These U-Down stickers appearing on public signs are beginning to piss me off. It's just corporate-sponsored vandalism. It's no different than if Halliburton logos were plastered on public property.
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U-Down vandalism
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Re: U-Down vandalism
Yeah. They were at best amusing when they were a supposedly an underground antic ("How'd they get up there?"), but now that the U-Down folks are plain, cold businessfolk, the stickers are corporate vandalism, plain and simple. Not cool.
Here's a little U-Down write up (with photo) at sister site HawaiiAnswers.com.
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Re: U-Down vandalism
Geez... I never noticed these before. Thanks for the link to HawaiiAnswers. I guess I may be driving too fast to notice the modified U's on the street signs. I think the State Dept. of Transportation ought to make the firm responsible for these stickers take them down and/or pay for the cost of removal and clean-up. This is the same as grafitti IMO, except in this case the culprit is easy to identify.I'm still here. Are you?
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Re: U-Down vandalism
Originally posted by craigwatanabeI know a great place to put those arrows...on the No U-Turn signs. Those signs would then have the U-Down logo with a big red slash cutting thru it and the word: NO emblazened over it.
NO U-DOWN!
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Re: U-Down vandalism
Interesting developments reported in today's Star-Bulletin.
State seeks removal of vandals' Web photos
The UDown Web site also endangers safety, officials say
Officials threatened UDown Shop owners in Kailua with a criminal investigation, alleging that it promotes vandalism and encourages the public to put stickers in far-removed places and endangers safety... On the Web site's gallery, a note states, "Submit to us a picture of you next to the (symbol). ... By doing so, you give UDown the rights of ownership to the image(s)..." In the letter, the Department of Transportation requested the removal of certain photos from their Web site, including a silhouette of a person standing next to a freeway sign and a female holding another female on her shoulders while she stuck the logo sticker on a one-way sign.
Amazing that there aren't grounds for harsher action. I mean, the whole design of the UDown website is based on a 'road sign' theme. If that's not encouraging and endorsing vandalism (and basic boneheaded behavior), I don't know what is.
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Re: U-Down vandalism
Of course the responsible thing to do would be to take the pictures down, but I don't get why it's illegal to encourage others to do illegal things. Even if the UDown guys said, "Hey! Go out and stick stickers on public property," which they didn't do, I don't think the state has any business telling others what to say and what not to say. Nobody's making anybody do anything.
If I encourage Lt. Watada not to go to Iraq, or if I tell kids to stay out past curfew, why am I guilty of anything presecutable?But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
GrouchyTeacher.com
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Re: U-Down vandalism
Originally posted by scrivenerI don't get why it's illegal to encourage others to do illegal things...If I encourage Lt. Watada not to go to Iraq, or if I tell kids to stay out past curfew, why am I guilty of anything presecutable?
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Re: U-Down vandalism
Well. You already know what I'm going to say about this. Telling someone to do something illegal, especially if you truly believe it should be done, is one of those "certain inalienable rights." If you tell someone to do it, and he or she doesn't do it, have you done something the government should punish you for?But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
GrouchyTeacher.com
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Re: U-Down vandalism
Ah, Scrivener. Libertarian extraordinaire. Sure, "thoughts" and "words" are different than "acts." And in a perfect world, free of slippery slopes, you'd have a bright, sharp line, rather than a fuzzy area. But, our laws and courts exist because of those fuzzy areas, and "just telling someone to do something illegal" can still be a crime. From outright incitement of violence to coordinating a white-collar criminal conspiracy, you can be jailed even if you didn't pull the trigger, or click the mouse.
It's complex territory, to be sure... just read up on the legal battle over the site that maintained that publishing abortion doctors' names and faces on "Wanted: Dead Or Alive" posters was protected political speech, and not actionable threats.
But, hey, if the website wants to claim that it's not encouraging people to be dumbasses, and merely document its customers idiocy, that's fine. What the criminal court can't fix, the civil courts can. I am absolutely no fan of the overly litigious nature of Americans today, but I will confess to some degree of satisfaction when the parent of a UDown fan sues the company after their kid falls to their death on the H-1 viaduct.
Maybe a cop can get a picture of the UDown sticker next to the chalk outline. That'd be a great visual.
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Re: U-Down vandalism
Originally posted by pzarquonI am absolutely no fan of the overly litigious nature of Americans today, but I will confess to some degree of satisfaction when the parent of a UDown fan sues the company after their kid falls to their death on the H-1 viaduct.
Why do parents get credit when kids do well, and everyone else get the blame when they don't? Hey, I pay for those street signs. I want those parents to compensate me.
If one thousand kids see the website but only ten of them actually stick the stickers, why aren't the UDown guys responsible for the 9990 kids who had brains not to do such stupid stuff?
McDonald's encouraged my kid to eat Big Macs. Survivor encouraged him to live a risky lifestyle. Judas Priest told him to kill himself. His mom never insisted he wear his seatbelt while driving. All of these people, whether my kid lives or dies, are telling him to do bad things. I want them all sued.But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
GrouchyTeacher.com
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Re: U-Down vandalism
Originally posted by scrivenerAll of these people, whether my kid lives or dies, are telling him to do bad things. I want them all sued.
Scriv, I said I didn't like it. But it's also inevitable. Kid falls off a cliff in Mililani? Lawsuit. Woman spills coffee in her lap? Lawsuit. Kid kills self after listening to too much Michael Bolton? Lawsuit. It's a shame. It's ridiculous. But if UDown isn't going to do the simple, responsible thing here, and instead claim they're totally in the clear? Like I said, I won't exactly jump to their "free speech" defense when the subpoena arrives.
My civil action comment was a tangent, anyway. I think the key question here still is, is UDown encouraging reckless behavior and vandalism or not.Even if the UDown guys said, "Hey! Go out and stick stickers on public property," which they didn't do...
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Re: U-Down vandalism
I'm wondering if the pressure on UDOWN would be on them ... say if they were a bigger company such as Youtube?
I mean you see people actually doing illegal stuff on youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BF2U...elated&search=
However, youtube doesn't seem to be taking to much legal heat.Last edited by damontucker; July 11, 2006, 05:46 PM.
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