i wrote a letter to ian mackay when i was 13 and he wrote me back. i still have the letter. some kid once bragged to me about how he threw a rock threw the window of the " the record collector ". now sanders chase is a dick but i think it would have been better to vandalize niketown than some asshole record dealer. thats punk rock, i guess. minor threat should get some bad ass lawyer go on contengency and sue niketown and win. my friend is an intellectual propery attorney and i am going to forward him this thread. by the way... i wear new balance... never nike.
Controversy equals $$$$publicity. This is obviously a stunt. They have more than enough money to compensate Dischord but to not pay up front, stirs up this shit. Free ads. They'll settle, trust me.
"It's shameful that New Balance, a company right here in our backyard, is profiting on the backs of workers suffering sweatshop conditions in China and low-wage, no-benefit temporary workers in Massachusetts," said Kathleen Casavant, secretary-treasurer of the state AFL-CIO and a former UNITE official, in a December statement. "It's time for New Balance to realize that nobody wants to buy products made with exploitation, and that growing public outrage at its exploitative practices won't end until New Balance cleans up its act."
New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. and a recently acquired subsidiary are fending off claims they used corporate espionage to make their way into the hockey equipment market. Easton Sports Inc. has charged that New Balance and Warrior Lacrosse Inc. engaged in a months-long camp...
YOU HEREBY FORFEIT THE RIGHT TO POKE FUN AT CLOTHING, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: PINK STRIPED SHIRTS, ANY FOOTWEAR WHATSOEVER, HATS, BLAZERS, AND ANY OTHER MANNER OF DRESS THAT, NO MATTER HOW BAD, IS NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS WEARING FUBU SHOES.
YOU HEREBY FORFEIT THE RIGHT TO POKE FUN AT CLOTHING, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: PINK STRIPED SHIRTS, ANY FOOTWEAR WHATSOEVER, HATS, BLAZERS, AND ANY OTHER MANNER OF DRESS THAT, NO MATTER HOW BAD, IS NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS WEARING FUBU SHOES.
Normally I would say you had me there. HOWEVER, bear in mind that I live in a northern climate, thus bringing into play the rule of the shoe fronts:
"When wearing baggy pantsjeans, the look of the shoe only matters from the front of the laces on. The shoes may be hideous from the laces back, as long as they are covered by said pants."
And as the Fubu shoes looked like any Nike, etc. plain white shoe at the toe level and they were under $30, I had no qualms about wearing them.
I know I'm not the only one who has played this card.
In the field of graphic design and such, is there a specific word for this kind of biting? When on first glance it looks like a familiar logo, but has been subtly co-opted? Just trying to build my vocab...
This trend seemed to become rampant in the early 90s with rave culture T-shirts. At least that's when I started noticing it.
I'd just like to add, while moving to a commune is not a reality for everyone who wants to "fuck the system", there are a large number of us (Dischord folks included) who don't buy shit from companies like Nike because of their business practices.
It's easy to live without wearing Nike, Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, without eating at McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, without shopping at Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Staples, without investing in Enron, Haliburton, etc.
You are not what you own
THIS IS IT RIGHT HERE
It seems like a very simple concept to me but so few embrace it: every dollar you spend is a vote for the kind of world you'd like to see around you.
playing devil's advocate here... the question w/ something like this is.....where do you draw the line? Sure you can target the big boys but in the end, a lot of raw source materials used in products are fruits of illegal labour practices. What makes Nike bad, but Reebok or New Balance ok? A lot of people are latching onto this ideal to fit into their status quo, rather than self belief.
I think that's the beauty of it. The more you learn, the more of a choice you have. Couples knowing where the diamonds for their wedding rings came from, homeowners choosing recylced or naturally downed timber for their homes, people sewing their own clothes, drinking free trade coffee from independent dealers.
If someone latches onto a ideal to fit their status quo, perhaps that will educate them, and strengthen their belief. I remember when you couldn't buy organic vegetables anywhere but hippy co-ops. So, the status quo is smarter today. There is usually a period of time between hearing the news of a protest ("STOP GMOs") and being educated on the details. If, for some months, a person "latches" blindy onto slogans before fully realizing his practices, is that so bad?
It is not all black and white, good or bad. Deciding who and what to support is a personal decision. While it's an easy choice, it is made hundreds of times a day. And every day is different. You can't reasonably apply the same standards to every person. My best friend hasn't bought clothes in 4 or 5 years. His entire wardrobe is made of what he found on the street while walking to work. I have other friends who are very conscious of where their money goes, but they struggle financially, so they shop at Target for certain staple items simply because they save a lot of money doing so. It should be perfectly acceptable for everyone to decide to what degree they choose to participate. People live their life in example, and others learn from what they don't support just as much as what they do support. There is a purpose for all of it.
