Getting "called-out" for not wearing the Beats

[sailorman]

 
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I understand you're never taken a bad picture. I applaud you for that. I think the part the people in question care about is the fact that he makes other people look dumb on a basketball court.

The "people in question" should care more about the fact that audio pro's in a studio make HIM look dumb.  He's not wearing Beats to sell basketball shoes.  What scares me is that there are actually people in the world who think that athleticism on a basketball court indicates some degree of knowledge about headphones.
 
When I see a celebrity endorsing a product that has nothing to do with their field, the first thing I think is "he doesn't know the first thing about that product so why should he care if it's not worth 1/10 of the selling price?  He's rich enough to flush money down the toilet. I'm not".
 
Give me a headphone recommendation by some broke old washed out rock 'n roll has-been any day. He's likely to know what sounds good and his budget is probably a lot closer to mine than Lebron James'

 

[Tomppa]

Oh wow, how is this thread over 150 pages? I've never even seen the Beats IRL.

 

[mdonova33]

Writing a paper on conformity for school, one of my main examples is the Beats

 

[Parall3l]

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Oh wow, how is this thread over 150 pages? I've never even seen the Beats IRL.

Where do you live ? Rocky mountain 

 

[kyuuketsuki]

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Where do you live ? Rocky mountain 

No... I think its called "living under a rock." 
 
Either way... I agree with the above... If you are not an expert or at least within a similar field, you shouldn't endorse a product...

 

[sailorman]

 
Quote:

Where do you live ? Rocky mountain 

HaHa. That's kind of funny. 
No offense, but one of those "lost in translation" moments I presume?
I didn't realize what you meant until it kyuuketsuki posted.
 
 

 

[Armaegis]

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Writing a paper on conformity for school, one of my main examples is the Beats

That definitely needs to be posted here when you're done.

 

[Swoosh]

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The "people in question" should care more about the fact that audio pro's in a studio make HIM look dumb.  He's not wearing Beats to sell basketball shoes.  What scares me is that there are actually people in the world who think that athleticism on a basketball court indicates some degree of knowledge about headphones.
 
When I see a celebrity endorsing a product that has nothing to do with their field, the first thing I think is "he doesn't know the first thing about that product so why should he care if it's not worth 1/10 of the selling price?  He's rich enough to flush money down the toilet. I'm not".
 
Give me a headphone recommendation by some broke old washed out rock 'n roll has-been any day. He's likely to know what sounds good and his budget is probably a lot closer to mine than Lebron James'

You think kids who spend their time getting high think about this kind of stuff? Maybe he got the product for free.. you never know. Plus, maybe Lebron is getting paid to wear these in public. Maybe in private he is rocking a pair of sennheisers.
 
As for a celebrity endorsing a product, it's a fairly new concept called marketing. Bose dominates through marketing, beats dominate through marketing, etc etc. Just like Nike. Nike might not be a good example because their shoes are second to none, but that's besides the point

 

 

[sailorman]

 
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You think kids who spend their time getting high think about this kind of stuff? Maybe he got the product for free.. you never know. Plus, maybe Lebron is getting paid to wear these in public. Maybe in private he is rocking a pair of sennheisers.
 
As for a celebrity endorsing a product, it's a fairly new concept called marketing. Bose dominates through marketing, beats dominate through marketing, etc etc. Just like Nike. Nike might not be a good example because their shoes are second to none, but that's besides the point

 

Actually, I don't think it's got anything to do with getting high. In fact, I'd bet more "drug-free" jock types value Lebron's opinion than do the stoners, who sit around thinking about stuff all the time.
 
As someone who sits around thinking about stuff all the time, (albeit w/o much of the "getting-high" part nowadays), I can tell you that Lebron is most definitely getting paid to wear them in public, as is virtually every other celeb you see them on.
 
As for celebrity endorsements, that's an old concept but it has reached new heights of absurdity as we have become a hyper-materialistic society.  There were baseball players endorsing cigarette brands and actors endorsing gasoline back in the 40s and 50's for gods sake. Joe Namath endorsed panty hose, but at least he actually used the product.  Mostly though, it was just as stupid then as it is now.
 
If Lebron was endorsing Nike, it would make some sense. Michael Jordan's endorsements for shoes makes sense.  But what's next? Would Nike pay some fat couch potato who happens to be a popular actor to endorse its shoes?  Would GNC pay Charlie Sheen to endorse its health food line?
 
