Word: fads
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When California announced in 1987 that it was establishing a state Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility, Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau satirized the idea as a flaky New Age fad. Now the all- volunteer task force has completed its report, and the sneers are turning to cheers. Among the group's sensible recommendations: offering parenting classes to high school students, requiring prospective teachers to take courses in self-esteem, and establishing peer support groups for people on welfare. Most important, the report urges changes in the juvenile-justice system to "attach a reasonable sanction...
...moment, though, nothing angers some conservationists so much as the swim-with-dolphin programs. The critics say the new fad stretches the limits of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which allows the "display" of dolphins under tightly regulated conditions but says nothing about programs in which people interact with the animals. The National Marine Fisheries Service, which monitors the capture and treatment of marine mammals, is holding a series of meetings to determine whether it should revise the way it permits private interests to use dolphins. For the swim programs, the stakes are high: they will have to shut down...
Instead, the youngsters move from fad to fad, called bumu (Japanese for boom). Last year it was retro bumu, which elevated the bulky, prosperous look of the 1950s to a new art form. Italian casual, inspired by Benetton, had its moment. So did leather jackets and vests for the Hell's Angels mode. And the prim little-girl look with button-up sweaters...
...recent years, American designers and manufacturers have rushed to cash in on Amekaji. Designers like Ralph Lauren prospered during the upscale preppie fad, or toraddo-bumu, but interest in the traditional look has recently faltered -- though it will never die out because of the Japanese partiality for neat and tailored clothes. Interest in American sportswear is strong, and the California influence is evident everywhere. Last summer many teens were captivated by the surfer look, with shirts and shorts in neon lime and fluorescent orange. The University of California, Los Angeles, through its own licensees in Japan, sells annually some...
Until last month, when Congress restored its cachet by making it a criminal offense, flag burning had virtually gone out of style as a means of radical protest. Now desecrating the Stars and Stripes has become a bit of a fad. Last week four demonstrators staged a torching on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Among the participants: Gregory Lee Johnson, whose conviction for setting fire to a flag at the 1984 Republican Convention led to a Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of the practice. Said Johnson: "We're back...