Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 17:25:40 -0700 From: Doug <Doug@gorean.org> To: Thomas Good <tomg@nrnet.org> Cc: Gary Kline <kline@tera.com>, Dutch Collins <dutch@charm.net>, Mitch Collinsworth <mkc@Graphics.Cornell.EDU>, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Question about the mascot Message-ID: <37B21484.E48CF5A3@gorean.org> References: <Pine.LNX.3.96.990811125811.28992A-100000@mailhost.nrnet.org>
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Thomas Good wrote: > > On Wed, 11 Aug 1999, Doug wrote: > > > Thomas Good wrote: > > > > > > > If it makes you feel better you can go ahead and belittle people > > > > who are put off by it. Knock yourself out. But the fact is, the > > > > demon/daemon mascot puts some people off. From a marketing standpoint a > > > > logo that makes X% of your target market uncomfortable (where X is > > > > actually, most everyone who doesn't already know what *bsd is) is bad for > > > > business. It doestn't matter WHY it's bad for business, or how morally > > > > superior you feel because you are above those considerations, it IS bad > > > > for business. > > > > > > If you don't make *some* people uncomfortable you *are* doing something > > > wrong. > > > You are proving my point here. You don't care about the marketing > > implications at all, it just makes you feel good to know that you are > > Argumentum ad hominem, Doug. No, an ad hominem argument is something like, "You're ugly and your mother dresses you funny, therefore you are wrong about the mascot." My pointing out that your own words show you to be on the side of those I am arguing against is not an attack on you, it's an accurate description of your position. > My point is that if a product/idea requires a paradigm shift you make > some people uncomfortable. Also, you seem less informed about marketing > than you may wish to believe. Now we're veering off into an area that can't be debated on its merits, so there is no point in continuing down that road. In reality I am quite well informed about marketing principles but there is no point in trying to prove that to you. > Controversy sells. True, but this isn't a controversy. This is about a logo that makes people uncomfortable. If you don't understand the difference between those two concepts, we can't continue this discussion. An analogy more accurate than your gun ban example would be what happens to sales of proctor & gamble every time that ridiculous rumor about the "moon and stars" logo that used to appear on their products represented some kind of satanic imagery. > This issue to me is one of free speech, No, it isn't. The only way that it would be is if there was someone saying that freebsd should no longer use the "little devil" logo, and NO ONE is saying that. You need to stop characterizing the discussion as one of free speech because there are no free speech issues involved. > > > Personally, I find people who want to restrict others' freedom of expression > > > far more evil than people who draw cartoon daemons. > > > > No one is talking about restricting anyone's freedom of expression, least > > of all me. All I am saying is that some promotional materials without > > demons on them would be a good thing. > > So make some. I'll take a few and plaster them on my boxes. But you > don't have the right to tell someone else that they shouldn't market their > product as they see fit, based on your view of morality. The fact that you could make that statement, again, directly underneath my quote saying that I am precisely not doing what you are accusing me of doing shows me that this discussion has reached the point where you are no longer interested in the merits, but are merely repeating phrases that you think will garner you sympathy with your audience in a pointless attempt to cast me in the role of an "evil censor." Therefore continuing along this line with you would be fruitless, so I will simply wish you good day. Doug To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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