File spoon-archives/postcolonial.archive/postcolonial_2001/postcolonial.0102, message 86


From: "Vince Tseng" <vince-AT-squaretrade.com>
Subject: FW: Nike
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 13:02:52 -0800


Hello everyone,

I would normally refrain from posting a forwarded email, but I feel that
this is quite appropraite to this listserve.  It reminds us that our
(ant)agonistic discourse should not be directed at one another, but at those
who continue to oppress and enslave others while we bicker amongst
ourselves.

cheers,
vince

***** ***** *****

Check it out...

Nike now lets you personalize your shoes by submitting a word or
Phrase which they will stitch onto your shoes, under the swoosh. So Jonah
Peretti filled out the form and sent them $50 to stitch "sweatshop" onto his
shoes.
Here are the responses he got... fun and games with Nike...


From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize-AT-nike.com>
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" <peretti-AT-media.mit.edu>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000

Your NIKE iD order was cancelled for one or more of the following reasons:
1) Your Personal iD contains another party's trademark or other intellectual
property
2) Your Personal iD contains the name of an athlete or team we do not have
the legal right to use
3) Your Personal iD was left blank. Did you not want any personalization?
4) Your Personal iD contains profanity or inappropriate slang, and besides,
your mother would slap us.

If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization
please visit us again at www.nike.com

Thank you, NIKE iD

From: "Jonah H. Peretti" <peretti-AT-media.mit.edu>
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize-AT-nike.com>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000

Greetings,
My order was canceled but my personal NIKE iD does not violate any of the
criteria outlined in your message. The Personal iD on my custom ZOOM XC USA
running shoes was the word "sweatshop."

Sweatshop is not:
1) another's party's trademark,
2) the name of an athlete,
3) blank, or
4) profanity.

I choose the iD because I wanted to remember the toil and labor of the
children that made my shoes. Could you please ship them to me immediately.
Thanks and Happy New Year, Jonah Peretti

From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize-AT-nike.com>
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" <peretti-AT-media.mit.edu>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000

Dear NIKE iD Customer,

Your NIKE iD order was cancelled because the iD you have chosen contains, as
stated in the previous e-mail correspondence, "inappropriate slang".
If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization
please visit us again at nike.com

Thank you, NIKE iD

From: "Jonah H. Peretti" <peretti-AT-media.mit.edu>
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize-AT-nike.com>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000

Dear NIKE iD,

Thank you for your quick response to my inquiry about my custom ZOOM
XC USA running shoes. Although I commend you for your prompt customer
service, I disagree with the claim that my personal iD was inappropriate
slang. After consulting Webster's Dictionary, I discovered that "sweatshop"
is in fact part of standard English, and not slang. The word means: "a shop
or factory in which workers are employed for long hours at low wages and
under unhealthy conditions" and its origin dates from 1892. So my personal
iD does meet the criteria detailed in your first email.

Your web site advertises that the NIKE iD program is "about freedom to
choose and freedom to express who you are." I share Nike's love of freedom
and personal expression. The site also says that "If you want it done
right...build it yourself." I was thrilled to be able to build my own shoes,
and my personal iD was offered as a small token of appreciation for the
sweatshop workers poised to help me realize my vision. I hope that you will
value my freedom of expression and reconsider your decision to reject my
order.

Thank you, Jonah Peretti

From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize-AT-nike.com>
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" <peretti-AT-media.mit.edu>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000

Dear NIKE iD Customer,
Regarding the rules for personalization it also states on the NIKE iD
website that "Nike reserves the right to cancel any personal iD up to 24
hours after it has been submitted". In addition, it further explains: "While
we honor most personal iDs, we cannot honor every one.  Some may be (or
contain) other's trademarks, or the names of certain professional sports
teams, athletes or celebrities that Nike does not have the right to use.
Others may contain material that we consider inappropriate or simply do not
want to place on our products. Unfortunately, at times this obliges us to
decline personal iDs that may otherwise seem unobjectionable. In any event,
we will let you know if we decline your personal iD, and we will offer you
the chance to submit another." With these rules in mind, we cannot accept
your order as submitted. If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a
new personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com

Thank you, NIKE iD

From: "Jonah H. Peretti" <peretti-AT-media.mit.edu>
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize-AT-nike.com>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000

Dear NIKE iD,
Thank you for the time and energy you have spent on my request. I have
decided to order the shoes with a different iD, but I would like to make one
small request. Could you please send me a color snapshot of the ten-year-old
Vietnamese girl who makes my shoes?

Thanks,
Jonah Peretti

<no response>





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