The makeup is simply an extension of the personality and colors, clothing, makeup all express something. —Gene Simmons
Symbols are powerful enough on their own, but when they appear on clothing they become a branding statement that furthers a cause
As I’m typing this, a crisis of sorts is playing out in Cyprus where an Egypt Air craft with 55 people and crew aboard was hijacked earlier this morning. For a while, it seemed as though terror had struck again. Now, though, it appears that this particular idiot went to the most ridiculous extreme possible in order to get the attention of his ex. While, on one level, we can laugh at the absurdity of such an act, we still shudder at the fact that this man was able to board a plane with what still appears to be an explosives belt.
Terror is far too prevalent in contemporary society and fighting it is difficult as traditional means of warfare often prove ineffective against an enemy that is far too comfortable with taking innocent lives. What’s happening, though, that makes the war against such extremism all the more difficult, is that terrorists are starting to use clothing as a means of branding their cause and the popularity of that clothing is actually helping terrorists to expand their recruiting and further their message of hate.
Sarah Elizabeth Williams writes this morning in a frighteningly detailed article for Business of Fashion how clothing continues to be an effective PR tool for the organization I will continue to refer to as Daesh. In short, the appearance of Daesh’s logo and slogans on clothing items such as t-shirts, hoodies, totes, and sweatshirts plays a significant role in helping to pull young people over to the cause of extremism. The clothing has cropped up in stores in Southern Turkey, Tripoli, and Beirut, but a large number of sales have occurred online where both the source and the buyers are more difficult to catch.
Using clothing to help brand extremists views isn’t anything new. Some of you may still own t-shirts or berets with an image of Che Guevera. Neo-nazi groups and hate mongers such as the Ku Klux Klan using distinct and easily identifiable clothing to brand who belongs to their own group. Yet, none of those are matching the devastating effects Daesh is rendering with their clothing.
Ostensibly, clothing carrying the Daesh logo and message are intended only for members of the terrorist organization. However, as its popularity has grown among disenfranchised Muslims, specifically young people who tend to feel disenfranchised from government in the first place, clothing has cropped up all over the middle east at a rate that might cause one to wonder whether Daesh has any real control over the clothing or if it’s being produced independently by those sympathizing with the group’s ideals.
Yes, the manufacture, marketing, and sales of such materials is still very much illegal in most Western countries, but again, the Internet allows the group to sell anything just about anywhere. Yes, sites such as Paypal and Facebook will take down the material when they catch it, but finding it can be tricky as it moves back and forth between different accounts.
Branded clothing already speaks to younger people right where they are. The exclusivity that such materials are only supposed to be worn by Daesh militants makes them all the more appealing. Daesh is using exactly the same marketing tactics as some of your favorite brands, and its working!
There’s no easy solution to this problem. Know that simply possessing such material in the United States is illegal and wearing such clothing is grounds for arrest and possibly indefinite detainment. Law enforcement is not going to risk allowing terrorists to recruit and grow cells right out in the open if they can help it. This is very much a case of citizens needing to speak up should they see anyone wearing Daesh logos on any clothing, or carrying it as a part of any activity.
Terrorism is scary enough as it is, and now they’re starting to use the sale and marketing of clothing against us. Be aware.
The Art Of Being Chill
I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old man, but nothing winds me up more than people saying, ‘Chill out’ to me when I’m irritated! —Martin Freeman
Being chill comes easily for many people, but there are some who have turned it into an art form
Like many people my age, I have to deal with high blood pressure. Medically, there are a lot of reasons for having blood-pumping issues: our lifestyles being hectic, our diets being too high in sodium, and a general fear that we might die without having accomplished enough. There are plenty of things that would probably solve all but the worst of blood pressure problems without medication, but that would require we actually alter how we live rather dramatically. We’re not likely to do that, being the stubborn folk that we are, so the doctor gives us pills that try to force our blood pressure back down to a manageable level that won’t kill us quite so quickly.
The pills don’t always work, though. The doctor has increased the strength of my medication twice before and I’m still generating systolic and diastolic readings that are far too high to be safe. Kat keeps telling me I need to chill. She makes it sound so easy. She makes it look so easy. Just “chill.” She drinks coffee and relaxes. I drink coffee and feel the need to take a thousand new pictures. She sees something stupid in her news feed and ignores it. I see something stupid in my news feed and am ready to rip someone’s head off their shoulders. I am so very much not chill.
About a month ago, Forbes magazine published a story Finding Chill in Valparaíso, Chile. The article contains beautiful photos full of the color and culture of this relatively small Chilean city. The author talks about his hotel with hammocks on the roof, the delicious yet inexpensive food, and stray dogs that will walk you home at night (not kidding). Everything in the article sounds so wonderful that I was almost ready to pack my bags and go, until the author discloses that, while there, he tripped on a seawall and broke his leg in two places. That’s a risk I can’t take. Scratch Chile off my travel list.
It seems obvious that I need to go somewhere to chill. Indianapolis is definitely not a chill type of city. We get uptight about almost everything around here. With the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 this year, the entire neighborhood around us is anything but chill. But with Valparaíso off the list, where should I go?
Back in 2010, Forbes also published a list of the most relaxed cities in America. The twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul topped the list. They won because they have short commute times, get plenty of exercise, and had good insurance. Note, this survey took place before the Affordable Care Act took affect so that last detail might have changed. Looking through the other cities on the list, Milwaukee, Portland, Seattle, Denver, San Jose, it seems to me that all those cities have experienced some significant change in the past six years. Political changes have ruined Wisconsin. Portland’s population of hipsters has exploded. Seattle has become one of the most expensive cities in the country. Denver won a Super Bowl. San Jose’s Silicon Valley has experienced a lot of employment upheaval while real estate prices soared. Not seeing a number of benefits there.
Music is supposed to help people chill, right? According to the British Academy of Sound Therapy, the song Weightless is the best choice to help people chill. In fact, the song is apparently so effective one some people that the scientists involved in the study recommend that one not drive while listening to the piece. The song, which was specifically composed for this study. starts at 60 beats per minute and gradually slows to 50. I tried listening. I made it about 30 seconds before wanting to shoot something. Weightless has no freaking melody! It’s just electronic noise with carefully constructed pulsing.
From what I can tell, if one is going to master the art of being chill, they need to successfully do the following:
Anyone who can successfully do those things can master the art of being chill.
I’m probably going to die.
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