As a publisher we know there will always be articles you agree or disagree with but we hope the subjects we choose to write about are picked as a considered decision. We have mentioned before that the ‘cool’ and ‘design’ blogs aren’t making as many considered decisions about their editorial as they ought to and we want to revisit the discussion on the role of these sites and whether they have any responsibility to reflect in their content current sentiment towards not only environmental issues but also socio-political concerns.
Last Wednesday (April 9), the team at PSFK flew to San Francisco on Virgin America and as we took off we watched on the satellite TVs the debacle of the Olympic flame procession in the city we were about to visit. While protesters didn’t cause the mayhem that took place in London and Paris, they certainly won the day in San Francisco by causing one of the most embarrassing Olympic events we could remember.
Only a few days later on Sunday April 13 during our trawl of the RSSes, we found a post about Nike’s new Olympic range on the rather popular and influential NotCot blog. Now we know many of you love NotCot and we will say that Jean Aw does a great job in finding amazing new items to feature on her site - but the posting and celebration of Nike’s Olympic products so close to the Olympic flame protests made us think about the role cool and design blogs have as voices in our global community.
There is already a concern about cool and trends blogs and their celebration of consumption in a time of environmental debate (although sometimes you may not notice it). Now, the emerging question is whether alongside mainstream green-concern, the cool and design blogs need to also consider popular socio-political attitudes in their publishing? What seems to have happened is that in a rush to post content from an ‘exclusive’ Nike press event, NotCot failed to consider any current global sentiment against China, the Olympics and the brands associated with both.
We’re not saying that NotCot and any others shouldn’t write about Olympic associated products but if they’re going to fawn over a shiny pair of riding boots, then do so with a considered decision that you’re going against shared attitudes of many of your readers.
Thoughts and comments?
(Jean Aw of NotCot declined to answer our questions about this subject)
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“current global sentiment” seems to me as over-generalising.
I’m pretty sure the general majority of the world’s population don’t know / don’t care about what’s going on. It’s not so much as being misinformed/uninformed as living in a world full of hypocrisy where every other country has done in as much the same.
And with everyone and anyone who’s protesting. I’m guessing more than 70% of them have never even visited and seen Tibet. It’s really not as bad as what they’re trying to put out to the world.
April 16th, 2008 at 1:35 am
While I agree that we should not support China’s role in Tibet, I’m not sure boycotting all creative work even remotely related to the olympics is the best strategy.
Should we not talk about american athletes who will be competing in the matches of their lives because of a venue choice that they have no power over? What about the talented creatives who have worked on these shoes since well before the latest uprisings in Tibet?
Lets stay focused on who the bad guys are here, and it’s certainly not design blogs or the creatives working on these shoes.
April 16th, 2008 at 1:59 am
We should all have an political and environment conscious but should this conscious be all pervasive? If your blogs reason to exist is to find and write about cool things then why wash the articles you write in green or politics? Some sites like PSFK help put products and ideas in context while others just focus on the core idea with no context.
Tony - What a sad perspective to write from. Is it really that bad in our world that people don’t care about suffering because their country has done bad things in the past? Come on have a bit of faith in the human spirit.
As for China (Who invaded Tibet in 1949 and have occupied her ever since) - Get out of Tibet! (Even though Tony says its ‘Not that bad to be occupied and not be self governing’.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:05 am
We should all have an political and environment conscious but should this conscious be all pervasive? If your blogs reason to exist is to find and write about cool things then why wash the articles you write in green or politics? Some sites like PSFK help put products and ideas in context while others just focus on the core idea with no context.
Tony - What a sad perspective to write from. Is it really that bad in our world that people don’t care about suffering because their country has done bad things in the past? Come on have a bit of faith in the human spirit.
As for China (Who invaded Tibet in 1949 and have occupied her ever since) - Get out of Tibet! (Even though Tony says its ‘Not that bad!).
April 16th, 2008 at 3:06 am
You can’t please everyone - and isn’t that the benefit of a blog in that those who aren’t happy can voice their concerns and get a bit of debate going?
Besides I agree with Simon in that let the cool blogs be cool and the political and green ones do their thing too….
April 16th, 2008 at 4:53 am
I’m kind of surprised this is being covered. Why comment on it? I’d rather come to this site to read your tempered opinion on the products in question than, read you pointing the finger from a high horse…
It’s just a bit wierd.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:03 am
Whilst I run a “cool” blog that is promoting consumerism, it is promoting ethical consumerism. (www.ethicaldesignlab.com). Even so, I think there is a place for blogs of all types and as with other forms of consumerism, readers who consume the content of blogs can also vote with their feet!(ok - their mouse).
April 16th, 2008 at 6:20 am
Piers - while I enjoy skimming PSFK on a daily basis I think the commentary like the one you just mention above is short sighted and slightly hypocritical. Cool & design as a category for blogs is bit of a stretch, all it is is consumable products. I like buying cool things too so I have no issue with that. The word “design” has already been taken out of context which was invetable. From time to time company’s send me press releases that are nothing more than that an ad masked as something new. There’s been a couple times when I’ve wondered if PSFK was sent the same press release and had then posted about looking as though it was new original content for the next must buy. If PSFK has a problem with all the company’s that are sponsoring the Beijing Olympics, make that as a statement and follow through. Don’t hype them. But to single out any one blog b/c they didn’t follow the exact mind set as you is questionable. That seems heavy heavy handed.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:30 am
The thing that I find funny is that the original article is about shoes, sold by an American company, manufactured in Vietnam and made in honour of a global event which originated in Greece.
Rather than the Tibetan issue, maybe NotCot should have caveated a list of sins currently being performed by these countries, for example…War, Communism, Prostitution, Murder, Souvlaki…
The story was about Sneakers with some great pictures. Leave us be.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:42 am
I think that the protestors have lost true insight in to what the olympics were created for. We are here to celebrate competition & the athletes efforts to get to the height of their choosen event. Politics have no place anywhere near the olympics. Its a shame how we ignore the base ideas for the olympics just to promote one political agenda.
Note to U.S. protestors the same oppression exists here, just look at any indian reservation. I know it’s not as glamorous as tibet, but maybe we should look at ourselves before we point fingers else where.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:54 am
I think caution should be exercised in the rush to boycott everything related to the Olympics being held in China. Hanging signs from the Golden Gate Bridge seems more geared to satisfying the thymotic needs of protesters than in changing Beijing’s policies. Is it time to consider that all of our verbal attacks aimed at China might have the adverse effect of isolating Chinese citizens from the rest of the world? Might they become resentful of us and fatalistic about their Central Government’s policies? As an American I find myself getting defensive around Europeans. I voted twice against George Bush and marched in protest against the war, but with my country constantly vilified in just about every category( more so before the new Presidential election cycle) I can sometimes resign myself to: It doesn’t matter since Europe just hates the US.
We can’t afford for a divide to grow between the world and the Chinese. Screaming shouting protesters have a way of turning people off to their own message.
As far as cool design blogs, the Chinese Government doesn’t care what you think. If they did, they’d contact your service provider and have them pull your plug.
Yours
DavidG
April 16th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
You make some interesting points.
It’s a shame Jean didn’t respond to your piece. But if she did, she might have taken the opportunity to say something like:
“It’s my site, so I can write what I like. You’re not paying for it, buddy, so if you don’t like it, don’t read it.”
Sound familiar?
April 18th, 2008 at 3:46 am