Dunkin’ ‘Doh’-nuts!

The pixels… the pixels… yeah, about the pixels… haven’t quite gotten there yet. But I did get myself a cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee today – in spite of the Starbucks on the opposite corner. A gesture of support in the wake of this Rachael Ray Jihadist scarf-wearing nonsense. In case you didn’t know… “An online ad featuring company spokeswoman Rachael Ray in a scarf faintly resembling head- and neck-wear popular in some Middle Eastern countries outraged the popular right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin, who called it "jihadi chic." Dunkin responded quickly, pulling the ad and issuing a statement that said "absolutely no symbolism was intended" in Ms. Ray's black-and-white, paisley-patterned scarf.” (Ad Age: http://adage.com/article?article_id=127451)

Yes… I know. I can already hear your eyes rolling on this one. But, guess what? We’re the ones to blame here! That’s right… US (well, maybe not me so much as this is only my second blog post, but you catch my drift)… the bloggers.

And the news media, like mindless zombie-whores, added fuel to the fire… Check out this schmuck: http://gawker.com/tag/television/?i=394230&t=dunkin-donuts-is-one-of-our-sponsors-idiot%22

So, now we have Dunkin’ Donuts primed to be the new face of terrorism and completely-uncalled-for-Rachael-Ray-bashing on network television. And, why? Because some blogger made a blink visual association about a piece of clothing (an accessory, no less!).

And as if THAT wasn’t already silly enough… you get backlash on top of backlash with statements like: “I can assure anyone at DD that I will never, ever give them my business again, not when they succumb to strong-arm tactics from right-wing nut jobs like Malkin. This is corporate cowardice of the most extreme and most inexcusable." (Ad Age)

And while I feel that having to pull the ad in the first place is a sad commentary on our society, I say good for Dunkin’ Donuts for just doing it and not making a big stink. These are the times we live in. Oy… I need another cup of coffee.

It's not me... it's you, J. Crew...

Seeing as this is my first blog post ever… I’m going to keep it light. In general, however, my goal with this blog is to muse personal, whimsical, influential, and (at times) non-sensical in the realms of Technology, Media and Social psychography. Other than that I’m not going to make any promises, although I’m sure I will make some excuses from time to time.

So… for the first of many things too big to Tweet:

I have officially decided to switch back to Gap jeans after a three-plus year affair with J. Crew denim. Simply stated, J. Crew’s jeans have become way too flimsy – and while soft and comfortable, the over-washed over-treated fabric won’t go a month without being ripped. Not to mention that the $69 price tag has now jumped to $96 (as if us dyslexics wouldn’t notice). And, while I am at a stage in my life where spending $96 on a single piece of clothing is not all that unheard of… the quality just isn’t there anymore. I expect a more rugged performance from my denim and Gap jeans deliver. And at $46 a pair… I bought myself two.