Welcome to No Brand Like Home, digital home of brand and fashion designer James Eskeldson. My goal is to inspire personal authenticity by connecting the dots between branding and self-actualization. It's simple. Everyone is a brand. Is yours legit?
ChatRoulette is weird. But also kind of awesome. It’s a social media service that allows users to randomly interact with thousands of complete strangers via web-cam. Live video from around the world appears on your screen and you choose whether or not to chat with that person or move on with a single click to see who’s next. This is the ultimate online voyeurism, and because it is totally unregulated and lawless, anything can happen (it’s allegedly bloated with perverts). ChatRoulette is an online adventure that taps into our curiosity and primitive desire to connect with our fellow bro, even if the interaction is trivial and anonymous. Read more about ChatRoulette at nymag.com.
One of the most pervasive and recognizable individuals in contemporary society is the douchebag. The douchebag is everywhere. In our bars wearing too much axe body spray. In our gyms using bad pickup lines. In our workplaces making jokes about our mothers. These well-known habits (along with pink polos with popped collars) make the douche an easy target.
But while the behaviors of the douche are well known, his philosophy is not. We write off his actions as juvenile without taking time to consider their motivation. Has the douchebag been misunderstood? Is it possible we have something to learn from him? Maybe if we break down his values we can better understand the intentions of this particular brand of individual.
Luckily, Diesel (a fashion label popular among douchebags) has done just that with the launch of their new ad campaign, “Be Stupid.”
Is Diesel right? I mean maybe being a little stupid isn’t so stupid. Most of us spend our lives making the “right” decisions, playing it safe and avoiding conflict. Conventional wisdom tells us not to risk it. Why? Because when we engage in untested activities, failure is common. But we can’t learn to succeed unless we first learn how to fail. And jumping head-first into failure is, well, kinda stupid.
Stupid, but important.
I think intelligence as currently measured by cultural standards is overrated. We as a society tend to put value on facts, the analysis of data, and the ability to manage the past instead of create the future. This unspoken educational ethos fosters an intellectual environment that systematically criticizes new ideas and makes us too reliant on what is known.
This is the status-quo and you’d be stupid to challenge it.
Be stupid.
Now is the time to say “yes” to life and its inherent absurdities. If we don’t allow unplanned things to happen we are limiting possibilities. If we’re smart we’ll remember to be stupid and not judge the future as it unfolds.
It’s easy to be smart because you only have to think and act within the established rules of the intellectual community. It takes no original thought. Being stupid takes courage. The stupid is untested but usually leads to surprising (and sometimes amazing) results.
So-called smart people have a need to base their opinions on what is already known and established. It is classic conservative philosophy and a form of preserving the past. Nothing can be “right” unless it has already been proven. This immediately negates the possibility of change and innovation. If we want our society to progress we can’t be afraid to embrace the unknown. Yes, we still need intelligence, but only in support of a sustained sense of imagination.
At a certain point you need to just go with your gut. Of course you are bound to make some mistakes. But doing what feels right means you’re at least aimed in the right direction. And I generally believe that when you work hard doing whatever makes you happy, things tend to fall into place.
Are you with stupid? Do you have confidence in yourself even when success seems illogical? Are you able to sense what is legit even without the support of hard facts? Which do you value more: intelligence or imagination?
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Be stupid. This is the philosophy of douchebags. This is the roadmap of lovers. This is the way of the bro. Intellects will look down at stupid people with secret envy for their wisdom. Haters will try to destroy them because they can’t understand their optimism. But they will walk into battle with only Diesel jeans and their favorite music. People will laugh at them, but they will win. They will always win. They are too stupid to lose.
How often do you see the 45 year old woman still boldly peacocking her out-of-control 1980’s hairdo? Or the aging hippie who embarrassingly reeks of pachouli and broken dreams? These are two examples of types of people unable to let go of the past; they are everywhere. They haunt every city like monuments to recent history. Or, perhaps more appropriately, like a collective bad memory. Of course, not everyone makes their inability to adapt so visible. Many people look “up to date” yet still harbor a self-concept based on a worn out zeitgeist.
It seems to me that most people don’t focus on where they are and where they’ll be going. Most people focus on where they have been.
THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE
It’s inevitable that the world will go through massive change in our lifetime. Some of us will adapt. We will feel at home in this strange future. Many of us will not. Many of us will cling to who we used to be. Some of us will refuse to give up our American Apparel hoodies. Or our emo haircut. Many of us will continue listening to Vampire Weekend and Lil’ Wayne long after these artists are no longer “relevant.” We will discuss the “good old days” of 2010 and complain about the lack of integrity in our kid’s tripped-out space music.
We can’t let the people afraid of moving forward hold the rest of us back.
The world is changing. Fast. Are you prepared to adapt or are you set in your ways? New and exciting ideas are being thought up everyday. Are you keeping up with the innovators? Are you ready to wear Legos as accessories? That may sound insane, but trendsetters are already doing it. Are you ready to appropriate the eating habits of cavemen? That may sound stupid, but progressive people are doing that too. And it starts to make at least some sense once you consider the type of locally-based sustainable economy the U.S. is (hopefully) moving toward.
These are only examples. The point is that things change everyday. Even big things we assumed would always be the same. And when we don’t adapt, we fall behind. The world in its current state won’t last long. And the world inside your head is probably already gone.
The world doesn’t change on its own; we initiate change. The future is unwritten. If you have dreams now is your opportunity to do something about them. The world and its rules are not hard and unbreakable. They are soft and easy to mold. Any idea or product that makes life simpler, happier and more efficient has a chance to catch on and make a difference. But it’s up to you to get your ideas out there.