I don't dispute Monster's marketing skills. I just think anyone who buys headphones on the strength of an endorsement, especially by some athlete, who may be half deaf for all they know, is an idiot.  Monster is not alone in that it thrives on idiots. Monster eats idiots for breakfast.
 
BTW, maybe teenagers have changed that much, but 90% of the stoners I knew in HS and college were far too intelligent, introspective, analytical, non-conformist and independent minded to have fallen for such a ridiculous endorsement. Half of us on the Dean's list smoked pot.  Now, the dumb, beer drinking jocks, OTOH......

 

[Swoosh]

Quote:

 
Actually, I don't think it's got anything to do with getting high. In fact, I'd bet more "drug-free" jock types value Lebron's opinion than do the stoners, who sit around thinking about stuff all the time.
 
As someone who sits around thinking about stuff all the time, (albeit w/o much of the "getting-high" part nowadays), I can tell you that Lebron is most definitely getting paid to wear them in public, as is virtually every other celeb you see them on.
 
As for celebrity endorsements, that's an old concept but it has reached new heights of absurdity as we have become a hyper-materialistic society.  There were baseball players endorsing cigarette brands and actors endorsing gasoline back in the 40s and 50's for gods sake. Joe Namath endorsed panty hose, but at least he actually used the product.  Mostly though, it was just as stupid then as it is now.
 
If Lebron was endorsing Nike, it would make some sense. Michael Jordan's endorsements for shoes makes sense.  But what's next? Would Nike pay some fat couch potato who happens to be a popular actor to endorse its shoes?  Would GNC pay Charlie Sheen to endorse its health food line?
 
I don't dispute Monster's marketing skills. I just think anyone who buys headphones on the strength of an endorsement, especially by some athlete, who may be half deaf for all they know, is an idiot.  Monster is not alone in that it thrives on idiots. Monster eats idiots for breakfast.
 
BTW, maybe teenagers have changed that much, but 90% of the stoners I knew in HS and college were far too intelligent, introspective, analytical, non-conformist and independent minded to have fallen for such a ridiculous endorsement. Half of us on the Dean's list smoked pot.  Now, the dumb, beer drinking jocks, OTOH......

 
What if those jocks and stoners are the same people? Yep. Maybe my opinion is bad though because I've seen drugs ruin many people's lives. I haven't done any drugs, nor will I. As for the fat actor endorsing Nike, I would hope he wears shoes. It's not like it's some commodity only for athletes. Charlie Sheen endorsing GNC is a little steep though. I mean it's not like Lebron doesn't listen to music because he is an athlete.
 
So are we condemning, monster or the idiots? Monster is just an example of capitalism at its finest. As for teenagers changing, maybe. I know I go to a top ranked, magnet high school. There are stoners who neglect their homework, make bad choices consistently, and do dumb things that get them in trouble. Not to mention that half of them don't know what's going on. Maybe it's my fault though for not thinking highly of them. Ironically, those are the same kids wearing Beats and claiming they're cool. It's just like that kid mentioned earlier who quit  smoking for a month to get Beats. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are stoners who exceed those views, but I have been against drugs for multiple reasons my entire life. I mean I won't be able to vote in the next election, but I'm formulating opinions about the candidates and what they stand for. Actually, I did the same for the two most recent presidential elections.
 
Lebron/Dwight Howard/Deron Williams/Kobe wearing beats will appeal to certain audiences. Now having beats doesn't make him an expert, but Monster's success is much to its endorsements. That is their main source of success and it's working. Put simply, it means that somebody is making a decision to buy beats based on their endorsements. Whoever this might be, they contribute to it. I've witnessed stoners who are owners of Beats, so I'm just using that as an example. I might be different about it. I'm a three season athlete who has a 3.95 unweighted GPA and is against drugs. Maybe that has something to do with how I view the situation and the people involved.
 
 

 

[sailorman]

 
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What if those jocks and stoners are the same people? Yep. Maybe my opinion is bad though because I've seen drugs ruin many people's lives. I haven't done any drugs, nor will I. As for the fat actor endorsing Nike, I would hope he wears shoes. It's not like it's some commodity only for athletes. Charlie Sheen endorsing GNC is a little steep though. I mean it's not like Lebron doesn't listen to music because he is an athlete.
 
