Q&A: Protestors of Burton’s Love, Primo Graphics Speak Out
mike lewis
- November 06 2008
- 1,428 views
- 36 comments
Suzie Debrosse speaks to the crowd at the protest outside of Burton’s headquarters. (Burlington Free Press)
By Kailee Bradstreet and Mike Lewis
Suzie Debrosse and Lezlee Spregler are not happy with some of Burton’s latest design decisions. The two women helped lead a protest on October 23 against Burton’s new line of boards at the company’s Vermont headquarters. For those who have not yet seen the new lines, Burton’s Primo graphics depict self-mutilation and their Love graphics feature several Playboy models posing nude. The boards have raised eyebrows with some since they were released, and continue to gain attention from the mainstream media. But many argue that youth can be exposed to this type of nudity and violence in many other forums.
For the entire story, including a statement from Burton’s CEO Laurent Potdevin, click HERE.
Spregler and Debrosse are both mothers who are strongly active in their Vermont community, whether it’s speaking out against the commercialism of children, supporting battered women and children programs, or taking a stand against violence and female degradation in the media, they said. They contacted Transworld Business after reading the Burton Protest story on the site, and wanted to share their views. Here are a few of the questions we posed to Spregler and Debrosse, mainly derived from questions readers’ posed on our forums, and the women’s responses.
TWB: How were these boards brought to your attention and how did you got involved in this cause?
LS: I was actually on their web site because we have a snowboard family, except me - I’m the skier. My six year-old son, my fourteen year old daughter and my husband all snowboard. I often go on websites to see the newest stuff. We’ve been customers of Burton for almost eight years, and so I was looking at their stuff, came across the [Primo] Coalition line, and was really surprised. At first I didn’t even know quite what to think, you know?
Long story short, [my husband] Jeff and I contacted Burton asking for a reply to, you know, “What are you doing with these boards, bringing them out into the public sphere where our kids are and stuff? What’s going on with that?” I didn’t receive a reply, except for the standard reply. It was both the Primo and Love that both kind of hit me in the face as I was looking.
TWB: What would you say is your overall goal in this? To raise awareness? To get Burton to stop making this product?
SD: I think it’s somewhat beyond Burton at this point. It’s not about Burton stopping making these boards - that would be great, but It’s really more of the bigger picture of awareness. Raising consciousness and awareness around issues of corporate responsibility of putting stuff out into our culture that denigrates women, that could lead to violence against women, and also just gratuitous violence. Inappropirate gory images that just don’t belong on a mountain. I know they’re out there, in video games, movies, on tv - we get that all the time. But I can turn that off. I can choose not to get that movie, I can choose not to buy a product in the store. But I don’t have that choice when I’m on a chiarlift on a montain and I’m trying to enjoy a day of skiing and boarding with my family.
LS: For us, this is not a freedom of speech issue, it’s a corporate responsibility issue. We feel that Burton is digging their heels in, as many corporations do when they get to be that sort of big corporate entity. I think that’s what’s so disturbing about Burton is that they’ve lost their humanity in our culture, they’ve just become this big company. You know, we want to have dialogue with them. Suzie, who is a media literacy educator and works for the University of Vermont and St. Michaels College, has offered to come in and show them some films - has said “let’s have a dialogue.” It’s not about telling one company how to run their business, it’s about opening dialogue in our community. And Vermont is very good at that. We were one of first states to sign onto civil rights legislations. We were one of first states to have civil unions for our homosexual community. We definitely believe that people have the right to choose the way they want to live.
TWB: What were you hoping for with writing that original letter?
LS: We were hoping for a response that was more personal and more respectful to us as their customers. And what we got from the CEO is he is just calling us a group of isolated individuals. He is trying to marginalize who we are. This has spread country-wide…I think what happens in a lot of the blogs and in the dialogue we see, people really don’t realize the impacts. They don’t understand what cutting is in our culture. We’ve always maintained we are a campaign of information. We don’t want to badger people we really just want to have a dialogue.
