It's another Saturday at the security desk. 12 hours of guarding an empty building. I need some new clothes, so I'm shopping online. I'm a proud American consumer. I consume and consume and consume, and mm mm it's yummy.

One funny thing about me is that I like Big Dogs tees. I'm aware of the associations that Big Dogs clothing has. But in the 2020s they had a sort of semi-ironic semi-sincere throwback revival. This was spurred by some new leadership at the brand. This article from GQ tells the saga.

So for a brief period of time, the shirts went from this:

To this:

I thought it was interesting. I bought some, I liked them, I became a customer. A return customer, even. People fucked with my Big Dog swag.

So when I return to the Big Dogs online retailer today and saw this:

I was a little put off. As a lot of you know, I was in a traumatic accident, had my face ripped off. Post the trauma, I was left with post-traumatic stress. I do, in fact, have triggers.

As I talked about a few days ago, I am learning about the power of sending emails.

So, I spent a working hour drafting up a big long email to Big Dogs. I'm posting it here just for kicks, really. Maybe it can serve as an example of "how to engage with a brand and appeal to their sense of compassion."

I am fully aware this is something of a pointless endeavor. It's just shirts. It's noise. But as Vonnegut says, "we are here on Earth to fart around."

here's my writing exercise to Big Dogs clothing

Hello,

I wanted to reach out and provide feedback as a long-time customer.

I wore Big Dogs clothing as a child. I distinctly remember making a fuss over my elementary school's uniform policy because I had wanted to wear my "Hasta la vista, Bin Laden!" Big Dogs tee in the months after 9/11. It seems quaint to think about it now, things have changed so much.

So I carry some nostalgia for Big Dogs clothing. Simpler times, childhood, all that. Time passes, I grow up, and in the late 2010s and early 2020s I begin to see people wearing Big Dogs clothing again. Cool people, young people. I was seeing vintage Big Dogs shirt, it seemed like people were finding these in thrift stores.

I was young, I wanted to be cool. I had the mental connection to Big Dogs from my childhood, so I started looking into Big Dogs. This was in 2020, which was apparently Hayden Slater's time. (I imagine the GQ article has been discussed to death over at Big Dogs HQ, but still)

So again, I wore Big Dogs as a child and I liked it. Then as a teenager, I'm more independent, rebellious, discover I'm gay. At that time, I'm looking at Big Dogs and I associate it with dad and grandpa. Older men, people who are becoming unfond of me for who I am. Then I'm an adult, and I see people like me wearing vintage Big Dogs. I get interested in Big Dogs again. I go online, I find plenty of apparel I like, buy it, make a mental list of other things I want to buy later on, I go back to buy more (even after Slater is out). When I wear my shirts to work, the park, parties, the bar, I'm getting compliments from all sorts of people. Big Dogs becomes one of my preferred brands of clothing. That is a short list! You successfully created a loyal customer by appealing to my nostalgia and my sense of self.

And that brings me to today. I'm due for some new t-shirts, maybe a pair of shorts. I go to the Big Dogs store online, and I found myself feeling put off. The graphic tee on the front page states "Your Triggers Are Not My Problem". Look, I get it, it's a meme. I pinky promise I'm not triggered by it. But I did feel the need to write a big long email about it, so maybe I am actually. In that case, touché I suppose.

I speak from the position of having PTSD. Last year, my face was de-gloved in a vehicular collision. I'm left with plenty of scars and a half-paralyzed face. After that massive traumatic incident, I was left with post-traumatic stress.

My father and grandfather (both of whom I have since reconciled with) are veterans with PTSD. We do, in fact, have triggers. When I speak with my therapist, we discuss triggers. So, "Your Triggers Are Not My Problem" is not a message I identify with. It's a message I don't want to be associated with. I like the Big Dogs Attitude, I identify with the Big Dogs Attitude. I don't think this is the Big Dogs Attitude. It more closely resembles cruelty, in my view.

So, just one guy's opinion. But I am a long time returning customer, so I hope you'll consider what I have to say.

Thank you for your time.

So, we'll see what comes out of it. Maybe I get some free swag as a show of goodwill. Maybe I get a "fuck off, libtard" instead. Remains to be seen.

a link

My friend has started a blog on Mataroa.. We are starting a webring. Watch the space beneath this post, because this is the future.