A lot of creative class liberals really love what ACT UP stood for—they loved the posters/signage, they loved that it was during the gritty times of NYC, they loved that a symbol and color could represent a movement—which is why they try to apply corporate branding to activism

But these are the same people who think it’s uncouth of the Sunrise Movement to protest Democrats for their lack of action. These are the same people who think Hillary’s branding was perfect because it was rooted in branding principles. They think political branding = activism.

These same people own million-dollar condos or brownstones now because they bought in the 90’s/early 00’s, are principals of their own firms, and have framed original ACT UP ephemera on their walls. It’s a status symbol. It doesn’t make them activists, it makes them art dealers.

So much of the designer/creative psyche boils down to an effort to be cooler than your square friends who went into management, without the consequences/risks of being an outspoken artist. The irony is you end up being a manager anyway, but at least you’re hip and own cool stuff

*buys a $400 cashmere embroidered sweater with minimalist scriptey type on it*
It’s called organizing everywhere, sweetie