SD: What would I have wanted to hear from Burton? “Oh, that’s a good point, we’ll pull those boards right off the market, ladies.” [laughs] No, obviously not. But I think any corporation has the right to produce any product they want and then as a citizen and as a democracy, we have the right to let them know when we aren’t happy and conversely when we are very happy, and it goes both ways. We should be telling corporations when they do something right, as well. I’d like to see Burton say,”You know what – given the reaction we’ve gotten and how its spreading, we’ve obviously made a mistake.” Think about how much corporate good will and positive publicity they would get from that, if they could just take a step back and say “We can pull these two boards,” or “We made a mistake,” or “We will think in a different way the next time we make something edgy.” Edgy doesn’t have to be misogynistic and edgy doesn’t have to be violent, self-injury. Both boards are just one step too far.
TWB: Why do you think you’ve decided to take up issue with Burton and not with other companies who have done very similar things?
LS: Like Suzie, I certainly have contacted other company’s when I see a product. I’ve been in communication with Levi’s about it’s “Unbutton Your Beast” ad. You can Google it, and I think Levi’s has pulled it and they have done that I think because it’s offensive. It’s offensive to our men to be thought of like that. But the reason Burton has been singled out is because they are our neighbor - unfortunately for them. If it was a company out in California we wouldn’t be able to muster up a protest out there.
TWB: What is your next step with this?
LS: We are not trying to bring down Burton. We maintain that this is an educational issue. Suzie lives out her life to educate people on this issue, so I know that is her next step. Part of my next step is looking into the legalities of putting soft porn into the playground of children. What’s the legalities of taking playboy magazine and dropping it into the middle of playground? I’m just interested - I’m not saying we are suing anybody - I’m just interested as a citizen. How does that play out? When do we say this is the line, enough is enough? I think people should have the right to make their own choices within their own home. It’s kind of like the same thing with smoking. Smoking has become kind of taboo out in public, because we understand the ramifications of second hand smoke. I think it’s the same thing with this. I don’t want to see this kind of thing out on a children’s playground.
** EDITOR’S NOTE: For more in-depth coverage on the issue surrounding Burton’s graphics, please be sure to pick up the December edition of Transworld Business.
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November 6th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
“You know, we want to have dialogue with them.”
Yeah, nothing screams dialogue quite like a mob of angry picketers outside your corporate headquarters.
?Suzie, who is a media literacy educator (ironic) and works for the University of Vermont and St. Michaels College (nice plug), has offered to come in and show them some films - has said ?let?s have a dialogue.?
Now that’s just freaking groundbreaking Suzie. Let’s sit around and watch a movie and put this whole mess behind us. Remember, our film projector bulb burnt out so bring the Betamax version.
“We definitely believe that people have the right to choose the way they want to live.”
…as long as it doesn’t offend me, my kids, my husband, or my cat.
There’s a whole lotta wrong up in this piece. Hopefully GiRL will return to drop some more knowledge.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Funny how much those protest signs resemble the ones burton used at Mad River Glen last year. Hmmmmm….I smell an internal PR strategy.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I wish burton employees went out to have a “protest against the protest,” they could have had signs that said “Porn = Jobs” and “corporate responsibility = providing underprivileged youth the opportunity to snowboard,”
oh wait, that wouldn’t work, the director of spectrum youth found a graphic on a board more important than less privileged teens getting a free day of riding at Bolton every week.
Something tells me those kids who wont get to go ride this winter could care less about about what burton chooses to put on their boards.
For the record I don’t think these ladies have an illegitimate argument, but I think you need to draw the line when your detracting from programs for kids to prove a point. Your message is lost in your stupid protest and added to the publicity that Burton was hoping for in putting out these boards. I’m fairly sure all you have accomplished from your efforts is a few less positive effects on the community burton has had, LOTS of publicity for Burton, and making a name for yourselves as bitchy vermonters who are very sheltered from modern society.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Nice job ladies, you just helped Burton sell through these boards. It’s amazing how much time people have on their hands.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
its a PR by Burton. very sneaky!
November 6th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I bet they will be at next summer’s Burton Warehouse sale, when thier “corporate bully” is nice enough to offer burlington residents gear at reasonable prices
November 6th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
“But I don?t have that choice when I?m on a chiarlift on a montain and I?m trying to enjoy a day of skiing and boarding with my family.”
What crazy goggles do you have that can see underneath boards on the chairlift? The topsheets will either be stickered up or covered in snow, so no problems there. Maybe at the board check? But then just send the kids to the lodge and check your boards… hmmm… Seems this isn’t an actual problem after all.
“I think it?s somewhat beyond Burton at this point. It?s not about Burton stopping making these boards - that would be great, but It?s really more of the bigger picture of awareness.”
