Ypsilanti: the revolution starts here
| UPDATE: Before it began, it was over . . . . The association between Ypsilanti and a revolution taking place here was created some time ago by former Ypsilanti resident and current blogger, Steven B. Cherry, whose fine blog is Seat of the Revolution. As pointed out in the comments, others with more blogging history than me saw the connection. Though I initially thought it was harmless, Mr. Cherry objected to the uncredited derivative use of the slogan as well as Cafe Press as a merchandiser, which is his right. Consequently, I have chosen to delete the store and remove the merchandise. I sincerely apologize for misappropriating Mr. Cherry's intellectual property, even inadvertantly. * * * * * * * * * * I just opened up a new Cafe Press shop, where you can buy Ypsilanti merchandise that I designed, based on a slogan thought up by my neighbor, Barbara Zmich. Yea, I know, it took all of about eleven seconds to design it, but it's fun nonetheless. There are t-shirts, mugs, bags and a bumper sticker. Go ahead and buy something - you know you want to . . . . The items are marked up from their base prices between $1 and $3. Any and all profits generated will be donated on a rotating basis to the Friends of the Rutherford Pool, the Friends of the Freighthouse, and/or the Ypsilanti Public Schools Foundation, all of which are not-for-profit groups dedicated to improving our community. |
posted by trusty getto at 4:15 PM
Comments on "Ypsilanti: the revolution starts here"
-
maryd said ... (8:17 PM) :
-
doyleparty said ... (10:07 PM) :
-
trusty getto said ... (10:18 PM) :
-
Eric 3.0 said ... (11:01 PM) :
-
trusty getto said ... (10:00 AM) :
-
yellojkt said ... (10:29 AM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (5:45 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (1:31 PM) :
-
trusty getto said ... (1:34 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (1:43 PM) :
-
trusty getto said ... (1:52 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (1:57 PM) :
-
trusty getto said ... (2:09 PM) :
-
Kate said ... (12:54 PM) :
-
Murph said ... (4:14 PM) :
-
trusty getto said ... (4:47 PM) :
-
Murph said ... (5:20 PM) :
-
Director of Operations said ... (6:08 PM) :
-
trusty getto said ... (7:14 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (3:24 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (3:28 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (3:28 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (3:52 PM) :
-
trusty getto said ... (4:27 PM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (6:00 PM) :
-
Kate said ... (5:08 AM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (10:10 AM) :
-
Anonymous said ... (2:24 PM) :
post a commentOoh, I want one of each! I so like the original thinking. And such worthy causes.
lmqm
"Why does the model wearing the pink t-shirt have breasts? I find that stereotypical and offensive!"
-Bob
"No magnets?? Can you get some made? Oh, and aren't those pink t-shirts cute!"
-Amy
Bob: Because she is a woman.
Amy: Magnets have now been added :)
I just spent more than $100 on Ypsi/Revolution stuff. I guess if we say it enough it might even come true, yes?
Have you considered dropping the colon? I don't think it's necessary with the change in font between the two lines. Otherwise, I like the typewriter font style you chose.
I ordered bumperstickers for our two cars, t-shirts for Julie and me, t-shirts to give away, and coffee mugs for hosting my Ypsi friends. Come Christmas time you might hear from me again.
I may question the colon but I thank you nonetheless. :-)
You know, Eric, I kind of like the colon. But I'll definitely sleep on it and re-consider :)
That slogan is great. Wait until some bigger city steals it from you. Then sue their asses.
A revolution in Ypsilanti!? I can't believe an Ypsilanti blogger hasn't thought of this idea before now!
When I search google for "Ypsilanti Revolution" some other website comes up? Why is that?
That is because, I believe, Seat of the Revolution is the blog of Steven B. Cherry, former Ypsilanti resident, now a resident of, I believe, Hamtramck.
I don't know him, but I have visited his blog.
Well, it seems like you (and Barbara Zmich) stole his idea for an "Ypsilanti Revolution" and didn't even give him credit.
Maybe . . . but the idea of associating a place with a revolution isn't really a new or novel one. Mr. Cherry definitely isn't the first to have come up with that.
And, I dare say, he moved the Seat elsewhere, so I think it's fair to re-claim it.
Perhaps the best authority would be the man himself. I'll email him now . . .
No, but associating Ypsilanti and a Revolution in blog format was his idea and you're passing it off as yours (and Ms. Zmich's).
That just seems like a dishonest thing to do is all.
I did mention it was Barbara's idea (I thought it was hers, anyway), but I don't see where I've made that claim as to myself. I don't know that she was aware of the blog, then or now, so I'm not sure she could be reasonably accused of dishonesty.
Which raises the interesting issue of whether an idea can be owned or claimed if one thinks of it first, particularly if it is subsequently thought up independently of the initial thought.
