This is advertisement picture of a Indian boy urinating on a wall, in of what looks like a third world country. In the picture next to the boy is the Nike logo. What I am reading from the picture is Nike making light of this boy urinating on the wall. In the US, in our culture, this act is frowned upon. We see this as gross and unsanitary. What Nike is saying, is that this boy is a rebel, since urinating on the wall in public, in our eyes, this is a no-no. The disturbing thing is that by the looks of the picture, this is taking place in a 3rd world country where indoor plumbing is absent and cleanliness isn't a big issue in this boy's day to day world. Urinating on the wall might be a common action in this place where the boy lives and isn't a taboo like it would be in the US. The slogan "Just Do It" along with this picture would prob mean nothing to this boy, because of how ordinary urinating in public might be to him. My question is why have a picture of this boy, why not a boy that looks like he is from a developed country. The advertisement makes light of the boy's situation even though as grave it might be.
The advertisement would also mean nothing to the boy because he probably has more important things to think about than some really sweet athletic shoes. He doesn't even have shoes, period. Or a shirt... your blog post was awesome.
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ReplyDeleteI am so shocked to see that NIke has the guts to use an advertisement like this. I remember in the 90s asking for a pair of shoes and my Mom telling me that she would refuse to buy them due to the sweatshops that NIke used to use (I am sure they still do). I can just as easily see Nike telling the boy to "just do it" while he is making shoes in a 110 degree factory, while he likely being paid less than 1% of the cost of the shoes. Its so funny because I am willing to bet the vast majority of people born in the 90s do not have a concept of Nike's worker's rights conduct a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteThis also reminds me of an article about Apple's poor labor practices in China (http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/25271/20100527/china-taiwan-foxconn-apple-dell-hewlett-packard-iphone-ipad-assembler-contractor-technology-electron.htm)
It is very easy for us to neglect those that produce many of our imported goods (quite frankly, what consumer, non-durable good is actually made here anymore?)
There are so many people complaining about fair wages and jobs losses. While many market factors caused the Economic Collapse of 2008, I would put my money on the fact that many of these people consumed a significant portion of their goods without ever checking the label on the back to see where it came from, and more importantly, neglecting to consider the quality of the worker's lives from these countries.
We are in a World Economy and obviously we source many goods from the country that has the lowest production costs. However, do we really consider the poor boy that doesn't even have clean drinking water, or water treatment prior to swiping that item at checkout?
For the record, I am wearing a pair of Nikes as I wrote this on a Mac, so by no means am I claiming to be "holier than thou". Just some articles and information that I found shocking and made me think a little more about where my things come from.
To add:
ReplyDeletei see this picture as perhaps a critique on globalization, or at least an example of desensitized Globalization of Capital.
When I pee in a public bathroom, I see ads. They
carve themselves into my mind while I stare at nothing else in front of a urinal.
Even in the Global south, in a undeveloped country, this bot pees while Nike carves itself into this little boys brain, who may or may not have a clue what it means.
I possibly read this as a satirical critique on global corporation, advertising on the wall where this boy pees, simply to implant its mark. or as a sign that the world has become completely numb to Capitalist Corporations, as they make their mark anywhere and everywhere, as a dog might piss on every tree in order to make his mark.
I was appalled when I saw this post. This Nike ad is outrageous, and I cannot believe it was even allowed to be publicized. As others have brought up, this boy is not worried about having Nike apparel or goods, he is much more likely to be worrying about necessities; the things so many of us take for granted every day.
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