If you haven't been to BLMS for a while...

[gordo]

It's worth noting that Lawrence and his wife (the reason he moved to Oregon) have run the site together for quite some time.  Whether it's her influence or the fact that Lawrence is a good business-person (thanks George) I can't say, but in the current climate it certainly makes sense to realign your marketing.

And yes, the short bat switches are really nice as are the reasonably priced aluminum knobs.

[Zigcat]

Don't get me wrong. I order from him regularly and will continue to. He has an amazing company and provides quality parts, listens to feedback from his customers, and has amazing service all around.

And I apologize if I sound like I am pointing fingers or superior. I'm not. I swear up a storm. I say bitch all the time and am always learning how my words impact society as a whole. Luckily, my fiance is super patient with me and takes time to explain a woman's perspective. I love her to death for it. I just want people to see the bigger picture. I dont want to come across as some shithead that took an ethics class and am now enlightened and think I can tell everyone they are wrong or are bad people. You all are great people, but conversations like this do nothing in the end but strengthen us and create a more inviting place for everyone. No one here is wrong, and I am guilty of feeling the same way as some of the opposing views. Just as a business, I think the name isn't wise.

[matmosphere]

I buy stuff from Lawrence as well and have been really impressed by how responsive he is, and how much effort he is putting into the business.

The thing that is actually upsetting about all of this to me is just how amazingly cool the design of the stickers and shirts are. From a graphic design standpoint they are fantastic, and I would love to, as I said before, have one on my van or sport one of those cool shirts that started this whole conversation. I just can't do it.

  Putting aside whether or not is *should* be offensive, it's just somewhat impractical from a business sense.

Well said.

[gordo]

Yupp, well said.  I don't use the term "bitch" to describe either my wife or female friends because I'd likely be eating thru a straw for 6 to 8 weeks.  :-)

[lincolnic]

I'm late to this party because I don't post much these days, but I just wanted to say that I'm 100% with Zigcat.

Having said that, when can I preorder the Shitface McFuckPedal? I'll take two.

[culturejam]

I think we all agree it's not an ideal business name. I also half suspect that he didn't totally anticipate the business taking off the way it did and reaching a broader audience. I'll bet Lawrence would name it a bit differently if he had it to do over, although I could be wrong. He's a nice guy and while I can't know his mind, I feel very confident his intentions are entirely benign.

BUT

I think those of you who feel very strongly that the business name is damaging to women (or society, or whatever) should align your wallet with your morals and stop patronizing the business. It's pure cognitive dissonance to support a business you strongly believe is a countering force to your personal ethics and morals. There are multiple options for cheap pedal parts. Just pick one of the others that doesn't have a cheeky name and sleep well. Easy.

Imma keep buying from BLMS because the service is good and I get the joke of the name.

[stringsthings]

Having said that, when can I preorder the Shitface McFuckPedal? I'll take two.

[lovemyswitches]

Hey Friends!

Thank you all for the kind things you've said about me and Rebecca and BLMS.

Want I want to communicate is this: I see you. I hear you. I mean no ill will. I am sensitive to the suffering of others. We have changed the name on most aspects of the business to "Love My Switches" for lots of reasons. Some are business related (Google, Facebook, Instagram don't like bad words), some are personal (Rebecca and [me too when dealing with guys in khakis and company branded polo shirts] didn't feel comfortable saying "Bitches" to any of the folks we do business with).

The name was funny to me. I just popped into my head and seemed good enough. I thought it was obvious that the whole concept of the joke was in the name. Clearly ironic. I can't picture someone would ever say the statement, "Bitches love my switches" and actually believe it.

My intention was not to offend, hurt or denigrate or push anyone away.

It was a different time just 7 or 8 years ago when I started BLMS. The world seems far more sensitive to language. I would certainly pick a different name If I had to start over. And If I knew it would grow to be the thing that supports my family I would certainly have been far too frozen with fear that an internet mob might come after me.

I'm a husband and a dad to a 2 year old daughter. I am so much more sensitive to the messages we tell girls that I used to be. She get's told she's pretty all the time. That's just a weird thing to get rewarded for as a human. You have very little control over the face your genes gave you. I'm hyper focused on rewarding her for the content of her character.

