TL;DR – Nike makes Colin Kaepernick the face of the company; right wing extremists react predictably by burning their possessions
I think of all the tropes that exist in busted-ass America, I think one of my favorites is when a notable company takes a liberal stance on a divisive topic, and people who disagree don’t just disagree, they disagree with fire. Literally. As in they set fire to said company’s products that they’ve presumably paid for, owned and used at some point in their lives. Because they disagree with them politically.
Sometimes it’s not just fire, or fire at all. People shot their YETI coolers with actual ammunition, and then some people good old fashioned spiked their Keurig coffee makers onto the ground. But the end result is still the same, that things end up destroyed.
Things, like Nikes and YETIs and Keurigs, that at some point, someone paid money for; money that went into the coffers and accounted into the annual reports of millions and billions of dollars for companies as the aforementioned.
Yeah, people destroy their shit when any of them take a stance on something that not everyone agrees on. As if destroying them will magically get their money back, which of course is not the case. So people end up angry and bent out of shape, and on top of that, now have to go out and buy some new sneakers or workout apparel, or a new cooler, or a new coffee maker.
All because they’re attention whores who feel required to make videos of themselves demonstrating their eagerness to waste their own money and resources, all because some people don’t agree with your line of thinking.
Real intelligent reactions, there.
Because much like YETI coolers and Keurig coffee makers, Nikes sure as shit ain’t cheap. A pair of Air Jordans probably costs more than most Keurigs, and most all YETI coolers except the one that alleges to be bulletproof and probably has something on it that is wi-fi capable. But that still doesn’t change the fact that because an athletic apparel company has decided to side with, an athlete, all that shit is now eligible to be put to the flame, because it will clearly send a message to them that their choices ARE WRONG.
I think the best part for me is that I would wager money that there are people who have already gone out to thrift stores or discount apparel retailers, and actually spent money on some Nike products, just so that they can go back home and put them to the fire to burn, without having to risk the actual Nike gear that they have that they don’t want to admit to keeping, because it’s still actually decent quality, and/or would be too costly to replace.
Because people in today’s society are all inherently attention whores, and the need to make content, as stupid as it may be, to put out on social media for less than 90 people to hopefully see it and think they’re stupid.
Either way, more level-headed people are quick to point out that in the case of disdain for shoes and clothing, these could just as easily be donated away to those who need it instead of burned, and frankly have way more possibility of impact than simply burning them. Not only can donations be written off and positively create a chance to gain some monetary impact back, but deliberately donate to troubled people, and hope they make the news for crime while wearing Nike shit. Nike most definitely pays attention to that kind of stuff, and they actually care about their reputation.
Actually no, the best part of this whole thing for me is that despite the racist undertones of the opposition, there are many who like to destroy their belongings that don’t seem to realize the breadth of Nike’s network; like the fact that they own brands like Converse and Hurley which are some very specific brands that are quite popular amongst white people.
Better burn all that shit too!
Frankly, burning Nike gear is like the absolute least impactful to Nike’s reputation that a righty extremist could possibly do, but then again, that kind of abstract thinking isn’t exactly the forte of those willing to do it. Whatever though, the shenanigans of the stupid are endlessly entertaining to me. Not that I particularly have a side in this specific debate, I ain’t trashing my Nikes, because they weren’t cheap, and they’re still good shoes. Shoes that I can kick up on a coffee table and drinking a cup of coffee brewed by my Keurig before I go for a leisurely run.
