Comments on: Criticism of a brand lowers the self-esteem of its adherents

By: ElmsBeech

ElmsBeech — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:47:00 +0000

I went for a consumer APC. I chose a Nikon D90 over the Canon equivalent at the time for a deciding reason. Both I felt were evenly matched or one feature was compensated by another. However, the Nikon was good for a minimum of 100,000 operations (source: trade journal) whilst the Canon was good for 50, 000. That is what decided my purchase. Branding occurs because technically minded people will run with perceived quality. Lesser types believe they are validated by the brand. As always, post hoc ergo propter hoc.

By: Lobster

Lobster — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:14:00 +0000

Can we stop calling them “Apple fans” and start calling them “AppleCore?” I think that’s clever.

By: Thorzdad

Thorzdad — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:45:00 +0000

So, anyone disagreeing with Cory’s Apple posts are universally Apple fans frothing? Really? As opposed to, say, merely regular readers who have a problem with Cory’s occasional lapses into tunnel-vision? One needn’t be a fanboi to have problems with Cory’s fairly obvious editorial axe-grinding. “Speaking his mind” doesn’t mean his opinions are unimpeachable.

By: benher

benher — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 06:42:00 +0000

Belittling any “music property” (I laugh at my use of that term too) considered as a brand seems to draw the same monkey-like ire of fans in much the same way.

By: putty

putty — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:40:00 +0000

The Apple fans really froth at the mouth when Cory speaks his mind about their darling company. I enjoy the mix of both strong (often gushing) admiration and reviews of Apple product releases as well as some level headed criticism of the company’s practices that can be found here by the various contributors on Boing Boing. I find it hard to imagine why anyone would want one without the other unless they felt a need to justify their platform of choice, which to me indicates insecurity and doubt about that choice.

By: Cowicide

Cowicide — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:31:00 +0000

Doesn’t criticism of practically anything one puts a lot of time/research into lower self-esteem?

I call bullshit on this study. And… I just lowered the study adherents self-esteem in the process.

http://thegreatgeekmanual.com/images/humor/motivational/february/motivational-poster-mac-users-market.jpg

By: William

William — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:47:00 +0000

Well duh, that’s why the whole Microsoft fans vs Sony fans bitch about each other’s gaming platform as if it mattered.

By: Lachlan Musicman

Lachlan Musicman — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:35:00 +0000

@fnc I don’t know what you are talking about – #VIM is *obviously* the best command line editor. All others are pale imitations. #AmIDoingItRight? Hang on – this isn’t twitter? WTF.

By: StCredZero

StCredZero — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:36:00 +0000

I’ve seen a variant of this phenomenon where people go out of their way to paint someone as a “fanboi” regardless of the facts.

By: anansi133

anansi133 — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:41:00 +0000

This is a surprisingly powerful idea. The United States used to be a nation made up of citizens. Now that we’ve all been knocked down to consumers, it’s not a nation any more, it’s merely a brand.

USA! USA! USA!

By: Jacasimov

Jacasimov — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:51:00 +0000

Could it not come down to the fact that generally people that need to criticize other people’s choices/opinions (knowing that we all have them and they are all based on one’s specific life experiences) are kind of assholes? I know I’m out on a limb on this one, but how could being confronted with, “Oh you like Kerouac? Kerouac was a total dick!” not piss you off a little (if you liked Kerouac of course)?

Not saying I don’t hold such opinions, and that I might voice them knowing I’d alienate or anger someone…

By: Mister44

Mister44 — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:03:00 +0000

Hence why Apple is so loved, yet as the most valuable company in the US, it can’t be anything more than one of those ‘evil’ corporations you read about.

One of my favorite bands (KMFDM) found a way to turn this tendency into a win/win situation with their self deprecating song SUCKS. Chanting “KMFDM Sucks!” is the norm to illicit an encore. So you can’t really put them down – they’re already there and we all know it and are swimming together in the mire.