Then get off their backs… if you would like a bigger picture of awareness then perhaps your protest is better suited for the steps of the Washington monument.
“what?s so disturbing about Burton is that they?ve lost their humanity in our culture, they?ve just become this big company.”
Just like surfing and skateboarding before it, snowboarding was about counter-culture and not being censored or told what to do…being bold enough to do something that might piss people off. Burton is perfectly in-line with that, as is obvious by your over-the-top reaction. Get over yourselves.
“Raising consciousness and awareness around issues of corporate responsibility of putting stuff out into our culture that denigrates women, that could lead to violence against women, and also just gratuitous violence. Inappropirate gory images that just don?t belong on a mountain.”
It’s your job to let your kids know what is right and wrong. You want to stop a snowboard graphic? What are you doing to make sure your kids peers aren’t filling their minds with nonsense? How about television, movies, advertisements and everything else that American children are bombarded with in heavy doses daily?
“He is trying to marginalize who we are. This has spread country-wide?I think what happens in a lot of the blogs and in the dialogue we see, people really don?t realize the impacts. They don?t understand what cutting is in our culture. We?ve always maintained we are a campaign of information. We don?t want to badger people we really just want to have a dialogue”
No, it has spread to a small group of middle-aged whiny parents who would rather spend their day protesting and complaining instead of be at home parenting. Those whose lives are affected by cutting will seek out knowledge on it, and rightfully so. Those that aren’t affected by it really don’t need to know about it unless they are interested for some reason, it’s not something that should have national attention… but you’ve managed to do that. Awesome.
“But the reason Burton has been singled out is because they are our neighbor - unfortunately for them. If it was a company out in California we wouldn?t be able to muster up a protest out there.”
So… basically you are just doing this because they are “there”? Oh man, now you seem like an honest, decent human being and I am all for your cause…not.
“Part of my next step is looking into the legalities of putting soft porn into the playground of children. What?s the legalities of taking playboy magazine and dropping it into the middle of playground?”
Yah, there are none. The boards are to be shelved and sleeved in black plastic that reads “18 to purchase”, meaning little kids aren’t buying them. The boards only show butt anyway. There is nothing illegal about showing a butt. If there was, than Coppertone sunblock would be in some big, big trouble.
“When do we say this is the line, enough is enough?”
We don’t. That’s called censorship. Hey! Maybe after we ban these board graphics I should burn all of my books for fear of the knowledge they contain like in Fahrenheit 451?
“I think people should have the right to make their own choices within their own home.”
Then why are you out forcing your choices and opinions on the entire nation?
November 6th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
http://www.angrysnowboarder.com/2008/10/protestors-stupidity-and-cluelessness.html
Here’s my response I made to them last month.
Seriously these people are retarded. They just want a pat on the back and someone to say they’re doing a good job. Am I offended when I see people pushing their religion at the slopes? Yeah, but I don’t protest it.
These women are just busted in every sense of the word.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
you’re a fucking lunatic. get real
November 6th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Free marketing on major news channels, thanks to these women.
“Raising consciousness and awareness around issues of corporate responsibility of putting stuff out into our culture that denigrates women, that could lead to violence against women, and also just gratuitous violence.”
Putting blame on a board graphic is lame. A Board graphic does not tell men to hit women. The time invested in this could have been spent educating young women about abusive relationships, signs to look for and help when they need it.
The graphics are nothing new. I guess you never go to the beach because scantily clad people are scary.
November 6th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
what the fuck. these ladies need a life.
November 7th, 2008 at 6:22 am
ur a fuckin crazy ass soccer mom, get a life and stop screwin with Burton
November 7th, 2008 at 6:44 am
I wish I had as much time to piss away as these ladies. It’s not a bigger issue, it’s really a non-issue completely. This is all a big waste of time, energy, and effort. On everyone’s part. Ladies if you need something to do go get a job at your local Whole foods or whatever granola co-op you choose to torment with your presence in Burlington. Evidently your other jobs, and households aren’t taking up enough of your time.
November 7th, 2008 at 7:10 am
“But the reason Burton has been singled out is because they are our neighbor - unfortunately for them. If it was a company out in California we wouldn?t be able to muster up a protest out there.”
