Penny Starr at CNSNews.com reported on a cultural clash between the Ayn Rand fan who created Lululemon yoga clothing and the liberals who've been shocked and dismayed by the company's "Who Is John Galt?" tote bags.
On the November 17 edition of NPR’s All Things Considered, substitute anchor Guy Raz interviewed a reporter, Simon Houpt, with the Toronto Globe and Mail, who said Lululemon “has severely alienated its core constituency” by distributing the bag. Houpt told Raz that “John Galt’s” ideals are “completely contrary to the teachings of yoga -- that yoga is, in fact, a core component of building community, and that the notion of self-interest, in fact, runs completely against that.”
Raz asked Houpt to explain why the company would promote the fictional character Galt and, in turn, Rand’s philosophy:
HOUPT: Well, I do have some trouble with that because, in fact, in reaching out numerous times to the company, they actually refused to speak on the record to offer their opinion to me. However, in the blog post you refer to, they do offer an explanation and they believe that this book inspires people to embrace greatness rather than this life of sad disappointment, which is apparently where all the rest of us are leading.
Houpt added: "the evidence suggests that Lululemon has severely alienated its core constituency. Certainly here in Toronto, the moms in the fantastic-looking Lululemon pants are discussing this in the school yards and the yoga studios and they're not at all possible. And so, it's possible that Ron Paul followers will suddenly embrace yoga or may buy a fantastic-looking pair of pants. And at the very least, it just means that Ron Paul will have some followers who just look great from behind."
On the Lululemon website, a staffer named Alexis wrote:
You might be wondering why a company that makes yoga clothing has chosen a legendary literary character’s name to adorn the side of our bags. Lululemon’s founder, Chip Wilson, first read this book when he was eighteen years old working away from home. Only later, looking back, did he realize the impact the book’s ideology had on his quest to elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness (it is not coincidental that this is lululemon’s company vision)...
While the plot in the book may sound radical and far-fetched, we place many of these constraints and limitations on ourselves which impede us from living our best lives.
Think about it: we are all born with magical machines, aka human bodies, able to think, jump, laugh and run. We are able to control our careers, where we live, how much money we make and how we spend our days through the choices we make.
Of course, there are situations sometimes where we aren’t able to control what happens to us. Life can be hard, challenging and unfair. What we can control, however, is our reaction. We can choose to rise up and be great.
In his paper, Houpt let one yogi really spout:
One Toronto fitness instructor and aspiring yogi says Rand’s philosophy is at odds with community-oriented yogic beliefs.
“It’s a clash with yoga values,” said Sarah Kurchak, 29, who has about 15 pieces of Lululemon clothing in her wardrobe.
Two weeks ago, she was about to purchase a new pair of pants when a friend who knew her anti-Rand position told her of the “John Galt” shopping bags.
“That was the last straw,” she said, noting she had become increasingly disenchanted with the company after reading of its embrace of Werner Erhard’s controversial Landmark Forum, and its 2007 run-in with the Competition Bureau that forced it to back down on claims that some of its clothes contained an ingredient with therapeutic attributes.
“I don’t want people looking at me with that little logo on my pants or on my hoodie and thinking I’m going home to read Atlas Shrugged after, you know, downward dog,” Ms. Kurchak said.
“A lot of people are going to read that post and go, ‘Yeah, I hate mediocrity, too, I’m gonna buy another pair of $100 yoga pants!’ Whereas in reality it is saying a lot of things a lot of yogis I know don’t support.”