Dishonest? No, that's a stretch.
An interesting thing to debate? Definitely.
Well, hopefully I will hear back from Mr. Cherry with his thoughts on the issue. If any foul has been committed, intentionally or not, I will do what I can to make it right again.
I hardly think everything with the words "Ypsilanti" and "revolution" in them should be appropriated by Mr. Cherry. I am disgusted by his petty stance.
I really don't believe he has any right to your phrase, Cam. You don't call Ypsilanti the "seat of the revolution," after all. I don't know Mr. Cherry, and after this I don't think I want to. He's coming across as an arrogant prick.
If I may, I'll suggest a compromise that might make your spur-of-the-moment project somewhat more palatable to Mr. Cherry.
We have print shops in town that you could use instead of CafePress. For example, VG Kids will custom print t-shirts. (http://www.vgkids.com/) Additionally, VG Kids prints on American Apparel - who pay their workers a living wage. If your use of "revolution" were supporting local business and a less exploitative production model, Steven might cut you some slack.
Of course, even better (and strange that this isn't an option) would be to convince VG Kids to partner with Maggie's (http://www.maggiesorganics.com/) to print on their clothes. Maggie's is headquartered on W. Cross, and their clothes are sewn by a Nicaraguan workers cooperative. Two local businesses + fair trade.
Steven does, indeed, come off as crotchety (and that, of course, is part of why we love him), and I hardly think he can outright forbid you from using the words "revolution" and "ypsilanti" together. I think his complaint about your use is valid in that the means you employ are directly counter to some of the things he has always fought for.
Be nice if all of us could get our make-Ypsi-a-better-place ducks in a row and figure out how to pull together. If anything would be "revolutionary", that'd be it.
Thanks, Murph, that's not at all a bad idea, but the objection wasn't really made with an offer of compromise, it was just an objection, and I'm not really in much of a position to negotiate or complain. I'm also not sure how to credit Mr. Cherry on the designs without the credit looking like a campaign disclaimer or some nonsense like that.
And I know I can't be forbidden from doing it. I just don't want to if there's going to be baggage attached to it. If Mr. Cherry considers this to be his intellectual property to be used only in a manner consistent with his values, who am I to say otherwise?
There are a couple reasons why I used Cafe Press. One, they print on demand, so there aren't investment or inventory issues. Given the frenetic pace of my life (single dad whose kids live with me), it's easy to design and upload a jpg or tif, but it's kind of another thing entirely to invest cash in inventory and then set about selling it.
Two, I'm not willing to fudge it with legal requirements. If I'm going to make something, mark it up and then sell it here in Michigan, there are a number of laws I'd have to comply with. I'd have to get a business permit and collect taxes and pay them to the state, all which kind of makes the endeavor an awful lot of work for the return it would generate. I realize a lot of people and organizations employ kind of a loose approach with these regulations, but I take my oath to my profession seriously and can't knowingly blow off the law with a clear conscience. With the online thing, Cafe Press takes care of all that, and the buyer is responsible for sales tax under Michigan law. All I'd get is a check and a 1099, which makes the donations and the accounting considerably more convenient.
And, Kate, I can't (and don't) lay claim to any of it, 'cause none of it was/is mine.
'Twas simply a seemingly fun thing to do that was well intentioned but not well received. Consequently, if anyone wants to obtain Mr. Cherry's blessing, I will be more than happy to email the artwork I put together to you so you can carry on the revolution :)
Understandable, re: the legal issues and logistics. CafePress definitely makes spur-of-the-moment setup Easy.
We do have several print shops in town; wonder if one of them could be convinced to offer a CafePress-style service. They'd probably have to ask for a deposit to cover the cost of initial layout and screens and so forth, and maybe a "handling the individual shipping and the legal requirements" fee, but maybe some of that could be returned if you hit a minimum volume.
Hmmm...I know the owner of VG Kids as a FOAF, and I know enough people who use CafePress that negotiating a higher-quality CP-like service might be worth my time.
And, while I consider Steven a friend (and ally in social/civic goals), hey, he chose to move out of Ypsilanti. He surrendered his revolution here. If this were my project, I'd be saying, "Thanks for your note, Mr. Cherry," and doing it anyways.
The only people who have the right to combine the words "Revolution" and "Ypsilanti" are the brave participants of the 1814 Greek Revolution, and all of them are dead.
As an aside, I don't quite understand what the "Revolution" which Getto/Zmich proposed actually consisted of. Against what were we supposed to be revolting, exactly?
Was this to be a bloodless coup, or did the Cafe Press store also feature molotav cocktails and anarchist bibles?
Murph: Do let me know what I can do, if anything, to assist. The school district prints up t-shirts for various reasons and perhaps we could get something going with that kind of volume that would provide some kind of added benefit.
