23rd September

23rd September

“Governments, if they endure, always tend increasingly toward aristocratic forms. No government in history has been known to evade this pattern. And as the aristocracy develops, government tends more and more to act exclusively in the interests of the ruling class- whether that class be hereditary royals, oligarchs of financial empires or entrenched bureaucracy” Dune

I was so excited thinking of my plan that I couldn’t sleep. I was like a child on Christmas Eve, which is really rather silly, as this wont be for another two years!

If I ever get a new passport of course as I lost my Peace Corps one, somehow. Its one of those situations where there is a lot of time between when you last saw/used something, and then the moment you cant find it. And I spent the whole day at the police station today trying to explain that. And I have to go back on Monday.

But to make myself feel better (slightly), I bought myself an amazing Kazakhstan tracksuit at the market. 4500tenge, which at about £20 was I thought it a bit of a bargain, especially as it is branded as both Adidas AND Subaru (the Japanese car company). Which is quite an achievement really, and just goes to show the true value of branding. My tracksuit was possibly made in the same factory that makes Adidas and Subaru clothing, and they thought nothing of mixing the two together, as they are just simply famous logos.

It also just shows how fickle our reasons for wearing a brand can be. With many items these days, they are bought at much for what other people will think, as for any liking for the item.

If you are buying a tracksuit with 3 stripes down the side, because you want other people to think you are wearing Adidas, then it doesn’t really matter, if it was made by Adidas or not (I still don’t understand how 3 stripes can be copyrighted, not that bothers the Chinese of course). And this is something that China has realised; people will buy something for the brand printed on it, not for the quality, or if it was actually made by that company. It undermines the belief in “brand loyalty” that I was taught in Business Studies at school. While yes, people are buying a “brand”, be it Nike or Lacoste, and therefore showing loyalty, they don’t care if its real or not. And therefore the companies benefit very little (increased advertisement for the brand being the only advantage). Although even this isn’t guaranteed. When Burberry started to be worn by trashy celebrities and fake copies found at markets around England, those traditional wearers of it (the rich), abandoned the brand due to its new image.

Now, this argument ignores that fact that many people don’t buy clothing based on the brand, or if they do, they buy the ‘real’ thing - although, with most things being made in similar factories in China, the difference between a £5 fake Polo Sport t-shirt and a £55 real one may actually be very small. It is undoubtedly true that there are some companies out there that still make decisions based on ethics not simply cost. But they tend to make more expensive clothes that put them out of the price range of the average shopper.

Back to my purchase, all I wanted was a tracksuit with Kazakhstan written on it, not caring WHO made it. The only options at the market were the same price, and I liked the design of this one the best. The fact that it has 3 stripes down the sides, and the tag says Subaru are just extras. The fact that neither Adidas, Subaru nor the Kazakhstan Sports Organisation benefit much from this sale is just business.