Author Topic: Bestie Ross Nike shoe cancelled because of ties with Slavery  (Read 1403 times)

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Offline Boges

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/nike-nixes-betsy-ross-flag-sneaker-after-colin-kaepernick-intervenes-11562024126

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Nike Inc. NKE -0.52% is yanking a U.S.A.-themed sneaker featuring an early American flag after NFL star-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick told the company it shouldn’t sell a shoe with a symbol that he and others consider offensive, according to people familiar with the matter.

The sneaker giant created the Air Max 1 USA in celebration of the July Fourth holiday, and it was slated to go on sale this week. The heel of the shoe featured a U.S. flag with 13 white stars in a circle, a design created during the American Revolution and commonly referred to as the Betsy Ross flag.

[Related: Arizona governor pulls state aid for Nike plant over controversy]

After shipping the shoes to retailers, Nike asked for them to be returned without explaining why, the people said. The shoes aren’t available on Nike’s own apps and websites.

“Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured the old version of the American flag,” a Nike spokeswoman said.

After images of the shoe were posted online, Mr. Kaepernick, a Nike endorser, reached out to company officials saying that he and others felt the Betsy Ross flag is an offensive symbol because of its connection to an era of slavery, the people said. Some users on social media responded to posts about the shoe with similar concerns. Mr. Kaepernick declined to comment.

I think the biggest problem with Liberalism this day and age is the way they analyze things in the past and apply current morality to it.

You see it all the time with analysis of TV shows and movies that don't stand up to today's "Woke" Standards.

So in this case a Nike shoe that celebrates figure that lived in the latter half of the 18th Century. Well over a hundred years before Slavery was abolished. This sets the standard that No Historic Figure can be celebrated if they were part of a country that took part in Slavery. The Founding Fathers should never be celebrated either. They were all white males that likely owned slaves.

It's a slippery slope and, I would argue, the strident nature of this re-addressing of history actually helps the far right. They can't paint the "Woke Crowd" as extremist.

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Offline wilber

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Future generations will judge todays SJW's by their own standards, not today's. It's only fair.
"Never trust a man without a single redeeming vice" WSC
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Offline waldo

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/nike-nixes-betsy-ross-flag-sneaker-after-colin-kaepernick-intervenes-11562024126

I think the biggest problem with Liberalism this day and age is the way they analyze things in the past and apply current morality to it.

please sir... that should be small 'l'

You see it all the time with analysis of TV shows and movies that don't stand up to today's "Woke" Standards.

So in this case a Nike shoe that celebrates figure that lived in the latter half of the 18th Century. Well over a hundred years before Slavery was abolished. This sets the standard that No Historic Figure can be celebrated if they were part of a country that took part in Slavery. The Founding Fathers should never be celebrated either. They were all white males that likely owned slaves.

It's a slippery slope and, I would argue, the strident nature of this re-addressing of history actually helps the far right. They can't paint the "Woke Crowd" as extremist.

good to know/read that those with conservative wokeness are able to perceive... flush out... decry... as you say, "woke standards" of the "woke crowd".

paraphrasing David Brooks, political commentator:
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The concept of woke: a plausible successor to the waning cool aesthetic; woke shares with cool a “rebel posture,” but where coolness is politically detached and individualistic, wokeness is “nationalistic and collectivist.” Cool is “emotionally reserved,” but “woke is angry.” “To be woke,” in short, “is to be radically aware and justifiably paranoid.”

by the by: assorted articles maintain that executives from New Balance, the only remaining major shoe company still manufacturing in the U.S., responded favourably to a Trump election victory and Trump statements related to manufacturing.  As a result, “The Daily Stormer”, (which identifies itself as a source for Republican news but is filled with anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi, and white nationalist posts), woke to declare New Balance footwear the “Official Shoes of White People.”

Offline Queefer Sutherland

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This is the dumbest story i've read in a while.  Nike are a bunch of cowards to bow to this kind of stupid nonsense.  I didn't think Nike could turn into a shittier company but surprise!

Maybe they should tear down the US Capital building because it was built in 1793.  I mean what insanity.
"Nipples is one of the great minds of our time!" - Bubbermiley
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Offline Boges

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by the by: assorted articles maintain that executives from New Balance, the only remaining major shoe company still manufacturing in the U.S., responded favourably to a Trump election victory and Trump statements related to manufacturing.  As a result, “The Daily Stormer”, (which identifies itself as a source for Republican news but is filled with anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi, and white nationalist posts), woke to declare New Balance footwear the “Official Shoes of White People.”