So are we condemning, monster or the idiots? Monster is just an example of capitalism at its finest. As for teenagers changing, maybe. I know I go to a top ranked, magnet high school. There are stoners who neglect their homework, make bad choices consistently, and do dumb things that get them in trouble. Not to mention that half of them don't know what's going on. Maybe it's my fault though for not thinking highly of them. Ironically, those are the same kids wearing Beats and claiming they're cool. It's just like that kid mentioned earlier who quit  smoking for a month to get Beats. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are stoners who exceed those views, but I have been against drugs for multiple reasons my entire life. I mean I won't be able to vote in the next election, but I'm formulating opinions about the candidates and what they stand for. Actually, I did the same for the two most recent presidential elections.
 
Lebron/Dwight Howard/Deron Williams/Kobe wearing beats will appeal to certain audiences. Now having beats doesn't make him an expert, but Monster's success is much to its endorsements. That is their main source of success and it's working. Put simply, it means that somebody is making a decision to buy beats based on their endorsements. Whoever this might be, they contribute to it. I've witnessed stoners who are owners of Beats, so I'm just using that as an example. I might be different about it. I'm a three season athlete who has a 3.95 unweighted GPA and is against drugs. Maybe that has something to do with how I view the situation and the people involved. 
 

<There are stoners who neglect their homework, make bad choices consistently, and do dumb things that get them in trouble. Not to mention that half of them don't know what's going on.>
 
Funny, but that describes most of the jocks in the school I went to.  They had to get special tutoring by people who were, as likely as not, stoners. That was in H.S. as well as college.
 
Sure, there's overlap. Never claimed there wasn't.  There are stupid stoners and stupid jocks. Are they stoners/jocks because they're stupid, or are they stupid because they're stoners/jocks?  I've seen plenty of both and it's the classic chicken/egg dilemma.   Correlation does not prove causation.  So Just say no!  Don't forget alcohol, which, BTW, is favored by jocks and 100x worse.  
 
And don't miss the point. I'm just saying that someone like Lebron is no better than your next door neighbor when it comes to his opinion about headphones. In fact, his opinion is less credible because he gets paid to express it.  Put him on a lie-detector, stake out his house to find out what he REALLY listens to.  Then, I'll give him some credibility.  Until then, his opinion means less than nothing because he's bought and paid for. You don't have to be drug free to figure that out.  It's totally irrelevant. Kids today have been inundated with marketing since they were toddlers. That's the larger problem and it makes no difference whether they're jocks, stoners or both.  What they need to be is independent thinking, skeptical and even a bit cynical, which incidentally are all characteristics more often found in stoners than jocks. After all, if you can take the prescription tranquilized Nancy Reagan type anti-drug crusaders seriously on the subject of drugs, it's a small step to taking Lebron and Monster Beats seriously on the subject of audio.
 
If that's capitalism at its finest, it just goes to prove that capitalism has its dark side and Monster is not above exploiting it for the bottom line. They're not alone in this and I don't condemn them any more (or any less) for it than other sociopathic companies that engage in it.  A fool and his money are soon parted, and Monster just wants Lebron to muscle them up to the front of the line.
 
<Now having beats doesn't make him an expert, but Monster's success is much to its endorsements. That is their main source of success and it's working.>
 
I think you have it backwards. Being a good athlete doesn't make him an expert.  You are right that Monster's success is attributable to endorsements and their main source of success.  Too bad making decent headphones isn't as much a source of their success.  Then, they might be known as an audio company instead of a bunch of exploitative predatory hucksters.  But, like you said, it's capitalism at its finest.  I would also add that this kind of business model is also an example of capitalism at its worst.  Then again, corporations are inherently sociopathic creations  that exist to do in the name of profit that which would never be tolerated if done by a natural human being. It's the nature of the beast and to hate a corporation for being predatory is like hating a lion for killing a lamb.

 

[Swoosh]

Quote:

 
<There are stoners who neglect their homework, make bad choices consistently, and do dumb things that get them in trouble. Not to mention that half of them don't know what's going on.>
 
Funny, but that describes most of the jocks in the school I went to.  They had to get special tutoring by people who were, as likely as not, stoners. That was in H.S. as well as college.
 