I was in Blue Stores, New York this weekend (which is more an intersection than a town), and there was nothing for morning coffee except Folgers being served at Chevron. I decided to wait. A couple hours later, 40 miles away, I found a little bakery in someone's house that served coffee as well as the best homemade sticky buns I've ever had. While in line, I met a communist woman who had heard of the Vanguard Squad. It is moments like those that keep me from going into places like Chevron.
Uh, so instead of checking with dudes first to see if it was ok, they just went ahead with it and scrapped it later on? I guess it works for publicity.
Typical. They probably threw them away. They should have at least sent them to Dischord, who, I'm sure, would have cut them down to uniform print size and used them for mailers, etc.
I remember getting the Cynthia Connolly double postcard set wrapped in DC legal documents, probably reconned from dumpsters.
we are all bigots so filled with hatred we release our poison like styrofoam
Comments
"It's shameful that New Balance, a company right here in our backyard, is profiting on the backs of workers suffering sweatshop conditions in China and low-wage, no-benefit temporary workers in Massachusetts," said Kathleen Casavant, secretary-treasurer of the state AFL-CIO and a former UNITE official, in a December statement. "It's time for New Balance to realize that nobody wants to buy products made with exploitation, and that growing public outrage at its exploitative practices won't end until New Balance cleans up its act."
http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/features/99/02/04/NEW_BALANCE.html
New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. and a recently acquired subsidiary are fending off claims they used corporate espionage to make their way into the hockey equipment market. Easton Sports Inc. has charged that New Balance and Warrior Lacrosse Inc. engaged in a months-long camp...
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=85926
I bought some $2.87 sandles from Wal-Mart the other day.
Prior to that, I've had about 45 pairs of Lugz boots, a smattering of Adidas, Nike, and Fubu shoes, and I have various leather dress shoes.
I generally am a bargain shopper, i.e. I paid $20-something for my last pair of Lugz. I'm not brand loyal. Nor do I worry about who made them.
later,
ap
YOU HEREBY FORFEIT THE RIGHT TO POKE FUN AT CLOTHING, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: PINK STRIPED SHIRTS, ANY FOOTWEAR WHATSOEVER, HATS, BLAZERS, AND ANY OTHER MANNER OF DRESS THAT, NO MATTER HOW BAD, IS NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS WEARING FUBU SHOES.
Normally I would say you had me there. HOWEVER, bear in mind that I live in a northern climate, thus bringing into play the rule of the shoe fronts:
"When wearing baggy pantsjeans, the look of the shoe only matters from the front of the laces on. The shoes may be hideous from the laces back, as long as they are covered by said pants."
And as the Fubu shoes looked like any Nike, etc. plain white shoe at the toe level and they were under $30, I had no qualms about wearing them.
I know I'm not the only one who has played this card.
But Graf can still think that my facial hair is unsexy (but you know you're wrong there, too).
I can understand your feelings in siding with him -
I saw he has the same 15 year old patchwork beard going on, too. Birds of a feather?
This trend seemed to become rampant in the early 90s with rave culture T-shirts. At least that's when I started noticing it.
I think that's the beauty of it. The more you learn, the more of a choice you have. Couples knowing where the diamonds for their wedding rings came from, homeowners choosing recylced or naturally downed timber for their homes, people sewing their own clothes, drinking free trade coffee from independent dealers.
If someone latches onto a ideal to fit their status quo, perhaps that will educate them, and strengthen their belief. I remember when you couldn't buy organic vegetables anywhere but hippy co-ops. So, the status quo is smarter today. There is usually a period of time between hearing the news of a protest ("STOP GMOs") and being educated on the details. If, for some months, a person "latches" blindy onto slogans before fully realizing his practices, is that so bad?
It is not all black and white, good or bad. Deciding who and what to support is a personal decision. While it's an easy choice, it is made hundreds of times a day. And every day is different. You can't reasonably apply the same standards to every person. My best friend hasn't bought clothes in 4 or 5 years. His entire wardrobe is made of what he found on the street while walking to work. I have other friends who are very conscious of where their money goes, but they struggle financially, so they shop at Target for certain staple items simply because they save a lot of money doing so. It should be perfectly acceptable for everyone to decide to what degree they choose to participate. People live their life in example, and others learn from what they don't support just as much as what they do support. There is a purpose for all of it.
I was in Blue Stores, New York this weekend (which is more an intersection than a town), and there was nothing for morning coffee except Folgers being served at Chevron. I decided to wait. A couple hours later, 40 miles away, I found a little bakery in someone's house that served coffee as well as the best homemade sticky buns I've ever had. While in line, I met a communist woman who had heard of the Vanguard Squad. It is moments like those that keep me from going into places like Chevron.
Typical. They probably threw them away. They should have at least sent them to Dischord, who, I'm sure, would have cut them down to uniform print size and used them for mailers, etc.
I remember getting the Cynthia Connolly double postcard set wrapped in DC legal documents, probably reconned from dumpsters.
we are all bigots
so filled with hatred
we release our poison
like styrofoam