As to "doing it anyways," not really my style. If it's yours, and Mr. Cherry is a friend, then you can duke it out over the ownership rights ;)
Mr. Director: "The" revolution, you know, that one. Though you can't get weapons (yet), you can get pictures of them.
Cam, you said "but the objection wasn't really made with an offer of compromise, it was just an objection".
I disagree. what I said was:
---
Mr. Getto,
I was recently made aware of your
slogan/cafepress design
and subsequently read the post and comments regarding it.
I'd never copyrighted the phrase "the revolution starts here" so in terms of copyright there's no legal claim. (Not as if you're profitting from it personally).
I was surprised however by the claim that this idea was created by Barbara Zmich and not myself. It's difficult to believe that someone as politically involved at Ms. Zmich would have the idea independant of my copious writings about Ypsilanti (which are still published).
My fear is that someone will see your logo and associate it with my weblog, work work I'm proud of and stand behind. I'm guessing it is very different from any revolution you have in mind. Of course I'd never have sold anything as I think merchandising and especially cafepress is crass and their merchandise is chinese-imported landfill fodder made at the expense of slave labor.
I think that if you were setting out to accomplish the same goals as my Ypsilanti "Revolution" idea then it would make sense to, in your words, "re-claim" it. Instead I fear you will use the idea to highlight an adgenda of your own, not one associated with my original intention.
Your branding doesn't really differentiate from my work.
I think Barbara Zmich either had an unoriginal idea or stole mine. Either way I don't really like the fact that you're selling shwag that people will think that I had something to do with from cafepress.
What you do about it is of course up to you but I'm owed credit for the original idea at very least.
Regards,
Steven C
---
Like Murph said, print the stuff locally and give me a shout-out on our blog.
-- The prick
I mean.
- The Arrogant Prick
Finally, regarding "baggage" associated with "re-claiming" the Ypsilanti revolution:
This "baggage" you speak of was the point of my revolution. The road to hell (and an empty business district) is paved with "Easy".
My "petty stance", as kate put it, is about restoring independant, local commerce to Ypsilanti. This doesn't happen unless people try.
Murph is right, do whatever you like, you don't need my blessing. But if you want my respect, you might try to open up your mind to my ideas, even if for just a second.
- Arrogant Prick
Steven C: I'm not seeking your blessing, nor am I seeking your respect. I don't know anything about your revolution and consequently cannot purport to act in a manner either in harmony or disharmony with it.
As I said, I thought it would be a fun thing to do. When you emailed me back (the intent of which was clearly and unambiguously to inform me of its origin and communicate your opinion as to my use of it), I thought the proper thing to do was apologize and stop. So I did.
I guess this whole attempt at the exchange of ideas underscores the reasons I think Ypsilanti is doomed to be a bedroom community with a disfunctional commercial district.
I'll withdraw my objections to your logo and "baggage" as it were. Do what you like, I won't interfere.
Steve C
How "generous" of you, Mr. Cherry, to cede the field now that you've so clearly killed any joy and, certainly, the momentum of the beginning idea. You speak of this small enterprise leading to more empty storefronts in a town you abandoned when, in truth, the original idea could have generated much-needed funds, no matter how small in amount, for several worthwhile community efforts.
The Ypsilanti I know -- and live in -- pulls together to help those who live and work here. The organizations Cam had targeted to receive any funds generated by this slogan and its merchandise were all founded by Ypsilanti citizens working together for the betterment of our town. We have a community spirit here that was and is, obviously, incompatible with your attitude. No wonder you moved away.
Similar irritation is generated by the ypsi.com rip off to the Ip'se lan'te shirt from local business owner Andrew Gill. Anyone ever gone to the X-Press Printing store in Ypsilanti. He even told me the shirt design was copyrighted. Look, being honest and thinking holistically about the process you employ doesn’t desiccate the true creative spirit.
i don't know - it seems like a forest for the trees issue to me. someone uses the word revolution in a slogan and it's somehow supposed to be linked to the use of the same word in a different slogan a while ago by a different person, who objects primarily to the method by which the slogan is being marketed. but there's no comparable marketing strategy here, and the money goes to local causes.
but because it doesn't fit someone else's idea of sustainable living, we've lost that revenue, and that unifying theme. and, you know, we could really use a little unification right now. what business does any of us have holding another up to an ideal we have set for ourselves? and what business do we have saying what will and won't kill the creative process? just because it wasn't meant like that doesn't mean it wasn't effective. it saddens me to see anyone, anywhere doing anything at all to detract from raising money and awareness for local causes.
i think it's easy to sit in front of a computer and forget that you're interacting with a real person, sometimes. i think sometimes ideals of perfection get in the way of progress. and i wish that the cafepress store was still extant, but if i was cam, i would have taken it down too.
meredith