Sure, there's overlap. Never claimed there wasn't.  There are stupid stoners and stupid jocks. Are they stoners/jocks because they're stupid, or are they stupid because they're stoners/jocks?  I've seen plenty of both and it's the classic chicken/egg dilemma.   Correlation does not prove causation.  So Just say no!  Don't forget alcohol, which, BTW, is favored by jocks and 100x worse.  
 
And don't miss the point. I'm just saying that someone like Lebron is no better than your next door neighbor when it comes to his opinion about headphones. In fact, his opinion is less credible because he gets paid to express it.  Put him on a lie-detector, stake out his house to find out what he REALLY listens to.  Then, I'll give him some credibility.  Until then, his opinion means less than nothing because he's bought and paid for. You don't have to be drug free to figure that out.  It's totally irrelevant. Kids today have been inundated with marketing since they were toddlers. That's the larger problem and it makes no difference whether they're jocks, stoners or both.  What they need to be is independent thinking, skeptical and even a bit cynical, which incidentally are all characteristics more often found in stoners than jocks. After all, if you can take the prescription tranquilized Nancy Reagan seriously on the subject of drugs, it's a small step to taking Lebron and Monster Beats seriously on the subject of audio.
 
If that's capitalism at its finest, it just goes to prove that capitalism has its dark side and Monster is not above exploiting it for the bottom line. They're not alone in this and I don't condemn them any more (or any less) for it than other sociopathic companies that engage in it.  A fool and his money are soon parted, and Monster just wants Lebron to muscle them up to the front of the line.
 
<Now having beats doesn't make him an expert, but Monster's success is much to its endorsements. That is their main source of success and it's working.>
 
I think you have it backwards. Being a good athlete doesn't make him an expert.  You are right that Monster's success is attributable to endorsements and their main source of success.  Too bad making decent headphones isn't as much a source of their success.  Then, they might be known as an audio company instead of a bunch of exploitative predatory hucksters.  But, like you said, it's capitalism at its finest.  I would also add that this kind of business model is also an example of capitalism at its worst.  Then again, corporations are inherently sociopathic creations  that exist to do in the name of profit that which would never be tolerated if done by a natural human being. It's the nature of the beast and to hate a corporation for being predatory is like hating a lion for killing a lamb.

The egg came before due to evolution. Something other than a chicken created it. Just putting that out there. Oh, and lie detectors are from perfect as well. Yes, alcohol is bad for the development for your brains before the age of 26.
 
Just because stoners may be more skeptical, doesn't mean that they aren't attributing to monster's sale of beats. There are jocks I know that are really intelligent, and stoners as well. You can't characterize a group based on intelligence, but I'm commenting on their decision making. Both parties are at fault in terms of helping beats.
 
Quite honestly, I wouldn't expect monster to do anything else. They want to use people like Lebron to help them dominate. That's fine. It's their business.
 
How is this capitalism at its worst? Capitalism - "an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth." (Dictionary.com) How has monster violated the definition of capitalism to make them capitalism at its worst? They are using what they have, money, to make more money. That is capitalism. This is how the system is fundamentally built. The wealthy have money, and they use it to get more money by investing it. If people had a problem with Monster, they wouldn't buy the products. Evidently, they have the revenue they need to keep producing and distributing beats.

 

[bcasey25raptor]

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<There are stoners who neglect their homework, make bad choices consistently, and do dumb things that get them in trouble. Not to mention that half of them don't know what's going on.>
 
Funny, but that describes most of the jocks in the school I went to.  They had to get special tutoring by people who were, as likely as not, stoners. That was in H.S. as well as college.
 
Sure, there's overlap. Never claimed there wasn't.  There are stupid stoners and stupid jocks. Are they stoners/jocks because they're stupid, or are they stupid because they're stoners/jocks?  I've seen plenty of both and it's the classic chicken/egg dilemma.   Correlation does not prove causation.  So Just say no!  Don't forget alcohol, which, BTW, is favored by jocks and 100x worse.  
 
