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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2004)
T-shirt creator defends political message John Foster-Keddie swaps "Voting is for old people" shirts for proof of youth votes BY DAHVI FISCHER PULSE REPORTER Elections are just around the cor ner. For Democrats, Republicans and others, voting season stirs up debate and controversy. In some situations, though, it is not a matter of political stance that has been the topic of heated debate, but rather an article of clothing. Some may recall the infamous T-shirts made by VintageVantage, which were taken off the racks at Ur ban Outfitters clothing store in Febru ary. The shirts, which boldly stated “Voting is for Old People,” took heat from college students and adults alike. “This shirt’s real intention is to sum up the current state of political affairs, pointing a finger at all who have been so apathetic in the past,” 25-year-old creator of the shirt John Foster-Keddie said. Foster-Keddie, a Yale graduate who started his own T-shirt business in summer 2001, the year after he gradu ated college, has decided to combat the controversy. Because it was never his intention to discourage young peo ple from voting, Foster-Keddie provid ed an offer on his Web site, www.vin tagevantage.com, to send anyone a free “Voting is for Old People” T-shirt if they promised to wear it on voting day, take a photograph of themselves wearing it while voting and then send a picture to the company. Foster-Ked die plans to post the photographs on his Web site and may put them all into a book to be published in the future. After around 600 free shirts had been sent out, the company started charging $9.50 per shirt to cover ship ping and handling because giving away so many T-shirts for free was causing VintageVantage to lose a sig nificant amount of money. The shirts originally cost $18.99 (not including shipping and handling). With the new price tag, Foster-Keddie said his com pany is not making any money but is at least not losing any more of it. Unlike the negative response Foster Keddie received in regards to his initial release of the “Voting” T-shirts, he seems to be receiving a much more pleasant response to his latest course of action. “The response has been huge. We’ve sent out close to 1,000 shirts at this point. People love the idea. It’s a random, fun thing to do at the polls, and who doesn’t like free stuff?” Fos ter-Keddie said. University interior architecture ma jor Lena Hawthorne, said the new T shirt idea is a bright one. Hawthorne said she could see how the T-shirts originally confused people, but she be lieves Foster-Keddie’s new idea is a good way to smooth over the problem and get across what he had aimed to in the first place. “Since people have taken the shirt the wrong way, I think the idea to have people wear the shirt at the polls is a good way for him to prove the point he was trying to make in the first place,” Hawthorne said. University international studies major Seth Davis also sees where Fos ter-Keddie is coming from. “The shirt is intended to get young people to vote. Obviously, nobody re ally thinks that only old people should vote,” Davis said. “The shirt is not real ly encouraging young peoples’ voter apathy, but it is pointing out the voter apathy that does exist in younger gen erations that needs to be addressed.” Despite the publicity and discussion the “Voting” T-shirt caused, and all of the heat Foster-Keddie, his company and Urban Outfitters took for provid ing them, Foster-Keddie is not going to be more cautious about the T-shirts he will produce in the future. “We definitely haven't changed at all. We’re constantly looking for ideas that are witty, irreverent and that make people think. That’s what the voting shirt was all about, and that’s what our shirts have continued to be about,” Foster-Keddie said. dahvifischer@ daily emerald, com Zapp: positive energy keeps * participants coming back Continued from page 9 schedule. During the school year, dancers rehearse about six hours per week and perform locally; when summer starts, practice time increas es to around 30 hours per week to prepare for a season of touring. Tours have taken ZAPP members to Hawaii, England and around the United States, and next summer, they hope to travel even farther — to Italy or the Czech Republic. Zreliak said ZAPP’s two trips to Hawaii the past two summers required disci pline in order to keep the dancers out of vacation mode. “To keep them focused, we got them up at 6 a.m. every day and hiked up Diamond Head crater and back,” she said. Other tour experiences in elude performing with a live ska band in England, a late-night swing show in New York City and a water front performance in Tennessee in front of thousands, which Graduate ZAPP dancer Eileen Beringer cites as one of her favorite memories. “That was the most