Then Kawhi Leonard is a tool of fascist Right. Shame.

Offline waldo

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star athlete drops his Nike endorsement!


guest18

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Isn't it disrespectful to the flag to put it on the heel of a shoe anyway?

Offline wilber

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When it comes to fit and comfort, Asics seem to work best for me
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Offline kimmy

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This is fairly ridiculous.


First off, I think everybody would agree that Nike has the wish to manage their brand as they see fit.   And I think they're capable of making marketing decisions on their own. They've been somewhat successful in that area over the years.  Nike sells tens of billions of dollars of product every year; Ted Cruz lost the Republican nomination to a crook with a comb-over. I don't think Nike needs any branding advice from Ted "Totally not a robot" Cruz.


With that out of the way, a few more observations:

 -the kind of people who are offended by this are already boycotting Nike. Remember? All those people who said they were never going to buy another Nike product after Nike hired Colin Kaepernick as a representative?  "We said we were boycotting before, but now we're really really boycotting!" What are they going to do, refused to buy Nike products in their afterlife too?   

 -the kind of people who are outraged over this are probably not people who buy a lot of Nike products anyway. Ted Cruz might have some Nike golf shirts in his closet, but mostly the people who are mad about this are angry fat old rednecks whose typical workout is lifting forkfuls of deep fried fast food into their mouths.  Old white Deep South evangelicals... statistically speaking the most obese people on earth aside from some of the Pacific Islanders.  Until Nike starts a new line of electric mobility scooters, I don't think this is really Nike's demographic anyway.

 -I imagine Nike did the same calculus they did when they hired Colin Kaepernick in the first place. As in: comparing potential sales gains among "woke" millenials vs sales losses among old fat dumb rednecks, and decided it was an easy call.

 -the shoe is being billed as celebrating Betsy Ross, but I don't think that's really the case. People see that flag, they don't think "Betsy Ross", they think of the 13 Colonies era.  And the 13 Colonies era wasn't that great for black people.  The "Betsy Ross flag" shoes were probably only going to really appeal to people who long for simpler times. "This country was better back before all this (black/gay/immigrants/women's lib/etc) stuff."

 -if anybody can get their hands on a pair of these, it might be a cool collectors item some day!


Ted Cruz and others who are feigning indignation over this are just trying to wrap themselves in the flag and rile up dumb-people... more or less the same kind of voters who also fall for **** like "the kids ain't even allowed to pray in school anymore."



 -k
Paris - London - New York - Kim City

Offline Boges

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-the shoe is being billed as celebrating Betsy Ross, but I don't think that's really the case. People see that flag, they don't think "Betsy Ross", they think of the 13 Colonies era.  And the 13 Colonies era wasn't that great for black people.  The "Betsy Ross flag" shoes were probably only going to really appeal to people who long for simpler times. "This country was better back before all this (black/gay/immigrants/women's lib/etc) stuff."

Which takes me back to the point that, in this "Woke" era, celebrating anything about the Antebellum USA is wrong because those people weren't "woke" enough to realize slavery was wrong, so they're bad. It's a very slippery slope.

Also you're criticizing Ted Cruz for kinda doing the same thing as Kapernick. He spoke out about the shoe, Cruz spoke out about pulling the shoe.
« Last Edit: July 03, 2019, 03:27:34 pm by Boges »
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Offline Queefer Sutherland

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Why would a shoe company want to become political.  You're inevitably going to make a big portion of the public PO'd.  Just sign an athlete/celebrity to a marketing deal and STFU.
"Nipples is one of the great minds of our time!" - Bubbermiley

Offline Omni

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Why would a shoe company want to become political.  You're inevitably going to make a big portion of the public PO'd.  Just sign an athlete/celebrity to a marketing deal and STFU.

Um, they did sign an athlete/celebrity to a marketing deal. His name is Kapernick and apparently he doesn't just STFU.

Offline Queefer Sutherland

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Um, they did sign an athlete/celebrity to a marketing deal. His name is Kapernick and apparently he doesn't just STFU.

He's a crappy athlete, they didn't sign him for his athleticism.
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Offline Omni

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He's a crappy athlete, they didn't sign him for his athleticism.

Yeah I guess any old "crappy athlete" can work his way into being the starting QB for the San Fran 49ers. Maybe you are going down that road because you don't like his politics.

Offline wilber

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Yeah I guess any old "crappy athlete" can work his way into being the starting QB for the San Fran 49ers. Maybe you are going down that road because you don't like his politics.

Still, he wasn't hired for his athleticism.
"Never trust a man without a single redeeming vice" WSC
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