With Continual Reference to Justin Kahn.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Manufacturing Consent--and Mugs!: The Justin Kahn Interview

Q. One of your former students--Noam Chomsky--has recently become a vocal critic of your business. What are your thoughts on this situation?

A. He's a good kid. Just looking for attention.

Q. In a world where people's priorities are so shallow, some feel like they can't compete with what our society says is important. Money, power, etc. Hence, artists and bloggers enter "the Rush for Second Place" in the words of Billy Gaddis. Your achievements in blogging suggest a rush for second place, but isn't your business something of a rush for "first place"?


A. I would even to go so far as to say that my writing is an attempt to rush for tenth or eleventh place. Maybe lower. But you are right. In becoming a small business owner, I am aiming for economic, political and as some have already found out, military power. Numero uno.

But I am not ashamed of that. I offer a quality product. Not like the guy who sold me a book described online as 'price clipped.' See picture. That's ridiculous. That totally ruined my day.

Q.Your mention of flawed products is a nice segue. A number of reports have been circulating which suggest that your mugs have design flaws and that under certain circumstances they could be extremely dangerous to use. Consumer reports went so far as to say that widescale distribution of your mugs could be tantamount to another Chernobyl.

A.I am a responsible business owner. My lawyers and accountants have been rather straightforward. If I recall all the mugs, it would cost me 89o millions dollars. The really dangerous mugs will result in a relatively small amount of damages. To pay for damages will cost me a 100 million dollars, tops. Recall my mugs or pay for the damages? The answer is a no brainer.

Q.

A. Yes, yes. My business savy often leaves people speechless.

5 comments:

Niklas said...

If I had a trillion billion million dollars I would probably buy your excellent mug Justin, and perhaps even invest in your business. But, I don't have that kind of money. But I recognise a success story when I see one... keep it up.

Justin said...

Niklas: Today has not been in vain, for I feared I had become too quirky, too bizarre. I felt that all the internet had left me.

A hasbeen at 27, I thought to myself.

But no more. I shall carry on.

Thank you.

Justin said...

P.S. I live in Cleveland, but I thought of you in Pittsburgh.

B/C I was at Ikea. Is all of your furniture from Ikea? It should be.

Niklas said...

As I take a look around the apartment, I shamefully must accept that most of my furniture are Ikea.

But hey, they're cheap, they're quite adequite quality wise and you can easily without search too deep into your wallet restyle your home...

Justin said...

Ikea is splurging for me. I have no such shame.

I love that place.

Perhaps it is too common over there.

Maybe we could start a Cleveland/Stockholm import export business.