We bring you back to TOM GILL PREDICTS- Volume Fifteen, Number Forty-Five- from 2001,
and an item that was forwarded to me by email by "too many persons to mention."
****************************************************************
A timely reminder of the limits of consumerism, for your reading
pleasure. This has been confirmed to be true.
Nike let 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" on to his shoes.
Here's the response he got...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" nikeid_personalize@nike.com
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" peretti@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@media.mit.edu
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" nikeid_personalize@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@nike.com
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" peretti@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@media.mit.edu
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" nikeid_personalize@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@nike.com
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" peretti@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 web site 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@media.mit.edu
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" nikeid_personalize@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
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