We have done a soft name change to Love My Switches. Everything has been changed except the logo at the top of the site and the stickers and T-Shirts. The logo will change at some point on the site.  I plan on still using the full name for branded stuff because I think that the people that get it are cool. They know it's a joke. And I would want to wear the logo on a shirt.

-----
Jeez this all sounds so disjointed. I wrote so much more but deleted it. Sorry, It's hard to find the right words to express myself! If I was in person I could rely on tone of voice and body language... but just in text on the innernette about a controversial subject??!?! It's beyond my communication abilities.

[sjaustin]

Thanks for chiming in, Lawrence. I followed along with the conversation on Instagram a while back and had a sense of where you were at with it. You run a terrific business that I'm happy to continue supporting, and I'm also very glad you're transitioning to Love My Switches. I wish you the best.

[Govmnt_Lacky]

I am kinda disappointed that, even with the name change, my stupid work server/firewall will not let me get to the site (not at all a Lawrence problem... my work's firewall is very picky)

[lovemyswitches]

I am kinda disappointed that, even with the name change, my stupid work server/firewall will not let me get to the site (not at all a Lawrence problem... my work's firewall is very picky)

That was another reason for the name change! Does it tell you why it's been rejected?

[Zigcat]

Lawrence is a good man and that was a hard thing to say. I really appreciate that you took time to share your perspective and the steps you have taken, not only to not get blocked from servers, but to make customers and your relationships with them better and most importantly, for your daughter(the pretty thing make a lot of women pissed, so you are not alone on that). It means a lot to many people. You're awesome!

[Frag Magnet]

Now if only he would change the name of his business to something more inviting to women builders.

I highly doubt that that is the one thing that keeps women away from building pedals. Maybe we should accept its just not a hobby that appeals to most women? Just like there are things that women do that don't appeal to most men? I like to go to zumba class because its a fun way to exercise. You know how many other men there are? Usually none.

No, I won't accept that. Ever. There is even a term for your statement. Sexist...

No, the term for what he's talking about is "sexual dimorphism."

Now, if you assume that every man or women must act according to the average for their sex and especially mistreat members of a certain sex (or those who do not conform to the average), that's sexist.

It's probably hard to remember, but the original computers were often women.  Slides rules and the whole shebang.  I would guess that once it became a more respected/critical/high-paying field, the men took the positions and now it's fairly male dominated though that has been changing in recent years.

It has more to do with social and economic freedom: the freest countries in the world have the most pronounced gender differences in these areas. Poor and/or more totalitarian countries (which don't chain women to the oven or aren't otherwise stuck in the Bronze Age, anyway) show the least.

Agreed.  I giggle everytime I see my BLMS shirt because I understand it's intention but I also choose where and in front of whom I wear it.  I'm not sexist at all but because of that I'm very sensitive to the message it could convey.

I DO think we're way too PC these days, but if that's what it takes to make changes...so be it.

Ditto.

Low participation rates by a gender usually indicate a subtle or overt culture of exclusion.

This is a just-so story that's extremely poorly evidenced. Again, the freest, most "progressive" societies in human history show the most dramatic sex differences in hobbies and employment.

There is no human endeavor that is well served by excluding those who can lend their talents and personal experience simply because of who they are, and therefore we (in general, not just here) should always be making sure that we don't encourage, enable, or accept a exclusionary practices.

Agreed. We should not hang up "no girls allowed" signs* nor mistreat people based on their identities.

However, as members of a sexually dimorphic species we also shouldn't be surprised when average behavioral differences crop up between the sexes.


*I make one exception here and that's for military occupations like the Infantry where raw physical strength mean the difference between life and death.

[lovemyswitches]

Thanks for chiming in, Lawrence. I followed along with the conversation on Instagram a while back and had a sense of where you were at with it. You run a terrific business that I'm happy to continue supporting, and I'm also very glad you're transitioning to Love My Switches. I wish you the best.

Thanks buddy! I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Like the new EHX opamp big muff everyones been excited about.

[midwayfair]

Edit: Nevermind, arguing on the internet is dumb.

Be the change you want to see, people. That's all.