March 2, 2001
March is the month generally described as coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb, except in Madagascar where it comes in like a giant shrieking cockroach and goes out like a ring-tailed lemur. March is also Brain Awareness Month, which is why you might now hear some people saying, "March comes in like a dendrite and goes out like an axon." I have no idea who came up with this, or why we even need a Brain Awareness Month. Whoever came up with it is probably the same person who decided that January would be Hot Tea Month, June would be Iced Tea Month, November would be not only Peanut Butter Lovers Month but also Stamp Collecting Month, and that the third Wednesday of every September would be Hug A Molecule Day.
Why, for that matter, is Friday the 13th unlucky? It probably goes back to times when loan payments were due on the first of the month, and any month with a Friday the 13th always starts on a Sunday. People couldn’t get money to pay their loan payments because all the banks and businesses were closed on Sunday (this was before we became a 24-7 world), and since everyone rushed to get their money on Monday, a lot of people couldn’t make their payments until Tuesday. This meant they had to pay a couple of days’ extra interest.
Of course this would seem to make Sunday the 1st unlucky, but since Sunday is a day most people spend mowing their lawns, it seemed dangerous to make it unlucky. Monday is always unlucky because it’s the day people go back to work after suffering heat exhaustion while mowing their lawns on Sunday. Friday is the last day of the work week, so it was felt this would compensate for it being unlucky.
Also, some people have an unreasonable fear of the number 13 (this is true–it’s called triskaidekaphobia) so this particular date was singled out. Anyway, that doesn’t answer why we need a Brain Awareness Month, but there really isn’t an answer. If you’re aware of your brain, you’re aware of it all the time. If you’re not, not even a whole month will help you.
Enjoy this week’s offerings.
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…
From: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
To: "’Jonah H. Peretti’"
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"
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
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"
To: "’Jonah H. Peretti’"
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"
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
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"
To: "’Jonah H. Peretti’"
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"
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
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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