Laptops with Stickers

This one [1] is quite tasteful. I looked at it for a good minute.

[1] https://devlids.com/lids/the-binh

15. But more is encouraged; they want their people to express themselves, after all. Do you just want to do the bare minimum?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ChQK8j6so8

I used to add stickers obtained from visiting my company's clients/partners to my laptop. After 5 years the laptop was basically advertising a bunch of dead brands (either through acquisition or lack of VC funding).

> Giving up just ensures that your voice and values certainly won’t be heard.

It won't be heard anyway. It is a fiction that I as a fucking nobody can affect anything in any meaningful manner. It is a delusion that is sold to people so they believe that they have a voice.

The only thing I might be able to do is stop other people from wasting their time.

> But I guess it’s comfortable enough for you still so there is little reason to get active. Soon it won’t be so comfortable anymore also for you, by then it will be too late to speak up.

What you are doing is essentially a guilt trip. I don't want to spend possibly the rest of my life on a political project.

> It’s laughable that you think nothing has changed in the last 50 years politically.

No it isn't. Go back 40-50 years (1970s) and look at TV, docs, news reports etc. Many of the same issues are being discussed in pretty the same way word for word. I have read stuff about the Roman Empire where it seems people were making political arguments that sounded very similar to what is heard today. The human condition is constant throughout all of recorded history.

> Not so recently they were still putting people to death by the hundreds of thousands in my country and I’m sure as shit not gonna let it happen again, even if it’s a bit cringe for you to witness resistance to facism

I've heard this melodramatic nonsense my entire life. The Nazis and Fascists are gone, the few that remain are completely irrelevant. I was told George Bush was Hitler 2.0 back in the early 2000s. These days people talk about his bad paintings.

I have no brand loyalty, hero worship, religion, sports or team in particular, and my hobbies are my own. I have no problem sharing my opinions, but I didn't do stickers, posters, band shirts, or anything like that growing up and still don't. And I heavily agree with the office space reference. Plus, it feels distinctly un-corporate or business professional to allow company devices to be branded in such a way.

And with all of that being said, this hn article has me ruminating on what people are declaring with these things, and my takeaway is that it is a form of tribal expression. Whether it is a "I work with tech stacks" or media entertainment they prefer on their own time, it is a way to find like-minded people and share perhaps some whimsy or at the very least make their laptop distinguishable from the other thousand plus in their organization. Much like how all crossovers are nearly identical in a parking lot, so too are the numerous HP/Macs/what-have-you sitting on everyone's desk. Much like changing the wallpaper away from a corporate logo, if allowed, you're making that piece of equipment more "yours". Much like ricing your terminal.

If the company culture allows this and you see senior staff doing it, in a way it is in your favor to follow the trend - just to say, I see what's going on and I will join in to show my affiliation with this company's culture. It also gives you a chance to say "this is my tribe" and influence people, one way or another. And face it, a blank laptop lid is also a form of expression, whether you intend for it to be or not. So embrace it if allowed, rebel if it isn't allowed and see who follows suit or complains, or don't embrace it. It's a choice you make even if you do not play along.

And to be frank, in our current climate, politics is very important. One side uses their freedom of speech to suppress others and has more branding on their vehicles and toolboxes than a Lisa Frank notebook binder from the 80s. This as a form of intimidation, as well as expression. I think there should be more political stickers. For every "Don't Tread On Me" there should be a counter "We Will Tread Where There Is Inequality".

I know the argument, "there is no need for politics in the workplace", but companies are more political than any individual, as they contribute campaign fiances to both parties, thanks to Citizens United. If they don't want politics at work, they should take their work out of politics.

Edited to Add: Sticker Bombing has strong Punk roots. And few things are more punk than putting politics where corporations may not like it; directly in their face. Now, whether or not sticking bombing your laptop lid is still punk is debatable, but you cannot deny its roots.