Protestors, Stupidity, and Cluelessness
Thursday, October 30, 2008 Labels: burton snowboards, protestors, sheeples 5 commentsAnyone following the snowboard news these days knows all about how a group of outraged citizens are protesting the Burton Love and Primo graphics. Its gotten world wide attention with being on CNN, gotten a bunch of press on various news publications both snowboarding and non snowboarding related, and of course its popped up on the blogospheres of the world. Hell I even put up a little post on it earlier this month.
The thing that makes me mad the most is how the sheeples have bought into the for it or against it argument. The whole point behind those graphics were to make people slightly offended and talk about it. In this day and age especially with all the mass media there really is no bad publicity and Burton is getting millions of dollars in free advertising from it. Think about it CNN, Shred Betties, Transworld, ABC, and all the blogs (mine included).
Are these protestors going to change anything? I highly doubt its going to change much. Sure they've gotten a bunch of resorts like Vail or Smugglers Crotch to ban their employees from riding them while on the clock. But really shouldn't employees be held to a certain standard of dress code when working with families and the public?
Its funny how many people are bitching about the big evil ski resort corporations banning these boards from their employees. But lets look at the facts here people would you want to go to McDicks and have the guy serving you your fat burger be topless and sweaty? No, you wouldn't want that! There's a time and a place for that and working with the public and food it is not. The same can be said if you're a professional "asstructor" teaching little Jimmy how to falling leaf. Its an expected level of professionalism. Now if these corporations were making it so employees couldn't ride these boards on their time then there would be a definite issue of personal infringement.
Now lets actually look at the Loves Graphics. Is there a giant gaping axe wound of a vagina showing itself? Nope none of that. How about some Titties with nipple flopping around? Nope once again no TATA's being shown. What is shown then? Some ass crack, woo hoo. Now lets think about this people have you had a plumber come over and work on your sink lately he's got an ass crack and its probably showing when he bends over does that mean you feel that he's sexually exploiting the male anatomy? I highly doubt it. How about all those Greek statues with nude dudes? Shouldn't we censor those? Its art and while one person who can gather a bunch of sheeples thinks it isn't doesn't mean the rest should suffer or be censored.
If you were to take a real hard look at the people prostesting you might find it a rather interesting look into the world of sociology. I've been around the block long enough to know that 98% of people that are fighting for a cause are only doing it to gain approval from their peers and have a pat on the back. Such is the case with Lezlee Sprenger and the group of Nimby's she has following her around. What she fails to realize is if she would have just looked at the graphics and said, "Ew I don't like those I'm not going to let my kids get them" she would have been further ahead. But because of this latest cause in her life she has inadvertantly garnered the Big B more media attention. And really even if she's against it and the news is showing her views on it there will be more and more people exposed to it that say hey I want one of those.
If she has actually succeeded in anything it is hurting this economy. I was notified earlier this week after Vail announced that they would not allow their employees to ride the Love or Primo while on the clock that all the Loves we had just checked in and sent to our stores were going back since Vail has a stake in the company I work for. Congratulations lady in an already horrible economic down turn you've taken one less thing off the shelves we could sell and make money on. Hope you're happy there's now some poor snowboard kid that lives on Ramen making one less sale because their shop doesn't carry a product.
The biggest issue that is really at hand is the censorship that is going on. The fact that the snowboard is in a black sleeve with an 18 plus age rating reminds me of the PMRC's battle against strong lyrics. They won that fight with the whole Parental Advisory Explicit Fucking Content, or did they? Everyone knows you saw that label on the album you wanted and were like well damn they must swear and be violent it has to be good. So realistically once again the black sleeve has made a sale.
Now in all the years I've been riding have I really cared that much about graphics? Honestly maybe in the first few years when I was a dumb teenager but after that I started carrying more about the ride and just having fun. Look at Peter Line he had a rainbow on his board does that mean he's gay? Or maybe he just thought it would be funny. At the end of the day does this graphic ruin the smile on your face from being outside and sliding sideways? If it does you're a sad person and should probably seek mental help snowboardings about fun not censorship. I think people need to just chill the fuck out and have more fun.
This post deserves a comment and thundering applause.
You've covered every single base of the issue.
Free publicity: If there were any kids in the world unfamiliar with these boards, there aren't now.
Corporate Image: UPS actually has a policy stating any tattoos of women are classified as sexual harrasment. If you've got one you've got to cover it up.
Companies have rules, they won't tell you not to get things but they will you tell what they don't want to know you have.
The boards themselves: Don't show any thing... at all. I see that much ass when I reach for a bottle of Coppertone sunblock.
The protesters: Did you ever see that censorship episode on South Park where Kyle's mom got crazy involved with protesting and the kids got into some crazy shit? Parent protestors... where are your kids? Are you concerned more for them or for your cause?
Sorry to hear that they got the board pulled from your shelves, it would've been a hot seller. The average snowboarder doesn't have a girlfriend, we all could use a little Burton 'Love'. Haha.
Yeah.. I'm a girl, and even tho it's a bit of a dirty word lately, I'm a feminist... so I can't say I like these boards. Mostly I just find them a bit skeezy. Like, as in my boyfriend won't be riding one, and if I meet a guy who is I'll probably think "ew, needs to get laid, lives in his mom's basement."
However, I think that anything you could take issue with with these boards (yes, they do objectify women) are so prevalent in media and culture today that it's difficult to understand getting upset at just this instance.
Protesters - Sometimes they're a bit misguided (ahem PCU) but they mean well. However, protesting something with a target market of rebellious suburban teenage boys is like pointing at it and telling them to buy it.
Corporate Image - I agree... I don't think it's absurd that companies like Vail are banning their employees from riding these boards. The last thing they need is for some litigious dad to drop off his little girl for a lesson with a creepy instructor on a Love board. People love to sue companies these days, and companies need to cover their asses.
I do think it's a bit odd to send the boards back from shops tho. If they took issue with this kind of imagery, why'd they order them in the first place?
Art - I am really sick of people trying to claim that these are "art." If these are art, what is the message... "buy me, horny teenager!"? This is not art, it's product design, for marketing. I'm a designer, and there is a difference between what I make in my job, and what I consider to be art. Every photograph that is shot is not art. This is an editorial photograph that was shot to sell a Magazine. And even if you were to make the argument that the original photograph was art, slapping it onto a mass produced product does not make that product art.
"However, protesting something with a target market of rebellious suburban teenage boys is like pointing at it and telling them to buy it"
...as a middle school teacher that is exactly what i was thinking. these kids want/do whatever they are told they cant or shouldnt have/do.
as far as the artistic point- as a mid 30's male- i viewed it as a kind of fun/cheeky homage to the 70's free love era where smut was fun and more suggestive and still had a bit of mystery to it as apposed to todays "giant gaping axe wound of a vagina showing itself" as angry put it...
Damn, pretty thorough Angry, this line is gold, "Now lets actually look at the Loves Graphics. Is there a giant gaping axe wound of a vagina showing itself?"
Wish one of the media outlets would quote you on that one. At the end of the day... who gives a $*@? about the graphics?
if they think the love is bad they should look at the lib board that actually has perky tats with nipples showing on an erotic green female. not to mention the mere pussy cat covering her vajayjay