@RyanNewYork

It’s really cool how many start-ups are being founded in...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:44:04 -0400

It’s really cool how many start-ups are being founded in New York City. Silicon Alley forever.

When there is no political will for real action, you resort to theatrics that make everyone feel...

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:59:09 -0400

When there is no political will for real action, you resort to theatrics that make everyone feel better but accomplish nothing. Once everyone feels better, everybody goes home and nothing is done. So I say, stop trying to make people feel better. Keep them angry and wanting to do something.

Just started working at Vocativ on Monday as their Vice...

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:31:50 -0400

Just started working at Vocativ on Monday as their Vice President of Community. Check out this sizzle reel on some of the stories we’ve been working on. We fully launch in the fall.

vocativ:

What is Vocativ?

We’re hard at work gearing up for our launch — here’s a taste. If you’re into it, share it.

So, Dorian Davis is talking shit before our big debate tonight...

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:36:52 -0400

So, Dorian Davis is talking shit before our big debate tonight at ELECTORAL DYSFUNCTION 2013: SUMMER OF SEQUESTRATION! I did pick the worst possible week to argue from the left.

Show is at 9:30. Tickets here.

I was trying to figure out how to word this earlier, but Ngoc...

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:33:26 -0400

I was trying to figure out how to word this earlier, but Ngoc beat me to it and said it more forcefully than I would have.

tranqualizer:

[photo: image of a Black homeless man wearing a white t shirt and holding a white Abercrombie and fitch branded t shirt in front of him.]

Why Fitch the Homeless is a Really Bad Idea

In response to some comments made by Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries about not wanting large people in A&F clothes because he prefers “attractive…cool kids” in A&F clothes, there’s been a pretty big backlash, which is understandable. Most recently, I’ve learned about some “activism” aimed at giving Abercrombie and Fitch a “brand readjustment’” by giving Abercrombie and Fitch clothing to the homeless.

Because wouldn’t it be so awful for Abercrombie and Fitch clothing to be associated with homelessness and homeless people, because homeless people are so gross and disgusting, amirite? The video above says that it is striving to make Abercrombie and Fitch “the #1 brand of homeless apparel”. Maybe you’re thinking there’s no issue here because at least homeless people are getting some new duds and they were purchased from Goodwill, so what’s the big deal?

The big deal comes in when homeless people are being exploited to prove a point. Many homeless people are already widely disenfranchised and lacking a platform to be heard or to get access to the resources they need. By attempting to make a brand look bad by associating it with homelessness, the message is that homeless people are so gross, dirty, shameful (insert negative attribute here) that by associating the brand with these types of people, we are really making the brand look shitty, because these people are so shitty! get it? It’s all such a laugh! This type of “activism” is a farce. It contributes to and propagates a culture wherein homeless people can be used as props to further an agenda. This isn’t how you treat people. This is how you treat disposable objects. It isn’t funny, noble, or helpful to try and stick it to Abercrombie and Fitch by using homeless people as the medium for your message. Would the American population at large be comfortable with any other minority group being used to make a brand look “bad” by associating their clothing with that group? Sub out “homeless” for any other minority group and see how that sounds and feels. Pretty shitty, right?

Giving clothing, food, needed sundries, time, and other resources to the homeless or people who are in need is an awesome thing. But this isn’t about giving to the homeless. I don’t see any real or actual concern for homeless people in this “movement”. I see homeless people being used as the butt of a joke. The punchline? “Hahaha Abercrombie! You want cool and attractive people in your clothes and you claim to be exclusionary, so we’re going to give your clothes to homeless people because you would hate that!” The implication here is that homeless people are not cool or attractive and the brand can’t be exclusionary when worn by an already excluded group. This only “works” because homeless people are already part of an othered and excluded group, often left out of mainstream society, denied access to basic resources and the ability to have their needs met. Can’t.Stop.Laughing.

People who want to give to the homeless can do so at any time. Do it today! But giving a certain brand of clothing to the homeless in an attempt to make that brand of clothing look bad or unsavory or less-than-desirable is only possible when the population or group receiving the clothing carries the stigma you are trying to attach to that label. This doesn’t make Abercrombie and Fitch look bad. This makes Greg Karber and everybody supporting this “activism” look like an insensitive douche canoe who thinks homeless people are disposable props to be used to further an agenda, and that’s pretty sad and disappointing. Wanna help the homeless? Try not furthering the stigma surrounding homelessness by insisting that a brand being associated with homelessness would surely be less desirable or wanted. Wanna stick it to Abercrombie and Fitch? Easy Peasy! Don’t give them your money! It’s a simple solution that doesn’t involve stepping on the backs of the homeless in place of a soapbox.

