retailer. They came out with a re-design of a fatigue uniform which somehow managed to offend some Kurdish people and the usual array of the politically correct who are offended at everything under the sun. The fatigue is somewhat reminiscent of the Kurdish fatigue. It is not the fatigue as such.
I might add at this point that in addition to H&M marketing the uniform inspired in khaki, it is also available in denim blue and deep red, both colors are hardly the colors of camouflage. Another interesting note is that as “offended” as some people are, other people of Kurdish descent feel it honors these brave women fighters. It should also be noted that it takes time to design a piece of clothing, manufacture and distribute it. Therefore, the H&M fatigue was not knee-jerk to last month’s events; it goes back a season – or more.
Predictably in the age of hyper-sensitivity and correctness, H&M issued the expected apology:
“’We are truly sorry if we have offended anyone with this piece, this was of course never our intention,’” H&M’s global press officer, Ida Stahlnacke, said in a statement. “’At H&M we want to offer the latest within fashion and trends and we continuously listen to our customers’ requests.’”
She added that khaki green was, incidentally, “one of the trendiest colors this season.”
To which I will add: Why are you apologizing and to whom and for what?
Nothing is correct
This latest episode of political correctness is ethically very bothersome. It adds to a long string of expected apologies in regard to expected offenses. It we are to keep the conversation strictly to the topic of fatigues for the moment, then we might start with WWII veterans, Korean and Vietnam conflict veterans, and Gulf War veterans and on and on who should all be offended by those from around the world who have worn our fatigues.
On a much, much larger stage – and as one who talks around the world to all kinds of audiences, I am becoming more and more troubled by the difficulties people are having in their struggles to communicate with one another. I routinely see people struggling to say what they want to say because they don’t want their words misconstrued. We are often so worried about being “correct” rather than being honest or open or ethical.
There is this back and forth swinging from apology to offense and back again. I hate to say this, but often those who are the most “offended,” are often the biggest offenders. I believe that most of us in the workplace, in sports, in our social lives really want to do the ethical and correct thing. If someone doesn’t say something the way in which you want to hear it, give them a chance. Learn what is in their heart first.
I pray the Kurds and the rest of the sane and rational world will triumph, but blaming a clothing store for their denim jumpsuits accomplishes nothing in the struggle of light over darkness.