Ben – I like the throwing down of gauntlets in such fashion; but nonetheless its a curious retranslation of Occam’s Razor to insist on ad-free cycleware for the month of November. You see far from supporting and sustaining mega-capitalism the wearing of ad-infested lycra is an actually an extension of the Situationist tactic of Detournement – which is to say a reversal of signs and meaning so that the opposite is achieved. Far from being complicit in the perpetuation of wage slavery, the placing of an ad on the backside of a portly middle aged MAMIL is actually a subtle counter-hegemonic sign reading: “no you don’t want to be like me, or be associated with the things that I associate with do you?” – its classic subvertising – the juxtaposition of the ‘desired’ with its Other – the not-desired. Just look at the vitriol directed daily at blokes riding bikes in Lycra – “no one likes” (and we don’t care). wearing ad-invested lycre is thus a heroic, indeed necessary counterpoint to the over-marketed cool “simplicity” of “plain and classy brands” – Louis Vuiton, Patek Phillippe, Churchs etc etc. No, if one wants to oppose the mega-structures Ben then you need to get with the BillBoard Liberation Movement. All power to the MAMIL.
Half – idling the time away in Hong Kong airport.