No Logo

It has been a few weeks since I finished Naomi Klein's book No Logo. I picked up a copy while KVC and I were in Ohio. I had been aware of the book for some time but had put off reading it.

My reason for delay in reading the book was, I suppose, two-fold.
First off, it is the reference for every vague and poorly constructed argument against Asian manufacturing, from every half-hippy expert on global social economics.
My other delay was that I find the writers of my generation a bit too narrative in their critical writing and journalism.

As for the narrative bit, Klein does not create exception to my observations. Her whole self-immersion story telling seems pretty lame, with trips to free trade zones and quick visits to far off lands. I was never sure what I was to take from her narrative diversions, they seemed as ploys meant to distract from any real numerical research.


Anyway, No Logo is a thesis on the rise of "brand" and trans-national corporate culture. It inquires as to the birth of branding and consumer brand awareness. It observes the cultural corporate shifts into brand development and away from physical manufacturing. There are side trips to examine advertising, media and various green party initiatives. The whole bit loosely tied together with some swell personal commentaries and stories from Klein.

So, my initial thoughts, the whole book was too late. Originally published in 2001, I think, it's a great bit of clear hindsight. By 2001, every company dissected had already taken steps to improve their international standards in response to public outcry. By 2001, the countries cited had already made progress from true third world backwaters to manufacturing centers - and with that responded to international pressure to improve work conditions. Most importantly, by 2001, our own cultural shift has happened - we have turned ourselves into consumers and not manufacturers.

Somebody came up with the "brand" and we bought into it.


One of the most interesting observations that Klein makes is in the timing. The whole concept of "brand" didn't really mean much until the 80's. At the same time that we were caught up in the PC wars, focused on names and rights of every possible sub-genre of sex/race/handicap/nationality - corporations were changing the way fundamental way business was conducted. The folks most likely to make the observations, at the time, were busy fighting another fight, fighting amongst themselves.

While we were in college, protesting to have a gay-black-womyn's studies program added to the curriculum - industry was off-shoring jobs and downsizing the jobs our parents had.
As we fought the good fight for rights, corporations shifted the global economy.

Followed by the anti-PC backlash. I am left thinking that a near static outcome is all that the PC fights accomplished. The protests against the WTO, NAFTA, et al have been equally ineffectual.

The most highly educated generation produced, was too busy squabling about semantics to notice that the very fabric of culture had been altered.
The same sort bickering that happens today between liberals and conservatives almost seems a move of distraction. Watching the meaningless banter keeps us from noticing our decline into a service sector economy.

They keep selling it. We keep buying it...