(click through the link to watch the youtube video)

Instead of petitioning Abercrombie & Fitch to open their lame, tacky brand to all sizes, why don't we all never shop there again?

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:48:44 -0400

Some great new pictures of the contestants in this year’s...

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:04:44 -0400

Some great new pictures of the contestants in this year’s Broadway Beauty Pageant. It’s on MONDAY in New York City - tickets available here.

"Here’s a current example of the challenge we face - At the height of its power, the photography..."

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:47:10 -0400

“Here’s a current example of the challenge we face - At the height of its power, the photography company Kodak employed more than 140,000 people and was worth $28 billion. They even invented the first digital camera. But today Kodak is bankrupt, and the new face of digital photography has become Instagram. When Instagram was sold to Facebook for a billion dollars in 2012, it employed only 13 people. Where did all those jobs disappear? And what happened to the wealth that all those middle-class jobs created?”

- Jaron Lanier

Sunday Sermon: Leading With Lollipops

Sun, 12 May 2013 22:12:51 -0400

Sunday Sermon: Leading With Lollipops

A collection of graffiti and street art from Brooklyn (Bushwick...

Sat, 11 May 2013 13:45:00 -0400

A collection of graffiti and street art from Brooklyn (Bushwick & Williamsburg) that I’ve captured on Instagram so far this year.

In honor of Mother’s Day, stand with Chris Quinn to raise...

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:04:59 -0400

In honor of Mother’s Day, stand with Chris Quinn to raise awareness about breast cancer resources for women in NYC. Help us Thunderclap!

Hey! Come out and meet Cory Booker at his NYC LGBT fundraiser on...

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:11:46 -0400

Hey! Come out and meet Cory Booker at his NYC LGBT fundraiser on Tuesday, May 21st. Tickets here.

A short interview with me on the upcoming Inspire! social media...

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:55:06 -0400

A short interview with me on the upcoming Inspire! social media conference in Canada.

"The eurozone countries, the United Kingdom, and the Baltic states have volunteered as subjects in a..."

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:23:25 -0400

“The eurozone countries, the United Kingdom, and the Baltic states have volunteered as subjects in a grand experiment that aims to find out if it is possible for an economically stagnant country to cut its way to prosperity… The results of the experiment are now in, and they are equally consistent: austerity doesn’t work. Most of the economies on the periphery of the eurozone have been in free fall since 2009, and in the fourth quarter of 2012, the eurozone as a whole contracted for the first time ever.”

- Foreign Affairs

My final speaking gig as a Blue State Digital employee is...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:47:04 -0400

My final speaking gig as a Blue State Digital employee is tomorrow night on “Why Organization Structure Matters for Online Success.“

Contestants are out for this year’s The Annual Broadway...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:38:09 -0400

Contestants are out for this year’s The Annual Broadway Beauty Pageant!

Get your tickets at: http://bit.ly/BBP2013Tixs

It’s a fantastic group. “This year’s competitors will include Callan Bergmann (Silence! The Musical), Julius C. Carter (Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark), Yurel Echezarreta (Matilda), Matthew Goodrich (The Nance), Orion Griffiths (Pippin) and Paul HeeSang Miller (Mamma Mia!).”

(Photo from previous pageant)

Sunday Sermon: Fareed’s take on Boston and what Europe can...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:49:06 -0400

Sunday Sermon: Fareed’s take on Boston and what Europe can teach us about engaging Islam.

Looking forward to keynoting The Resource Alliance’s...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:24:12 -0400

Looking forward to keynoting The Resource Alliance’s Fundraising Online conference in May. Free to join online.

Excited to announce that in May I’m joining Vocativ as...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:39:00 -0400

Excited to announce that in May I’m joining Vocativ as their Vice President of Community! Great to be part of a New York City start up working to elevate digital news.

Check it out.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where..."

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:28:39 -0400

““It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.””

- Theodore Roosevelt