By: fnc

fnc — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:34:00 +0000

This thread could be the unholy nexus of fanboy wars with a little more effort. Quickly, someone say something bad about an automobile manufacturer!

We also need mention of which videogame console is better than all of the others.

By: C.J. Casey

C.J. Casey — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:23:00 +0000

You know, I’d like to know if there’s a correlation between ‘amount one pays’ and ‘amount of butt-hurt-edness.’ (That’s a sciency term.) Seriously… I use mostly Linux except for one Windows box, and while I can get argumentative when people with no Linux experience criticize Linux, I’ve seen spitting and screaming wars over Mac criticism. Even if it didn’t cost more to do less than I can with Linux (or a PC) that alone would scare me away from the brand.

By: OgilvyTheAstronomer

OgilvyTheAstronomer — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:07:00 +0000

I suppose Cory can now hide behind this study whenever someone calls bullshit on an unfounded criticism of Apple.

By: fraac

fraac — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:03:00 +0000

Typical nonautistic herd behaviour. You do it with people, brands, gods, scientific beliefs. Anything that fits into a power hierarchy.

You’re doing it right now.

I’m standing behind you.

Candyman!

By: cymk

cymk — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:50:00 +0000

“…you’re not how much money you’ve got in the bank. You’re not your job.
You’re not your family, and you’re not who you tell yourself…. You’re not your name…. You’re not your problems…. You’re not your age…. You are not your hopes.”
~Chuck Palahniuk

By: monopole

monopole — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:42:00 +0000

Calvin Klein’s no friend of mine, don’t want nobodies name on my behind. -RUN DMC

By: semiotix

semiotix — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:15:00 +0000

I think Cory Doctorow could find a way to twist a piece for 'Cat Fancy' magazine into a rail about the fabled 'walled garden'.

The "walled garden" metaphor is especially hilarious when you consider what is, apparently, Cory Doctorow's most favorite thing in the whole wide wonderful world: Disneyland. You know, a literal walled garden. I will say, I don't think he's wrong here. People really do react the way he says, and it's kind of beside the point whether or not he's ever made a "mild" criticism of Apple in his life. Emotional investments are as real to our monkey brains as any other kind. There's no criticism of Ayn Rand that a 19-year-old who's just burned through Atlas Shrugged is going to be willing to hear. Sports teams have their fans regardless of the win-loss record at the end of the season, and regardless of whether or not those fans ever spent money on the team. I will punch you in the face if you don't do a pretty good job of pretending to be impressed by the house I just went six figures into debt for, and I know in my gut that people who talk about housing prices continuing to decline (now that I'm a homeowner) are full of it. How could people not want to buy houses? I sure as hell just did! But it's universal. Cory himself (obviously) has giant emotional sore spots and blind loyalties, and while I'm not saying that's a good thing, it's probably harmless, and inescapable to the extent that he's a miserable human like the rest of us and not really a happy mutant. The "mild" Apple postings where he's clutching his pearls about what kind of a world his toddler will grow up in if people actually buy an iPad are themselves examples. Do we really live in a world of capital-M-"Makers" vs. slick evil corporate techno-drones, engaged in a titanic struggle of hard-won personal awesomeness vs. insidious consumerist poison? No, but he writes it up that way because we all intuitively understand the rhetorical forms that Our Tribe uses to describe the Other Tribe. And the just-spent-$600-on-an-iPad Tribe is given no choice by their own monkey brains but to fling whatever feces is handy right back at him. This is why I kind of liked seeing this article on BB. It's kind of obvious in its way, but it's such a good case study in human nature.

By: dculberson

dculberson — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:08:00 +0000

I avoid this whole thing by diligently researching my purchases and buying the absolute worst available example of a needed item. That way, people can criticize it and I’ll say, “yeah, isn’t it horrible?” This is how I ended up with a Palm Pre. Damn, this phone is bad.