But we can’t be afraid to fail, and we can’t be afraid to change.
I can barely hang out with people anymore. No matter where I go it’s the same story. I just want to have a chill/positive life, create some good memories, earn a little money, and live a life that’s both mentally and emotionally fulfilling. I want to live in harmony with my surroundings and enjoy the quality of life that mankind’s innovation and hard work has allowed us to afford.
I DIDN’T ASK FOR ANY TROUBLE.
Is it just me, or is it hard to avoid negativity? “Haters” are everywhere. I mean it seems like no matter how good things are going, almost everyone has something to complain about. I think this type of negativity is discouraging. It fosters an unhealthy mindset and keeps us from embracing the future. It makes us worry.
All complaining isn’t bad. There are plenty of things in society that need to be fixed, and it’s smart to discuss how to improve them. The type of complaining I’m addressing here is complaining for the sake of complaining. This negativity occurs when people refuse to accept basic realities because they have a preconceived notion about the way things should be. Haters don’t know how to adjust their minds to the reality of a given situation because they have a narrow and rigid perspective. Their default reaction is to presume that 1) they are always right, and 2) if anything challenges their preconceptions, it is wrong.
There are countless things on which people focus their negativity, but the following are a handful of common “hater” stereotypes.
HIPSTERS WHO HATE ANYTHING “NORMAL”
C’mon guys, get real. We all know you’re cool, creative, and have better taste in music than everybody. But stop being too cool for life. I know you think “normal” people are boring, but get over it. You hate anyone who doesn’t wear headbands and wolf t-shirts. Which is basically 99.99% of the population. Start by losing the child molester glasses. Jerks.
SQUARES WHO HATE ANYTHING DIFFERENT
Fucking dork. What are you afraid of? I know your mom gets nervous when you do scary things like go to rock shows, but at some point you’re going to have to start thinking for yourself. You don’t “get” things that are outside the box, so you judge them. You need to leave your comfort zone and experience more of what you don’t understand. And maybe even start picking out your own clothes.
IDEALISTS WHO HATE REALITY
Your intentions are good. But your actions (or lack thereof) are moronic. You think your lofty dreams alone can save the planet and reject ideas from anyone who doesn’t share your hippie ideals. But what you fail to consider is goal-oriented strategies with a focus on results. You can lay in the grass and dream all day, but you’re not going to achieve anything unless you can get off your ass and make your ideas marketable. And btw a shower wouldn’t kill you.
PRAGMATISTS WHO HATE TO DREAM
We get it, you like science. Fair enough. Science is awesome. But your inability to think beyond the boundaries of hard facts makes you a hater of new ideas and creative thinking, both of which play an important role in the development of scientific discovery. Don’t forget that Einstein said “imagination is more important than knowledge.” So ease up on your logical limitations. Live a little. Believe a little.
LOSERS WHO HATE “THE MAN”
You are a prime example of poor self-concept. Because you have low self-esteem you basically assume everyone hates you, and set yourself up to fail from the start. You consider the world your enemy, and instead of putting yourself in a position to achieve, you merely struggle to survive. But your real enemy is your own attitude. You can’t stop hating others until you stop hating yourself, so start there. And just so you know, I’ve been working for “the man” for years, and he’s not so bad once you get to know him.
ELITISTS WHO HATE THE UNDERDOG
You are lucky to be in a position of affluence (most likely thanks to a self-made dad) and spend all your time and energy maintaining your position of power. You like to keep others down with a psychological strong-hand because it is how you retain your self-esteem. But you are so closed off from the rest of the world that you are setting yourself up for an eventual demise (think French Revolution). Stop being a jerk. It’s the little people you step on who are going to be kicking your ass one day.
WHY DO WE HATE?
To be a hater is to express yourself with negativity. It could happen once a day, once a month, or every time you open your mouth. But why does it happen? What compels us to tear down people and ideas? I think it usually comes down to a dissatisfaction of one’s own life, followed by a displacement of blame. When people fail to own up to their own life and their perceived problems, they pass responsibility to “the world” and begin seeing others as the cause of their unhappiness. When someone falls into this mentality of blaming others for their problems, they begin to view unfamiliar things with distrust. They are looking for something/somebody to blame. Anything will do. And as soon as they experience something beyond their narrow comfort zone, their first reaction is to shoot it down. Haters see the world as a threat. But in reality their attitude is causing their problems.
I’m worried about the hater uprising. I’m unsure we have enough bros to defeat them. It will be a long war. Haters are a lot like zombies. They wander the land in herds with the sole mission of bringing others down to their level. It’s the only life they know. And they’re relentless. It will be a long and hard war but the bros are destined to prevail.
even as i walk through the valley of haters, i will fear no evil, for my bros are with me.
We will unite behind naive music and positive energy. We will treat every day like we’re singing karaoke and not care if we look stupid. We will only do drugs that help us understand each other. The haters will tell us that the economy is bad. But we will realize that the economy is only a reflection of our collective attitude. The haters will tell us that our lives are in imminent danger. But we will know better, and press on.
Don’t be a hater. Be a lover. Be a bro. Haters are lame. Bros are legit. Haters see limitations. Bros see opportunity. Haters react to things that happen to them. Bros initiate their own decisions. Haters hate. Bros bro.
There is a lot at stake in the great hater/bro war. But the bro’s mission must be to to rise above our problems. Problems like terrorism, global warming, corrupt governments, war torn countries and poverty. Haters see these problems as an excuse to be afraid, but we need to realize that the only way to solve these problems is to transcend them. It is only after we transform our perspective and see the world differently that the world itself can transform.
