Diesel...

"Brands become more than just a mark of quality, they become an invitation to a longed-for lifestyle, a ready-made identity." - Douglas Rushkoff

"But in the end, it is, you know, a laptop and a pair of running shoes. And they might be great, but they're not actually going to fulfill those needs, which serves them very well because, of course, that means that you have to go shopping again." - Naomi Klein

Last week anonymous taggers--to make legible exactly how steep the buy in is to particpate in Diesel's "Be Stupid" campaign--trekked down to the West 4th Subway stop and entered into a dialogue of sorts with both Diesel and commuters. There was some talk about extending this project and I thought circulating the above image might be a good way. Feel free to take and distribute this image in any way you see fit.


It's no small thing Diesel is encouraging us to enter into. It's one thing to celebrate the "stupidity" of stumbling on to a great idea, taking the path less travelled, embracing your eccentricities/noncomformity, etc, but embedded in their provocation is something else entirely. Make no mistake, Diesel is looking to extract value from you--to make money--Diesel's imagery spells it out better than I ever could.

In order to embrace the tenets of their Be Stupid philosophy you've got to enter into the transaction...you've got to pony up and buy those clothes.


Every young person in those ads is beautiful, liberated and so forth and if YOU want to be like them and enjoy the freedoms of the life they appear to be living, you've got to buy in.

To that I say DON'T Be Stupid.