Don't buy it. God, I love the irony. Thanks to Megan Barney from UW Tacoma for the tip.
Barney, who is either an unnaturally curious and enterprising young woman or the girlfriend of one these cart mongers, sent the Weekly Volcano web monkeys some pictures of images that have been appearing regularly on random flat surfaces around Tacoma. Most of them have a hand-rendered shopping cart icon and a slogan: Don't Buy It.
I saw one of these things - just the cart - by the old Elks building on Stadium. I didn't pay it much mind until I received an e-mail with some pictures and a nice explanation from Barney:
"A few weeks ago I noticed an interesting sticker affixed to a post in front of the University of Washington-Tacoma campus," she writes. "The more I saw, the more curious I became. And I was not alone. No one that I talked to had a clue what the message was behind the carts. Did it have something to do with the ever-present rumors about a downtown grocery? Was it related to recent talk about food carts? .... It turns out that the carts have nothing to do with being anti-grocery or anti-food cart. They are the product of Don't Buy It Clothing, a few locals who are anti-commercial and selling t-shirts to prove it. "
Following the well-lain trail, I checked out the Web link she included, and found this message:
"Walk down any city street and you're bombarded with massive advertisements and catchy slogans: clever ways of telling you how to dress, what to eat, who you should vote for, and what you should smell like. Even music and movies are loaded with cheap plugs for the hottest new products. Well, we think there is something wrong with that. So we make clothing for people who do what they do because they love it, not because they saw it in a commercial. Our stuff is for hip-hop heads, hardcore kids, rude boys, indie rockers, and anyone else out there who is about what they do. We are Don't Buy It Clothing. We are not the next big thing."
Here's the gist: Don't Buy It Clothing is selling T-shirts. And promoting some of the worst backpack rap I've ever heard. And a good idea. Sort of.
It's true that we're inundated with commercials and ads. And it's equally true there are legions of people still trying to buy their happiness. We're still trying to assemble personas by adorning a bunch of trendy bric-a-brac. What the "Don't Buy It" folks don't seem to recognize, however, is that they've fallen prey to the latest commercial con - individualism as commodity fetish.
Before it's too late, folks who are running around trying to "wake people up" need to realize the solution to commodity fetishism isn't a different kind of commodity fetishism. It's not about being indie - which stopped being truly independent about 10 years ago. It's not about being the next big thing. It is, as "Don't Buy It" says, about doing what you do.
Drop the next big thing, and get ‘bout it ‘bout it. I'll buy that.
Joe Malik is a jaded, ornery, "power to the people type" that can't help but comment on all the stupid and or questionable stuff he sees within the arts community. The Volcano doesn't always agree with what he says, they just like to stir the pot.
Comments for "SLOUCHING TOWARD UTOPIA: Don't buy it" (25)
Weekly Volcano is not responsible for the content of these comments. Weekly Volcano reserves the right to remove comments at their discretion.
nicholas said on May. 19, 2010 at 5:50pm
the people on this website/blog are fucking stupid, it seems like you all must be mildly retarded to take the real message and construe it in such a way like this. if you are going to post any more articles like this please do a little more research and find out what Don't Buy It is really about.
scott said on May. 19, 2010 at 5:57pm
Fair enough, Joe. And now for accusations that Don't Buy It is the brainchild of middle-class white kids from the suburbs......
Jack M said on May. 19, 2010 at 6:34pm
Joe.. You work for a newspaper.. and all do respect maybe it explains to all that its the Tacoma Weekly... I can tell you youre completely missing the message, and you may want to take the time to figure out exactly WHO is doing this, WHAT they are saying and WHY they are doing it.. Get those skills and put it into the article and youve just made yourself one helluva story.. Otherwise, please make sure you get your facts, and maybe try and track down the founders and interview them for a story before the TNT moves in for the better story... and i can tell you me and the 2 comments above know just what theyre doing, why theyre doing it and what the message is. Please, get a real story instead of one based on an email claiming it to be anti commercial blah blah blah.
Mikey Mike said on May. 19, 2010 at 6:35pm
People will buy shit no matter how hard people try to make them not buy it. With that said; I get what these guys are trying to do though, its like support the little guy type of shit, which makes since kind of. I can dig that. It's better than saying don't buy it, and offering no alternative I guess. "A" for effort fellas, I'll buy one just for that.
Tim said on May. 19, 2010 at 6:49pm
Met these dudes at Foss skatepark the other day. There was a few of them hanging out in the parking lot sellin' shirts out of their trunk. I like the shit they do, pretty savage. Whether or not you like their music or ideas or ther stickers, theyre outta there doin shit while everyone else is on the internet talkin about shit. These guys were talkin bout sponsoring my buddy so i think theyre dope! DONT BUY IT
DONT BUY IT said on May. 19, 2010 at 6:54pm
HAS A POSSE
broadway said on May. 19, 2010 at 10:47pm
i will buy it if your mom makes me nachos.
