East India Company brand returns after 135-year absence
1–10 of 23 posts
Re: East India Company brand returns after 135-year absence
#2At its peak, the company employed a third of the British workforce and was responsible for a huge tranche of global trade.
I knew it was big, but a third of the British workforce? That's insane.
Anyway, I welcome the East India Company back. I realise it has almost nothing in common with the original entity, but I personally might buy their tea if it becomes available here, just for the illicit non-PC pro-colonialism thrill.
Re: East India Company brand returns after 135-year absence
#3At its peak, the company employed a third of the British workforce and was responsible for a huge tranche of global trade. I knew it was big, but a third of the British workforce? That's insane. Anyway, I welcome the East India Company back. I realise it has almost nothing in common with the original entity, but I personally might buy their tea if it becomes available here, just for the illicit non-PC pro-colonialism…
"non-PC pro-colonialism thrill"
Heh, that's the secret branch-off of the brand lifecycle I guess. Companies that have, heretofore, fallen by the wayside or were unceremoniously erased from the collective conscience gets resurrected as a new, edgier brand.
It happened with Indian Motorcycles. Now, _that_ brand is known as the "rebel" brand (though it's ironically owned by a stodgy English private equity firm), while Harley-Davidson has slowly become the "fat yuppie or old fart (re)sowing their wild suburban oats" brand.
I bet you certain elements want to keep the embargo of Cuba by Americans going to keep the market for illicit cigars (and the requisite mystique of smoking one) going strong. Like the big to-do about absinthe. Now that it's semi-legal (as long as it doesn't contain x amount of thujone) it's become passe in the "cool" clubs.
Re: East India Company brand returns after 135-year absence
#4At its peak, the company employed a third of the British workforce and was responsible for a huge tranche of global trade. I knew it was big, but a third of the British workforce? That's insane. Anyway, I welcome the East India Company back. I realise it has almost nothing in common with the original entity, but I personally might buy their tea if it becomes available here, just for the illicit non-PC pro-colonialism…
It's big in the sense that it exercised power in a way that dwarfs what we currently regard as modern corporate kleptocracy. The Company wasn't just a trading company, it was responsible for exercising political power in India on behalf of the British crown, and even operated its own military forces.
It's precisely this excess concentration of monopoly power that Adam Smith described in The Wealth of Nations as a criticism of capitalism gone awry [1].
Probably as close to a real-life manifestation of Shinra as we've ever had in history.
Re: East India Company brand returns after 135-year absence
#5In every Indian history textbook, The East India company is listed as the initial vehicle which brought about the British rule in India.
Since I was brought up in India, I had a VERY -ve reaction just reading the story here on Hacker News. It was kind of built in.
I dont understand why this guy would pick this name for his company. Maybe he never intends to sell in India.
Re: East India Company brand returns after 135-year absence
#6In every Indian history textbook, The East India company is listed as the initial vehicle which brought about the British rule in India. Since I was brought up in India, I had a VERY -ve reaction just reading the story here on Hacker News. It was kind of built in. I dont understand why this guy would pick this name for his company. Maybe he never intends to sell in India.
[deleted]
Re: East India Company brand returns after 135-year absence
#7In every Indian history textbook, The East India company is listed as the initial vehicle which brought about the British rule in India. Since I was brought up in India, I had a VERY -ve reaction just reading the story here on Hacker News. It was kind of built in. I dont understand why this guy would pick this name for his company. Maybe he never intends to sell in India.
Of course not. It's an upscale boutique store in London, selling colonial prestige to has-been ex-imperialists.
Re: East India Company brand returns after 135-year absence
#8So, the company that played a major role in modern India's history, American Revolution and for the most part British modern history is now a brand with a bit more than a coffee and tea shop? I wouldn't call that exactly a 'return'. It's more of a homage+memorabilia setup than anything.
Re: East India Company brand returns after 135-year absence
#9In every Indian history textbook, The East India company is listed as the initial vehicle which brought about the British rule in India. Since I was brought up in India, I had a VERY -ve reaction just reading the story here on Hacker News. It was kind of built in. I dont understand why this guy would pick this name for his company. Maybe he never intends to sell in India.
I agree with you, but come on, as an Indian wouldn't you LOVE to own the Dutch East India company? I also think reverse colonialism played a huge part in Tata's purchase of Land Rover and Jaguar.
"Turnabout is fair play" as they say - I'm sure there are a bunch of Indians who would love to get a hold of "prized" British assets. It's an ego thing.
Re: East India Company brand returns after 135-year absence
#10In every Indian history textbook, The East India company is listed as the initial vehicle which brought about the British rule in India. Since I was brought up in India, I had a VERY -ve reaction just reading the story here on Hacker News. It was kind of built in. I dont understand why this guy would pick this name for his company. Maybe he never intends to sell in India.
Yup, to any non-Indians who want to understand the sentiment, it's like finding a brand with the name:
'The National Socialist Final Solution Coffee Company'.
What the hell is the guy thinking?