And don't miss the point. I'm just saying that someone like Lebron is no better than your next door neighbor when it comes to his opinion about headphones. In fact, his opinion is less credible because he gets paid to express it.  Put him on a lie-detector, stake out his house to find out what he REALLY listens to.  Then, I'll give him some credibility.  Until then, his opinion means less than nothing because he's bought and paid for. You don't have to be drug free to figure that out.  It's totally irrelevant. Kids today have been inundated with marketing since they were toddlers. That's the larger problem and it makes no difference whether they're jocks, stoners or both.  What they need to be is independent thinking, skeptical and even a bit cynical, which incidentally are all characteristics more often found in stoners than jocks. After all, if you can take the prescription tranquilized Nancy Reagan type anti-drug crusaders seriously on the subject of drugs, it's a small step to taking Lebron and Monster Beats seriously on the subject of audio.
 
If that's capitalism at its finest, it just goes to prove that capitalism has its dark side and Monster is not above exploiting it for the bottom line. They're not alone in this and I don't condemn them any more (or any less) for it than other sociopathic companies that engage in it.  A fool and his money are soon parted, and Monster just wants Lebron to muscle them up to the front of the line.
 
<Now having beats doesn't make him an expert, but Monster's success is much to its endorsements. That is their main source of success and it's working.>
 
I think you have it backwards. Being a good athlete doesn't make him an expert.  You are right that Monster's success is attributable to endorsements and their main source of success.  Too bad making decent headphones isn't as much a source of their success.  Then, they might be known as an audio company instead of a bunch of exploitative predatory hucksters.  But, like you said, it's capitalism at its finest.  I would also add that this kind of business model is also an example of capitalism at its worst.  Then again, corporations are inherently sociopathic creations  that exist to do in the name of profit that which would never be tolerated if done by a natural human being. It's the nature of the beast and to hate a corporation for being predatory is like hating a lion for killing a lamb.

Off topic to what i highlighted for a second. How come everyone on this site claims to have 3.5 or higher grade point averages. Are you all over achievers. I have a GPA of 2.5. Is this because i am stupid? Hell no, in fact that description highlighted matches me well other then the drugs part. I will never do drugs, seen what it dies to people. Beer is ok in moderation though. You don't have to be a stoner or have a high GPA to be smart. I have massive amounts of knowledge in my thick skull. Unfortunately it is kind of useless in the modern world. I spend hours upon hours researching things like computers, speakers, audio, dinosaurs, science, religion, politics, nature, and every little topic under the sun. Has this helped me in school? No but it has made many people think i am very smart which they may be correct on.
 
Oh and you mentioned capitalism. I have no love for capitalism unless it is controlled. Out of control capitalism is a disaster. Where do i base this? Look at the economy my friends. Capitalism is human nature but it is poorly executed.

 

[Swoosh]

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Off topic to what i highlighted for a second. How come everyone on this site claims to have 3.5 or higher grade point averages. Are you all over achievers. I have a GPA of 2.5. Is this because i am stupid? Hell no, in fact that description highlighted matches me well other then the drugs part. I will never do drugs, seen what it dies to people. Beer is ok in moderation though. You don't have to be a stoner or have a high GPA to be smart. I have massive amounts of knowledge in my thick skull. Unfortunately it is kind of useless in the modern world. I spend hours upon hours researching things like computers, speakers, audio, dinosaurs, science, religion, politics, nature, and every little topic under the sun. Has this helped me in school? No but it has made many people think i am very smart which they may be correct on.
 
Oh and you mentioned capitalism. I have no love for capitalism unless it is controlled. Out of control capitalism is a disaster. Where do i base this? Look at the economy my friends. Capitalism is human nature but it is poorly executed.

No I'm not an over achiever. I do about an hour of homework a day including studying (This excludes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). Sadly, colleges are all based on how you do in school. Well partially.
 
Capitalism is everything. The Collegeboard (People who make the SATs and PSATs) are all about making money. That is why it's not an aptitude test. You can prepare for the SATs or PSATs and they make money off of it. Capitalism allows people to get return out of their ideas, given it's properly executed and they have capital. I'm all for capitalism. The entire world is fundamentally based on capitalism. People say money isn't everything, but you can certainly change lives with money.
 

 

[Parall3l]

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HaHa. That's kind of funny. 
No offense, but one of those "lost in translation" moments I presume?
I didn't realize what you meant until it kyuuketsuki posted.
 
 

 
What I meant was, is the people around where he lived so informed, they don't care for the beats. Rocky mountain is the area where CanJam is held, where high end stuff is being shown all the time, which would mean the people around there is likely to be informed, but seriously, a place where people don't care for the beats is kind of odd since the Beats marketing campaign is all over the place.