Name a single place that at one time or another hasn't employed an asshole. On top of that, please justify how one employee is supposed to be reflective of an entire company.
And, of course, the overpriced and poorly made will vary per person. For some people, the price is worth what they get and they've never had problems with the quality either.
I had two of those dolls as a little girl, too, before they were bought by Mattel and became all corporate, and they were actually very well made. Not cheap, of course, but lovely and surprisingly durable. I still have them around somewhere in my parents' house. Their little clothes and accessories were just adorable and well-made too, though I doubt that is the case anymore.
The thing that is "bad" here is not the dolls, per se, but the attitudes being instilled in the little girls whose parents buy them the dolls. Children should be taught that it is unnacceptable to treat another human being this way--that sensitivity and tact are important and that every girl and every doll are equally worthwhile, even if they are different. What makes me sad about this story is all the mothers who felt the need to speak up and say something snide to defend the hairdresser instead of the mother. How could anyone treat a little girl that way? How horrible.
But the attitudes being instilled in the girls who were there were instilled not by the company or the brand, but by several people - one of them an employee - that were nearby when this happened. Just like not all employees react that way, not all parents react that way. Speaking as the father of two children who have American Girl things, neither I nor my wife are raising them to act the way the parents acted in this situation. My point was that this is a terrible thing to do to a child but is not the fault of the American Girl company nor a way of measuring the quality of the toy itself. If blame and fault is to be put anywhere - and it should - it should rest on the people responsible: the stuck up mothers and stylist.
Incidentally, they are still well made and cute. One of my girls got a little scooter for Christmas made to look like the oldschool 50's crate-nailed-to-a-few-planks.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-27 08:17 pm (UTC)And, of course, the overpriced and poorly made will vary per person. For some people, the price is worth what they get and they've never had problems with the quality either.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-28 05:54 pm (UTC)The thing that is "bad" here is not the dolls, per se, but the attitudes being instilled in the little girls whose parents buy them the dolls. Children should be taught that it is unnacceptable to treat another human being this way--that sensitivity and tact are important and that every girl and every doll are equally worthwhile, even if they are different. What makes me sad about this story is all the mothers who felt the need to speak up and say something snide to defend the hairdresser instead of the mother. How could anyone treat a little girl that way? How horrible.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-28 11:52 pm (UTC)Incidentally, they are still well made and cute. One of my girls got a little scooter for Christmas made to look like the oldschool 50's crate-nailed-to-a-few-planks.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-29 12:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-29 08:31 pm (UTC)