'No Logo' holds provocative message

The fact that we live in a branded world is undeniable; everywhere we turn we see ads for Pepsi, Levi's and any other brand which you can possibly think. Hell, even IU is a brand, with Indiana sweatshirts dotting our campus, courtesy of Steve and Barry's.\nHowever, most of us don't give much thought to the logos dotting our wardrobes or the companies who make and sell them. It is precisely this that Naomi Klein tries to combat with her provocative book "No Logo:Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies."\nMilitantly anti-corporation "No Logo" takes a hard look at the way global corporations do business at home and abroad. Klein takes issue with the labor practices of Nike, Reebok and Adidas, the marketing of just about every product, and companies that do business with oppressive, autocratic regimes.\nKlein is venomous in denouncing companies that put their bottom line above people; sections of this book are nothing less than vitriolic.\nKlein devotes most of her rage toward Nike and other clothing and footwear manufacturers who take advantage of the tax-free import/export zones in much of the developing world. Manufacturers clamor for space in these areas that add little to no duty on finished goods; the workers are underpaid, transiently employed and mistreated by their superiors in the ramshackle buildings. She makes dramatic examples of Nike, London Fog, DKNY and other well-known brands that have workers putting together their clothes for less than $1 a day and selling them for hundreds, making record profits from human misery. Nobody, perhaps with the exception of the sweatshop owners, finds anything wrong with denouncing the use of sweatshops to drive down the bottom line.\nHowever, I believe Klein missed the mark with her rants against modern advertising techniques. I'm not going to argue with her that the billboards lining our highways are an eyesore, but elsewhere, her pontificating is bordering on anti-corporation zealotry. Klein believes marketing to the young generation is irresponsible, and she's not just talking about alcohol and cigarettes. She thinks the marketing of shoes, clothing and basic commodities to children is offensive and omnipresent.\nKlein's greatest point comes from the concept of branding; she despises the logo most of all. She hates the logo as a status symbol, whether it is a swoosh on a shoe or an alligator on a polo shirt. Klein believes small -- and large -- logos undermine free choice. However, the fact remains that you can choose to buy clothing with logos -- or without -- and companies do have the right to distinguish their products from another's.\nKlein concludes her book with a look at the international anti-corporation movement, from large scale campaigns like the protests against Royal Dutch Shell's involvement with Nigeria's autocratic regime to smaller-scale efforts to deface billboards. She interviews the people at the head of this growing movement and concludes with an afterward about the Seattle riots following the WTO conference there.\n"No Logo" is an eye-opening book. From juicy details on how companies do business with sweatshops abroad to an inside look at advertising, Klein draws a picture of the big, bad corporation. Whether or not you agree with her views about corporations, what she has to say is important and requires some thought. She has written the bible of anti-corporation militancy, and "No Logo" offers a viable, if hostile, view of corporate practices and offers some arguments are hard to deny.\n"No Logo" is written by Naomi Klein and published by Picador USA. It has a list price of $15 and is available at www.amazon.com.