Shame - It's Actually Possible We Don't Have Any...

So I wanted to follow-up on my post of this morning.  And it seems we have some initial answers. And they are pretty disappointing.

Earlier today, an outlet far more popular than this one had the intestinal fortitude to speak some truth to power and put himself out there -

https://watchilove.com/open-letter-to-the-watch-industry

Dan-Andrei Kluska writes for a much bigger audience, and is sought after by much fancier brands than yours truly ; ). 

It says something about the situation that we find ourselves in, that someone is willing to put himself out there in an effort to help OTHERS, because in truth, there is nothing necessarily "in it" for him. He has my complete and total respect.

As I type this, the invasion continues. Tens of thousands of women, children and their pets desperately trying to get to safety. Think about that, their first concern is their children, the second their pets. I don't get the impression that they are packaging up their watch collections to ensure that they have all of the original boxes ad papers. 

It's a shit-show, and there isn't much that many of us can do, but there are some small things we as journalists, you as fans, and perhaps most importantly, the brands themselves can do. I am writing this with the assumption that on a basic, fundamental level, we can all agree that mindlessly killing innocent people and destroying their homes is maybe not a positive thing.

And before we duck and cover under that familiar "we don't get political" stance, I think that we can agree that the indiscriminate bombing of a helpless civilian population is not political. It is barbaric. Which brings us to the next question, do you really think that a tagline like this is going to work to stimulate Christmas/ Holiday sales:

"When you're working hard to destroy and displace an entire civilian population, every second counts!"

Maybe it's time for all you wonderful watch brands to sack up and take a stand? BP, and Shell have pulled out. Think about that for a minute. When some of the worst corporate citizens on the face of the earth feel that their image will be too tarnished by continuing to do business in Russia, that should tell you something. Adidas has dropped the Russian Football Federation. Adidas has been willing to look the other way for years regarding doping, dubious bidding practices to secure World Cups and Olympic Games as well as the most corrupt organization in all of sport, FIFA. When even Adidas drops you, well that is when you've hit bottom. Ford motor company and Volvo are leaving and the beat goes on. Perhaps the one brand's announcement that should let SWATCH, LVMH, Richemont, Rolex, Patek and everyone else realize that they are potentially catering a pariah party is Harley Davidson.  And this is a BIG deal, as sales to Russia represent a good slice of European sales which combine for over 30% of the global total. When the preferred supplier to outlaw bikers around the world decides that you're "too gangster" even for them?!?  Does this not say something loud and clear? 

And in truth, it's not even about a full-on boycott. What about using your social media accounts to simply say, I don't know, "No More War"?  The Lego company has donated A LOT of money to aid refugees and just announced it. And I think this is the thing that I find so frustrating in this entire situation - helping the helpless of Ukraine does not automatically mean you are blaming the Russian people. Which in truth, is not the point of any boycott or protest. The Russian people are just that, people. From all indications, it seems clear that they do not want this war either. Boycotting Russia does not mean boycotting Russians. And if cutting off watch sales for (hopefully) a few months can help curtail the war and stop this madness? 

Then let it.

Shame - Do We Have Any?

“Are you truly incapable of shame? Is there literally nothing that can shame you?"

US Ambassador Samantha Power in her address to the UN, 2016

I want to make a few points very clear before I wade into this:

1. My firm belief is that it is not necessarily the role of the Fourth and Fifth Estates to be the cheerleaders for watch brands, CEOs or deep pocketed conglomerates. 

2. Every member of the Fourth and Fifth Estates not only has the right to an opinion, they have a responsibility to express it, as opinion, if they feel strongly about it. If it is within journalistic norms to express an affinity for a particular watch in the process of writing a review of it, it is also within those same norms to give the not-so-nice feedback about how the watch turned the reviewer's wrist green. 

Okay, that's out of the way.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I have had some time to think about what I think is really important. At the moment, it isn't watches. 

We have now reached a  point of no return. With Russia's invasion of a peaceful, sovereign neighbor we should be asking ourselves is this -  What is really important? I feel safe in saying that the mothers and children making their way to the Polish border, separated from their husbands and fathers really do not give two shits about the latest brand partnership. I suspect that currently their most exotic dreams of luxury include a hot (or let's be honest, even a cold) meal and a safe place to sleep. And that is with the knowledge that they may never see their husbands and fathers again. I don't think any amount of champagne or fist class press junkets are going to make me feel okay about that.

Back in the 70s and 80s, there was a lovely (yes, that is sarcasm) little system of governance in South Africa called Apartheid. Many of us actively protested, occupied university offices demanding investment divestment, and boycotted all South African products. This was not intended to punish the South African people. Just as the Olympic ban was not designed to punish the individual people. Many of these things, when taken on the micro level of an individual action were more symbolic gesture than impactful. But a funny thing happened. More and more people came together, raised their voices, and although it took a long time, Apartheid finally fell. While I live under no illusions that my lone action was felt on a macro level, I do like to think that I lived by my principles.

As this pertains to the watch industry, it is time to ask some questions about international social responsibility. For those of us who write about these things, we can chose what we write about. For brands, you can chose who you do business with. My hope, very sincerely, is that any boycott is short-lived because the violence will have stopped and has not resumed. But until it does, until the Russian troops leave Ukraine, until peace is the Standard Operating Policy of the Kremlin, I will stand on my principles. 

Ultimately, a man must have a code.