By: xian

xian — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:47:00 +0000

It would also explain the tendency of bloggers that like to jump on the bandwagon of perceived “bad news” stories regarding brands they dislike. See if you can guess who wrote the following headlines:

Apple patents mobile camera that other people can shut off
Apple’s MobileMe email secretly blocks some outgoing messages
Apple gets into the book-banning business
Apple implements iStore changes, prohibits Sony from selling …
iTunes update spies on your listening and sends it to Apple
Apple says no Project Gutenberg for iPhone because some old books …
iOS devices secretly log and retain record of every place you go …
Apple to Mac owners: throw away your monitor if Hollywood says so …
Apple to add Trusted Computing to the new kernel?
New iPods reengineered to block synching with Linux
Why Apple is to blame for iTunes DRM
Apple restricting DVD region-changes — voluntarily!
Apple’s hypocritical slam against French DRM-interop law
Why I won’t buy an iPad (and think you shouldn’t, either)
iPhone developer EULA turns programmers into serfs
Boing Boing: Apple to iPod owners: “Eat shit and die”

etc…

By: RJ

RJ — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:35:00 +0000

That comment had a kind of hunted feel to it. It’s like a desperate message scrawled on some rock in the wilderness, warning any unwary hikers that here, there be men who play the most dangerous game.

By: John Ohno

John Ohno — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:33:00 +0000

The crusades were the product of brand loyalty.

By: jerwin

jerwin — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:27:00 +0000

As a Mac OSX user, I have a stake in the continued popularity of the brand–WINE has limitations, and sometimes recompiling linux applications is a royal pain.

By: Andy III

Andy III — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:27:00 +0000

“That probably explains the tedious “zealot” snipes I get every time I breathe even the mildest criticism of Apple — when criticism of your favorite corporation lowers your self-esteem, it’s only natural to respond with aggressive ad-hominem.”

I’ll be the first to admit that my ‘tedious “zealot” snipes’ might come partly because I’m frankly grateful to Apple that my 15 years of PC problems are behind me. But the bulk of my annoyance most certainly comes from the absolutely constant, unending complaining from every perch available.

I think Cory Doctorow could find a way to twist a piece for ‘Cat Fancy’ magazine into a rail about the fabled ‘walled garden’. I would be shocked if ‘Cory’s Cilantro-Lime Quesedilla’ recipe sent in to Parade magazine didn’t mention Apple somehow.

By: RJ

RJ — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:23:00 +0000

I can’t believe you’re reading my comment on THAT monitor. It’s so low-res and the colors are all wrong. Ugh. I feel embarrassed for you, I really do. On the other hand, I guess you take what you can get, right? Good monitors cost a lot, these days. Maybe you could check Craigslist or eBay. Or, if you still can’t afford one, maybe you could take some classes at night and try to get a promotion, you know? Broaden your horizons, man. You don’t want to be stuck like that forever, do you? Just circling around in a tiny fishbowl existence (with that crappy monitor burning your eyeballs out). You really should upgrade. Just try a little harder.

By: unklstuart

unklstuart — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:23:00 +0000

Are we sure it’s not the other way around?

By: lyd

lyd — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:04:00 +0000

If you endeavor to do any kind of retail sales one of the first things you will be taught is to never directly criticize the widget the customer currently owns while you’re trying to persuade them to by a new one. (Later you’ll learn when to go ahead and make them feel bad, all the better to manipulate them into making a choice they wouldn’t have made if thinking clearly and rationally. Yuck.)

I think that this phenomena is really interesting in connection with the ever-increasing brandedness of the political parties. It’s another reason, or perhaps one of the main reasons, that productive discourse has disappeared from that front, I think.

By: HenryPootel

HenryPootel — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:55:00 +0000

That probably explains the tedious “zealot” snipes I get every time I breathe even the mildest criticism of Apple — when criticism of your favorite corporation lowers your self-esteem, it’s only natural to respond with aggressive ad-hominem.

Also the response of moderators, and blog owners who have occasionally gotten upset over comments critical of the blog

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:53:00 +0000

Perhaps you don;t understand the point because you do not identify with brands the way some people do? Just a thought.