people I have ever performed in front of,” Beringer said. “That’s when I knew that I'm in this company that is just amazing.” Beringer, an 11-year veteran of ZAPP and in structor at On Your Toes School of Dance, said the passion of company members has grown over the years, as well as the team’s unity and talent. It used to be just an after-school activity, and now you’re here pour ing out your soul and being with these people and trying to get better, and it’s happening,” she said. “Every year the movement gets more energetic. You just have a blast with these people in the audience watching you, and you’re not un comfortable because you have peo ple next to you on stage working just as hard as you are.” The idea of a unified company is what ZAPP Assistant Director Cheryl Lemmer describes as its cen tral philosophy. While ZAPP has participated in competitions in the past, Lemmer said it has abandoned competing in order to become stronger as a group. “We believe in the company and being good people and good dancers, and competing doesn’t al ways encourage that,” she said. “You don’t dance well because you want a trophy; you dance well be cause you love it.” “It used to be just an after-school activity, and now you’re here pouring out your soul and being with these people and trying to get bet ter, and it’s happening. ’’ Eileen Beringer | ZAPP dancer B e r i n g e r added that competition within the com pany itself is absent, which has created a welcoming en vironment for dancers. “The reason people keep coming back is the positive feedback and way of teaching from Cindy and Cheryl,” she said. “It’s a family atmosphere. We’re not trying to get better than the person next to us, we’re all looking to learn and get better as one, as op posed to, ‘let’s fight.’” Both Zreliak and Lemmer said that their goal for ZAPP is to have it recognized as a professional touring SURGE DANCE When: Oct 16, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17, 2:30 p.m. Where: Hult Center Cost: $15 Style: Urban and hip-hop Hurt ticket office: 682-5000 company. Current ly, dancers are un paid and rely on fund-raising and their own money to pay for tours. Lemmer said the first step to achieve this goal is to obtain more funding from do nations and grants. At the moment, ZAPP is rehears ing for their upcoming show, S.U.R.G.E. (Strictly Urban Rhythms Generate Excitement), which will take place at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 17 at 2:30 p.m. Lem mer said the show will feature high energy, urban dancing to hip-hop and rap tunes. natchilingerian@ daily emerald, com A campus tradition—over 100 years of publication. Murphey: No Slytherins allowed, please Continued from page 9 Northwesterners who drink cheap beer are another group that makes me very nervous. As a California trans plant, I can’t possibly express how de lighted I was to live in an area with so many good breweries. However, I quickly became horrified by the amount of PBR, Natural Ice and Mil waukee’s Best consumed by bar pa trons in lieu of the delicious stouts, IPAs and porters that don’t cost much more. This may be excusable in any other part of the country, but here it is like drinking Franzia on a trip to Italy. People who would drink cheap beer in the Northwest are worse than peo pie with poor judgment or bad taste; they are people who consciously choose an inferior product. This could very well be a major contributor to the fact that our choice in the upcom ing presidential election is between boring and stupid. Finally, 1 strongly believe that Tom Felton, otherwise known as the ac tor who played Draco Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” movies, should be re stricted from participating in any American elections. I realize that Malfoy is a “fictional character,” but how could anyone so convincingly play a character as calculating and snotty as Malfoy without being pure evil in real life? I also realize that Tom Felton is not a citizen of the United States and therefore would not be able to participate in any American elections anyway, but you never know with those Slytherins. Please take the time to consider my plea, and join me in a campaign that I believe will help restore in tegrity to the democratic voting sys tem and possibly save the United States from collapsing under the weight of the poorly educated and unnaturally obese masses. 1 also want to remind you that if you dis agree with any of this, it means that you’re wrong. ryanmurphey@dailyemerald.com 02026/ Commuiity Center far the Performing Arts 8th & Lincoln . Tonight • lasonWebley Singer-Songwriter 8:oo pm, $8 door . Friday • "KickAss Manifest”: In the Name of Cod, Severed, StopStynGo, The Enola Gays, Under Enuff Heavy Metal 7:00 pm, $5 door . Saturday. Sabjilar Khakass Throat Singers 8:00 pm, $12 advance, $14 door . Monday. 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