The great William Shakespeare once said, “”What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.” Although most believe this statement to be true, names are certainly important. We identify ourselves and our actions through words. Names give many of us pride, motivation to better ourselves, and standards to live up to. Whether we like it or not, words have pleasant and negative associations. Since the advent of language, names are something that we have been conditioned to live by. People have names, schools have names, and stores have names. Foods, cars, and songs have names. We further define all of these things through our feelings, which also have names.
So you can imagine my utter astonishment when I saw a magazine by the name of Good just sitting politely on a rack at Barnes and Noble, surrounded by a plethora of other magazines which suddenly didn’t mean anything to me anymore. They weren’t making me any promises through their namesake. Newsweek, Details, Time; who cares? This magazine was going to be Good, it said so itself. I picked up the wonderfully thick publication and was immediately attracted to its cover design. Free of the usual cover chaos, Good Magazine introduced only its name, and roughly four feature articles at the top. There was no band, model, actress, or political figure selling the glossy cover. Instead, the cover of Good’s premier issue is a field day for any Madlibs enthusiast , presenting a do-it-yourself manifesto that read, “ ‘(Insert Verb)’ Like you Give a Damn,” in gigantic block letters. There’s nothing wrong with a magazine cover devoting itself to your capabilities. Right from the start you know that this magazine is going to be different. It’s going to change the world.
Good is truly beautiful from the inside out. It’s a magazine with a mission: “to catalyze positive thought and action.” This said, the publication is printed on completely recycled paper with 50% post consumer waste. Each issue saves roughly 150 trees and lowers air emissions by 21,520 lbs. Every penny of the $20 subscription fee goes to one of 12 neat non-profit organizations including City Year, World Wildlife fund, and Teach for America to name just a few. Good aims to attract 50,000 subscribers by mid 2007 who will raise $1million for these organizations.
The magazine was created for socially conscious, trendsetting young adults who are aware of the benefits of capitalism but want to make it more accessible to a greater amount of people. Their readers are environmentally responsible and actively seek out quality information regarding news and consumer products. Clearly “Good is for people that give a damn. It’s an entertaining magazine about things that matter.” What matters to Good are politics, business and money, health, technology, buying, environment, science, art and design, mobility, media, culture, education, and living. Every single one of these issues is explored with moving visual and literary grace. This wide, relevant range of topic makes for quality, meaty content. Because Good has adopted the Creative Commons approach to content licensing, their sole right to content expires after 120 days, allowing for sharing on the Internet.
The theme of Good’s premier issue is “I Love America.” The exploration of this country that we live in should interest anyone. As citizens, we need to study and question it. Features include “Ten Reasons Why I Love America,” a hilarious and quite cynical list which includes the joy of how “money means I can indulge in my passions and pursuits and contribute to this nation’s idea of itself.” But it gets more serious as author James Surowiecki takes a look at “America in the World,” and how other countries perceive us. “The paradox of American existence today…Americans have never been more reliant on other countries.” Perhaps the most gripping element of Good’s first issue are the pictures from the Border Film Project. The idea was to divy out 300 cameras to two groups, one being the Mexicans attempting to illegally immigrate to the US and the second group are the Minutemen trying to stop them. The effort to visually document their stories and motivations, combined with the human toll of pursuing a dream is breathtaking. Overall, Good’s portrayal of modern America is satisfying in its honesty and ideals.
Not only is Good stimulating in a literary way, but also in a visual way. There are about six different transparencies in the magazine, each illustrating another fascinating aspect of the American economy. Highlights include Paris Hilton’s financial rise to the top in “People Think I’m Stupid but I’m Smarter Than Most People.” The transparency takes you through her career year by year as she creates her own perfume, jewelry line, and nightclub chain. Another excellent transparency is “The Cost of Currency,” which explains not only the symbolism and codes on the dollar bill, but also currency production and waste. Did you know that most used bills end up in landfills but are sometimes recycled into mulch and roofing shingles? Weird.
Good also includes a “Good Guide.” This months features a “Good Guide to the Midterm Elections,” feauturing some of the worst cases of gerrymandering I have ever seen in my life, and a lovely sketch illustrating what Hillary Clinton and Rick Santorum would look like in nascar-style uniforms boasting of their sponsors. It’s basically one of the greatest things ever. To top off the “Good Guide,” they’ve kindly included stickers of party animals, that is, animals decked out in red, white, and blue. They’re fun to stick on your Ipod, windows, notebooks, or forehead if you please.
Towards the end of the magazine is an article about different efforts to create more urban green spaces. We’re shown different blue prints of each area, how much it costs to fund them, and how they’ll change cosmopolitan living. For instance, the first of the public spaces shown is the Brooklyn Bridge Park, to be located underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. It will offer beaches, fishing spots, and floating pathways between five different piers. The park will be completed in 2012 and costs about $150 million from private and public funding. The article draws attention to the need for more public space for people to exercise, relax, and interact.
However, Good magazine would be nothing without it’s thought provoking essays appropriately called “Provocations.” A compilation of short essays from several well known figures, “Provocations” asks and answers questions that seem difficult to answer. Contributing this month was Jonathan Greenblatt, the co-founder of Ethos Water and a former vice president of consumer products at Starbucks. “Do companies really give a damn?” he asks. He explores the new mantra of corporate social responsibility and maintains that companies need to “build brands and implement business strategies that are grounded in an ethical framework.”
Another interesting viewpoint came from Uzodinma Iweala, author of Beasts of No Nation. In an essay entitled “Am I American Enough For You?” Iweala tells of an incident he had with a US customs officer upon returning to the states. The officer asked him why he was here. “He had seen the name of a foreigner stamped inside an American passport and wondered why I had citizenship in his country.” He also shed light on how the media portrayed Tara Lipinski’s win over Michelle Kwan in the 1998 Olympic Games. “American Beats out Kwan,” read the headlines. Michelle Kwan is from Torrence, California. These essays really get you thinking about Americans and how we treat each other as individuals, consumers, and neighbors.
Because I have begun with a quote, I feel much obliged to end with one. The late Audrey Hepburn said, “I’m glad I’ve got a name, because I’m using it for what it’s worth.” Good magazine is using it’s name for all it’s worth, spreading the meaning of what it is to be good. It is a magazine worthy of its title, encompassing all aspects of goodness without depreciating the golden value of the word. But Good Magazine does more than educate, it gives us hope. The idealism of Good is something to aspire to. It is prescriptive without being discouragingly critical, inspiring our generation to actively participate in being good. Thus, by being good, we can better not only ourselves but sustain a healthy global economy that benefits everyone. Get it? Got it? Good.
The complete goodness of Good cannot be established from this article alone, if you’re interested, go to their website goodmagazine.com or check it out at Barnes and Noble. 
(Current Standing ~ 3 out of 5)
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November 6th, 2006 at 3:41 pm
Can’t wait for the second issue!!
November 6th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
So goooood
November 6th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
I’m getting me a copy
November 7th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Where can I get a copy besides BN?
November 7th, 2006 at 2:16 pm
Wow this looks really interesting. I’m definitely gonna have to check this out…thanks for letting me know with such a well-written article!
December 20th, 2006 at 5:01 pm
Potential subscribers beware. I thought this was a cool idea too. But I’ve sent several emails to Good Magazine in an attempt to discover the status of a subscription I bought several weeks ago. No response at all. No magazine either.
Worst. Customer. Service. Ever. And that’s not good.