I subscribe to the Complete Running Network feed and occasionally something dribbles through the tubes that really gets my goat. Jon, over there at CRN, apparently had his goat got too by some recent advertising by Pearl Izumi.
The gist of the advertisements is that the sport of running is being sullied by joggers. Joggers, a pejorative term for persons whose excrement does not smell like lavender and strawberries like Pearl Izumi users, foul the streets with their plodding gaits, their iPods, and a total lack of sticks in their butts. Apparently, "jogging is a synonym for half-assed."
I read this crap about an hour ago, and only now am I starting to calm down about it. Then I remember, it's like this in every community. I play go, and there are go players who think if you don't spend 18 hours a day studying the game, then you aren't a real go player. I've dropped into and out of more than a couple online communities, and most have their cliquish upper crust of elite users, tapping away in their parents' basement, who feel like if you don't spend 18 hours a day on ______.com, then why even bother with an internet connection?
I guess what's most grating is that, OK fine, Linux zealots and chess players and bluegrass musicians can whine about n00bs spoiling their precious, privileged little domains. It's a conscious decision one makes to step into those waters, and there are skills to learn and blah blah blah. However, running is an activity humankind has engaged in since we started moving upright. It's how our cavemen forebears got to Starbucks -- they ran. Otherwise, the dinosaurs would have eaten them. [Sorry to go all science-y on you.] How can you claim a natural, foundational form of locomotion as your exclusive little club?
Technorati Tags: elite running, running, elitism, jerks, rant
The gist of the advertisements is that the sport of running is being sullied by joggers. Joggers, a pejorative term for persons whose excrement does not smell like lavender and strawberries like Pearl Izumi users, foul the streets with their plodding gaits, their iPods, and a total lack of sticks in their butts. Apparently, "jogging is a synonym for half-assed."
I read this crap about an hour ago, and only now am I starting to calm down about it. Then I remember, it's like this in every community. I play go, and there are go players who think if you don't spend 18 hours a day studying the game, then you aren't a real go player. I've dropped into and out of more than a couple online communities, and most have their cliquish upper crust of elite users, tapping away in their parents' basement, who feel like if you don't spend 18 hours a day on ______.com, then why even bother with an internet connection?
I guess what's most grating is that, OK fine, Linux zealots and chess players and bluegrass musicians can whine about n00bs spoiling their precious, privileged little domains. It's a conscious decision one makes to step into those waters, and there are skills to learn and blah blah blah. However, running is an activity humankind has engaged in since we started moving upright. It's how our cavemen forebears got to Starbucks -- they ran. Otherwise, the dinosaurs would have eaten them. [Sorry to go all science-y on you.] How can you claim a natural, foundational form of locomotion as your exclusive little club?
Technorati Tags: elite running, running, elitism, jerks, rant
wow. I am seriously blown away by this. I am proud to say that I am a "jogger" and I think that this is a poor marketing strategy. Not only are they cutting out a huge market segment, but they are creating this huge gap between people who "run" and who "jog". I'm pretty sure that most people find it admirable if someone can do either one. Elite runners and elite merch companies who think they are elite need a reality check. Good post.
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