Yea, who wants to fight against issues that aren’t conveniently located down the street? oh i know, someone who actually gives a shit and isn’t just a whiny hippy when an easy opportunity appears.
also, if anyone saw the news coverage of this, one of these women literally whored out her son to talk to the news reporter about this “controversial” topic, he’s like 5 and had no idea what the fuck was going on.
I thought hippies were against brainwashing, now I guess it depends on what your washing brains with
November 7th, 2008 at 8:16 am
God who gives a crap, why did you guys give these crazy ladies a platform.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:12 am
boooobies!
November 7th, 2008 at 11:02 am
newsflash - Levi’s unbutton your beast is alive and well…
November 7th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
“I often go on websites to see the newest stuff. We?ve been customers of Burton for almost eight years.”
I guess she missed the year that the UnIncs included pictures of scantily clad women and cutting
http://frontlipped.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/burtons-love-and-primo-a-history-of-controversial-snowboard-graphics/
November 7th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Wow, after seeing this protest I really want to get one of these boards
November 7th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Unbutton your beast? Thanks for spreading the word, I hadn’t heard about that yet!
November 7th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I must agree with you, sounds like something Burton would conjure up to try and hype themselves
November 7th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
These ladies need some snow in there area or need to enter a LTR program and start riding and stop bitching. Some of the best graphics in the industry come from Burton, Lib, and world industries dont stop the progression. PNW Hairball
November 7th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
In the show “South Park” it is Kyle’s mom that is always trying to save the world. I mean come on if you have a problem with a product don’t buy it and explain to your kids why you personality think it is wrong; don’t try to tell the company what they are doing while your kid watches you make a big scene. Don’t try to save other peoples kids and the world from a private companies’ choices, just take care of your own family and keep your wallet shut.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I’m still calling BS. Sorry people. I didn’t buy it from the start. I didn’t buy it one week ago and I don’t buy it now. Nice job selling Burton’s boards for them. Maybe Rossignol can hire you to protest their boards next year to get their bottom line back up?
http://southofthenorth.blogspot.com/2008/10/are-burton-protest-and-boycotts-bull.html
November 8th, 2008 at 9:02 am
As others have said - these “protesters” have unwittingly helped provide Burton with more marketing than they could ever hope to get.
Jake should send them a thank you note!
Maybe I can get them to come protest my business - I need some free national advertising.
November 8th, 2008 at 10:07 am
as a parent of 2 young girls and a reatiler who sells these boards…these ladies need to get over it and take a peek at some real issues that are going down in the world.i have both boards in stock @ my store.thanks for the advertising ladies!!! come and get em everyone.Pinnacle Sports Reading PA
November 8th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
What’s wrong about growing, expanding, going bigger???
Seems that meny people get quite jelous or bitter every time a small bussines or a company gets bigger. What if it was you in that possition? don’t we all look for progress?
Don’t forget what Burton’s done for the snowboarding kooks all over the world, besides offering a great product, employment to tons of talented people worldwide, alowing mountains that did’t let snowboarders ride, RIDE!!
Yeahh lets focus on this kind of B S!!
I have 2 kids myself 5 and 2, and if they ask me what that is I will explain what it is “A SNOWBOARD WITH SOME CRAZY GRAPHICS” and if my 5 years old wants it? I will say “I’M NOT GOING TO BUY IT TO YOU, BUT IF YOU SAVE YOUR MONEY AND THIS IS WHAT YOU REALLY WANT YOU CAN HAVE IT”.
Build confidence around and not fear…
November 9th, 2008 at 10:31 am
wow dude, way to be a bigger hippy conspiracy theorist, congratulations you figured it all out!!!
November 10th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Please calling me a hippy conspiracy theorist diminishes my conspiracy value and will lead to my pet armadillo having low self esteem!
Conspiracy theorist should be treated with love and respect. I would be happy to come by and show you some films on how to increase the conspiracy theory conversation.
November 10th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
that is the dumbest thing i have ever seen
November 10th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
The very first line of her very first answer tells everything for me:
“I was actually on their web site because we have a snowboard family, except me - I?m the skier.”
Mind your own business and please don’t try to get involved in something you don’t know shit about. Standing sideways is not just a physical position in space and time, it also is a different way of thinking. Snowboarding doesn’t follow mainstream ideologies. Our sport was born out of something different and ifluenced by skateboarding and surfing. Look at our roots, try to understand where we come from, you’ll understand where we’re going… Sad they don’t teach you that kinda stuff at University of Vermont which is the bed snowboarding.