Greg Fucking Smith said on May. 19, 2010 at 11:08pm
Well it doesn't make sense I mean the nachos and lack of sleep is one thing but this JOE doesn't know anything about the idea of DONT BUY IT or what the hell is really behind it. Its easy to talk shit about something when you don't know whats going on fully but hey who the fuck am i right. I am just wondering how man people are going to read this and think this dude has the right idea of what is really going on. I hope that people can make a judgement on there own and not what others say or tell them. Weekly Volcano DONT BUY IT right shits FREE....Just like there opinion on this.... Were done here....Greg Fucking Smith
Ashley R. said on May. 20, 2010 at 9:58am
I thought the stickers were a fun addition to the city's landscape... to me stickering and wheatpasting can be important parts of the cultural fabric of a city. I didn't, however, wonder what they meant or want to have more context, and honestly I'm a little bummed to know. Nothing against dudes skating and making shirts and beats, but it's certainly not very exciting. Maybe if someone made a shirt that said "TURN OFF THE LIGHT IF YR NOT IN THE ROOM, A-HOLE"....
scott said on May. 20, 2010 at 11:09am
ashley: i think that maybe if you knew the guys, your opinion would change. they're exciting, sensual, and tropical.
Ashley R. said on May. 20, 2010 at 1:21pm
Ew, you said 'sensual'
ERIC said on May. 20, 2010 at 2:15pm
I think wheatpasting is rad. Its longest standing way for people to get there message or idea out. Shits been going on since before America even existed. If you have never experienced climbing up some crazy sketchy shit with a bucket of glue and 8 ft. long roller at 3 in the morning while suburbia slumbers your seriously missing out. Don't Buy It, no matter what they say, exercise your small amount of freedom left and keep it pushin! I wouldn't wants to pay the old white men who run clearchannel to advertise either.
Everybody's gotta eat! said on May. 20, 2010 at 2:26pm
These cart people are obviously passionate about whatever the hell it is they're doing whats so wrong with that. If they want to put up some stickers and sell clothes let em do it. We all gotta eat, this is how theyre trying to do it. From what I just read and saw on the website they sell clothes. All this speculating about the meaning of it all is stupid. The do it cause they want to. Dont buy it or Do buy it who cares get a life and let them have their fun.
Free stickers! said on May. 20, 2010 at 2:28pm
I just emailed and asked them for as many stickers as theyd be willing to give me. If they send me some Im putting them all over every volcano newspaper box in Tacoma. Haters.
Jackie Fender said on May. 20, 2010 at 8:00pm
I see these everywhere, under the overpass at safeway on bridges....I was disappointed when my friend Meg and I discovered that this is what was behind it...a. because it's a hypocritical message if I see their "non advertisement" EVERYWHERE and b.....well I was hoping for some deeper, politcal, activist, Tacoman meaning. Sigh. Ahwell.
SAYDIS said on May. 21, 2010 at 10:09pm
Free advertising is GOLDEN and this "child" of a newspaper reporter has given this movement a great boost ..open to awareness SON..Tacoma rocks .....Just Dont Buy It....Sticker the town!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rob Z said on May. 24, 2010 at 8:45am
Just when it started getting boring, Jackie Fender hits it out of the park.
scott said on May. 25, 2010 at 11:24am
Why does everything have to have some multi-layered activist message, and why are all you artsier-than-me types acting like you know what these dudes should be doing? These guys haven't fronted or acted like they were trying to do anything but earn some dough doing shit that they like to do. So Jackie, Ashley, if you want some street art with "deeper meaning" then why don't you get out on the street and do some? Be about it. Ain't no such things as halfway crooks.
DBI/NDS said on May. 25, 2010 at 11:29am
Don't Buy It Clothing will be at Rain Fest this year getting their hustle on. Come out and support local hardcore Memorial Day weekend.
Joe said on May. 26, 2010 at 9:58pm
Someone named Scott quoting Mobb Deep to people named Jackie and Ashley on an art blog is the definition of fronting.
scott said on Jun. 01, 2010 at 9:07am
The internet is good for two things: shit talking and watching porno of gorgeous people fucking. Good thing you're clever, Joe.
Jackie said on Jun. 05, 2010 at 9:19pm
Ha. That is all. I think you'll catch my meaning.
Monino said on Jun. 29, 2010 at 9:50pm
I feel like I walked into a Bill Hicks riff. Stealing the Culture Jammers' message of "Don't Buy It" in order to sell stuff? Ah, bathos.
kris crews said on Sep. 10, 2010 at 11:18am
i've been taking pictures of these shopping carts around town, & all i gotsta say is, come see the Going Shopping concert at the Fulcrum Gallery tonight.
kris crews said on Sep. 10, 2010 at 11:28am
hey scott, don't forget about how great the internet is for shopping and marketing
...even for merch that says Don't Buy It.
Tacoma Native part 2, tonight at the Fulcrum Gallery, MLK st, Tacoma
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141321655908905&ref=mf
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