Jain Spirit 2001 06 No 08

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 41

YOUTH
Nike Sweats
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NIKE SWEATS
SWEAT
JUST DONI
Child labour is allegedly used to
make Nike shoes. This is denied by Nike.
DO
Tike'iD' invites consumers to choose a name or message to
emblazon upon their shoes "giving you new ways to be original".
But when US graduate student Jonah Peretti asked for his pair to be adorned with sweatshop', an interesting email exchange ensued. Nike. who confirmed the validity of the correspondence, have consistently denied the use of child labour and sweatshops
A protest against Nike exploiutation cleverly
changes their slogan "Just Do It"
From: Personalize, Nike iD <nikeid_personalize@nike.com> To: Jonah H Peretti <peretti@media.mit.edu> Re: Your Nike iD order 016468000 Your Nike iD order was cancelled for one or more of the following reasons. 1) [lt] contains another party's trademark or other intellectual property. 2) [It] contains the name of an athlete or team we do not have the legal right to use. 3) [lt] was left blank ... 4) [lt] contains profanity or inappropriate 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 ... Your website 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 ... My personal iD was offered as a small token of appreciation for the sweatshop workers poised to help me realise my vision. I hope that you will value my freedom of expression and reconsider your decision to reject my order.
From: Jonah H Peretti Sweatshop is not: 1) another's party's trademark: 2) the name of an athlete; 3) blank; or 4) profane. I chose the iD because I wanted to remember the toil and labour of the children that made my shoes. Could you please ship them immediately...
From: Personalize, Nike iD Regarding the rules for personalisation 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"... If you wish to reorder with a new personalisation please visit us again at www.nike.com.
From: Personalize, Nike iD ... The iD you have chosen contains, as stated in the previous email correspondence, "inappropriate slang"...
From: Jonah H Peretti 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 colour snapshot of the 10-year-old Vietnamese girl who makes my shoes? www.shey.net
From: Jonah H Peretti ... After consulting Webster's Dictionary, I discovered that "sweatshop" is in fact part of standard English and not slang.
40 Jain Spirit . June - August 2001 Jain Education International 2010_03