Snowboarding wasn’t meant to be mainstream, unfortunately it is now. Snowboarding was actually meant to be marginal, and it was also meant to be shocking to “regular people”. Snowboarding was born because a group of young people that needed to express a state of mind they couldn’t express via a mainstream sport such as skiing for example. Here’s a message to “regular people” out there: Don’t expect to see “politically correct” designs and messages from core snowboard brands. If you can’t understand this statement, you might reconsider what you have strapped to your feet.
Hopefully this messages reaches concerned people.
Props to Burton snowboards for keeping it real!
-Thomas B.
November 10th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I am sick of reading about this issue. its snowing, go ride. buy a board that suites your own tastes as far as graphics. I miss the days of riding ten years ago when all these soccer moms didnt have a clue what snowboarding was.. TWS biz quite posting this beat article.
November 10th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
maybe Jeff Harbaugh is consulting Burton.
Maybe he came up with Reto Lamm’s Rad Air graphic that Romain knocked off and then the Love series.
It all comes back to the genious of Jeff…
November 11th, 2008 at 5:30 am
“Like Suzie, I certainly have contacted other company?s when I see a product.” “Companies” is plural; “company’s is a contraction indicating possession. Is third grade grammar too advanced for your writer, and have you no competent editors and/or proof-readers at TWB? No excuses for such incompetent and sloppy work.
November 30th, 2008 at 1:17 am
LOL @ how far some people will go if they aren’t appeased.
These folks have a gripe, fine. Thing is their strategy isn’t even clearly defined. They know they are upset about the graphics on Burton’s new boards but the extent of their stated intent is establishing dialog and raising awareness. Their tactic in doing so is contacting Burton and when Burton elects to ignore their queries they raise their personal threat level and presume to demand dialogue.
Says Lezlee Spregler, “We were hoping for a response that was more personal and more respectful to us as their customers. And what we got from the CEO is he is just calling us a group of isolated individuals. He is trying to marginalize who we are.”
Well, that’s the thing. The extent of your relationship with Burton is customer. That is not a relationship that comes with an entitlement to dialogue should you feel compelled toward it. No, that CEOs obligation lies with Burton’s shareholders. If those boards are selling (and you just know they are) then I don’t imagine they’ve a complaint.
We see here a citizen consumer who presumes to be able to demand dialog with the CEO of a corporation simply because they’ve decided they have issue with their product.
This is someone who has boundary issues and control issues far closer to the heart of this schizm than any concern she has about the company’s constitutionally protected right to put whatever they want on their snowboards. In so far as her concerns with Burton, she has taken access as granted and refuses to see it any other way. Normal people don’t see things like this. Normal protests do not follow this outline either. Shoot…Normal people see bigger fish to fry, for that matter. All this tme and energy over a snowboard graphic?
Organize your boycott. Stomp your feet and throw your tantrum because the CEO won’t do what you say. If you can influence market forces to drive that line into the ground then don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back for keeping America’s ski slopes safe from bewbs at a time when most people are protesting shit like an illegal war, homophobic legislation and the Wall St Bailout.
This will be portrayed as a “Problem with Nimby’s” issue or something but this is just about a person with a very exhaulted sense of self who can’t stand to see anything going on in her personal no-flyzone that doesn’t carry her stamp of approval.
Trust me, when you deal with the public on a large scale this personality type becomes pretty familiar. She’s not an awful lot different than the character in the Eminem song, “Stan”, just a little better socialized and educated.
This is someone who funnels all their deferred prejudice and anger toward socially acceptable demons like the guy who violates the Homeowners Association’s code leaving his Xmas lights up past February or the guy with 11 items in the Express Lane or tobacco smokers or fatties.
This idiot is probably about as popular in Vermont as Steven Bartman is in Chicago.
And her poor kids? They’ll probably have no friends on the mountain this winter.
Way to go, Mom! When others would’ve just clicked away from the offending imagery you’ve elected to open dialog and raise awareness.
Right. Who it is you’re going to inpire, invigorate and empower and against what evil is pretty vague, but uh…play on player.
I’d think this really was a publicity stunt if I hadn’t encountered crazies like Lezlee Stegner again and again and again.
January 9th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
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