MIT student Jin Pan had a clever idea to spread hilarity and do good at the same time. He was enthusiastic about using social media skills to make it take off like a rocket, something he was later – in fact, soon – to regret.
The plan was for people to donate money to buy warm cosy clothing for homeless people, and to do so because the warm cosy togs would bear the emblems of colleges or universities toward which you feel high-spirited animosity. The site said, “you can donate your rival college’s jackets and shirts to the unfortunate because it’s terribly unfortunate that people actually went to that other college.”
Pan and his collaborator knew some people might think that was nasty. But “HoboJacket is meant to be an edgy way to incentivize more people to donate. Made with love by MIT students procrastinating on their homework, we hope you find our service tastefully offensive, laugh, and help out the unfortunate with Caltech apparel.”
They were right. A lot of people didn’t like it and they explained why. Here are a few of the more civilized criticisms.
Screen capture of screen capture from HoboJacket
Jezebel didn’t like it “What you’re doing is just contributing to the overall level of sniggering disgust that permeates how many college educated folks think about the homeless, and that’s not funny — it’s repugnant.”
BruteReason didn’t like it. “[M]any non-profits and charities are able to solicit donations without exploiting existing social inequalities. If you really believe that you need to use marginalized people as props to attract attention to your cause because ‘that’s just how it works, that probably says more about you than it does about the psychology of charitable giving.”
With Leather didn’t like it. “…HoboJacket is wrong. It is exploitative and just all-around dickish. “ On the other hand, they didn’t see it a big deal. “Sure, it’s self-serving and mean-spirited, but do you think the man freezing his ass off on the street cares if he’s wearing a Notre Dame sweater as a form of mockery?” wrote Ashley Burns.
I kind of think the person freezing in the street does care if they’re being mocked, although they might or might not care enough to refuse the item. (Why not do a little actual research, and ask some homeless people, or is that too soft-science for MIT students?)
One commenter on With Leather claimed 660 jackets were donated before the site shut down. Allegedly, the majority of the emblazoned clothing donated was designated MIT, as if people wanted to turn the joke back on the site’s creators. I’m skeptical that they were able to hit the street with hundreds of jackets in the few days before they closed the site down. Maybe they collected that much money? (They projected being able to buy the clothing for $10 an item….)
Since hobos/homeless people aren’t all the same, some would probably love a jacket advertising any school, some would like a jacket from one school but not another, and some would fiercely reject any school jacket whatever.
To those who say it’s ridiculously politically correct and oversensitive to complain about motivations and methods for delivering clothing to the homeless, it might help to imagine doing it in person.
“Wow, man, it’s cold out, right? We’re giving away free Caltech jackets, and I think we have your size. Why? Oh, it’s hilarious, we’re from MIT, and we’re tweaking Caltech because we know it’ll drive them crazy if they see people like you wearing their gear. It’s great – we’re actually spending a bunch of money we were going to spend on distillation equipment, because we love making the beach bunnies squirm. You hate Caltech, right? You never thought about it? Trust me, they suck. They deserve to see you wearing this jacket. Can I take your picture? Cool, thanks – okay, try to look disgusting. Got any needle tracks? Let’s see those teeth! Cheeeeese – bet you wish you had some!”
Of course, this wasn’t a story for SorryWatch until there was an apology. If we wasted our time I’m pre-emptive defenses like “we hope you find our service tastefully offensive” we would never be able to get to actual apologies like this one from Jin Pan:
An Apology
I thought I had a clever idea for leveraging existing college rivalries to raise money to provide warm clothing for the homeless.
But I did not actually understand that my gimmick was dependent on objectifying the homeless.
The site’s so-called edgy manner was designed to spread quickly, but I realize now that it also allowed my insensitivity to go viral.
I wish I could rewind time to Sunday and reverse the decision to take the site live.
But time is irreversible and I’ve learned a hard lesson.
I’m sorry that I offended so many, and I’m disappointed in my own lack of judgment.
I’ve matured a lot over the last 3 days in listening to the flood of more mature voices out there.
I especially apologize for using those who can’t as easily speak up for themselves.
That’s an excellent apology. It names what he did. Though it’s clear he feels bad about it, the focus isn’t on his devastation. It says “sorry that I offended” people, not “sorry ifI offended” people. (It’s unclear to me if it was all his brainchild, or if he’s taking a bullet for the other student involved.) Good recovery.
In the eighties, I was a month behind in my rent, driving without plates with a rusted 1966 pickup. The vehicle leaked into the cab. My plates had expired. I could not afford to drive.
I had a collapsed spine.
Finally, I found an ad for forestry work in the paper. The co. arranged to fix my truck, get new tires, and buy gas to get to Idaho.
I earned gas money to drive from campsite to campsite in WY & ID. I made $5 a week for food. The bulk of our earning were pd at the end of the season.
I would have loved a warm jacket to wear when I returned to my tent, shivering and cold at the end of a 12 hr day, sopping wet.
I could have given a____ about which snobbish Ivy League college had donated it.!!!!! Most of us among the mainstream are indifferent to who attends which university where.
Please donate more jackets to the homeless! Just try to be humble
when doing it!
In the 80’s I took to the woods with a ’66 pickup, a month behind in rent. At the end of a 14 hr work day, I would have loved a warm dry jacket waiting in my tent when I arrived . I was sopping wet, and had $5 a week to eat on. I was disabled with a collapsed spine. We were pd at end of season.
I would have worn anybody’s college jacket!!!!! Warm; that would have been even better! Donate jackets! The more the better. Forgive yourself!
Kris, thank you for reminding me of what I should have put in this post and didn’t–a decent way for people to donate warm clothes.
I suggest One Warm Coat, which takes donations of either coats or funds to buy coats. They started in San Francisco but now operate across the country, so you can take part in a coat drive near where you live.
I think it was reasonable for people to point out their objections or concerns about this project. But it is clear from the initial description, that what was being attempted was motivated by a sincere attempt to improve the lives of the homeless, not to demean them. The fact that Jin Pan did not realize the possible implications appears to be a sincere mistake, and his apology seems likewise sincere.
Jin Pan may have made an error in judgement when he launched the project, but the whole episode speaks well of his character, not the reverse.