View Full Version : In Other news: 2 days before Independence day. Betsy Ross is
Great-Kazoo
07-02-2019, 09:26
https://sports.yahoo.com/nike-recalls-shoe-after-colin-kaepernick-raises-racial-concerns-044445358.html
In a decision that will thrust Nike into the spotlight of corporations walking a tightrope between product and historic symbolism, the athletic giant has pulled an American flag-themed shoe from circulation after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick expressed concern to the company about selling apparel he says features a slave-era emblem.
According to a source who spoke with Yahoo Sports, Nike began a movement to pull the shoe from stores nearly two weeks ago after Kaepernick and others raised concern that the ?Betsy Ross Flag? printed on the heel of the company?s 4th of July-themed Air Max 1 was not only racially insensitive, but had also been adopted by some groups such as the Patriot Movement and Identity Evropa (pronounced ?Europa?) allegedly as a symbol of white nationalism.
Once again what's sad, besides the obvious is the word ALLEGEDLY . No solid proof, just outrage over an allegation.
Happy Pre- 4th of July . Or in an alternate universe. The beginning of slave oppression. Cause we all know there was never any slavery of any person of color, or any income level, before the Revolutionary War.
Zundfolge
07-02-2019, 09:45
Nike has long made its bed with the anti-American schmucks like Kaepernick ... this won't really hurt them because most patriotic Americans were already boycotting them.
On a side note wouldn't the shoes have been a violation of the flag code anyway?
Nike has long made its bed with the anti-American schmucks like Kaepernick ... this won't really hurt them because most patriotic Americans were already boycotting them.
On a side note wouldn't the shoes have been a violation of the flag code anyway?
No, this is a very misunderstood aspect of the code. The code states that a/the flag should not be used for clothing etc. But it's talking about a legit flag being used for such a purpose, rather than a flag being printed or sewn onto such items (except in the case of disposable items).
While one could argue such apparel violates the spirit of the code, it does not violate the letter as far as I can tell.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/4/8
Great, now I have to double-boycott.
Aloha_Shooter
07-02-2019, 11:58
Kaepernick just needs to give up his US citizenship in protest and move to Liberia or some place that fits with his notion of equality and justice. Nike has been too PC and corporate for my tastes (interesting blend though) so I don't buy anything with the swoosh anyway.
But...wait. Kaepernick was only protesting police violence.
Yeah, bullshit. He's protesting this country. He would like to be selective about how we got here and how he got any notoriety at all. History is....history. Times moved on, as maybe he should. Stop trying to re-define the past. Acknowledge it and how things have changed. Make today and tomorrow better. Those are your options.
America. Love it, warts and all...or leave it.
Arizona to nix Nike perks after company pulls Betsy Ross sneakers (https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/arizona-to-nix-nike-perks-after-company-pulls-betsy-ross-sneakers/ar-AADKbhs)
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said Tuesday in a Tweet he will order the state's commerce authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars for the shoe company to locate in the state after Nike said it's dropping its Betsy Ross American flag sneakers.
Nike has been planning to build a manufacturing plant on metro Phoenix's west side, which was expected to bring 500 jobs to the area, The Arizona Republic reported on Monday. The city had agreed to waive up to nearly $1 million in fees and reimburse up to $1 million for the jobs it will create, the paper reported.
On Monday night, Nike said it was pulling the sneakers, which featured an early American flag designed by Betsy Ross in celebration of the July Fourth holiday. The decision followed a complaint from former NFL football player Colin Kaepernick, who pointed to the flag's use during a period slavery, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. There also have been reports of the flag's use by extremist groups, according to the paper.
"It is a shameful retreat for the company. American businesses should be proud of our country's history, not abandoning it," wrote Ducey on Twitter.
"Nike has made its decision, and now we're making ours. I've ordered the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars under their discretion that the State was providing for the company to locate here."
Ducey, formerly the CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, has been Arizona's Governor since 2015.
Kaepernick has been a polarizing figure in sports after he decided not to stand for the national anthem during a 2016 NFL preseason football game, in a protest against racial injustice. His actions have been widely defended as an exercise of his freedom of speech.
Kaepernick has not played in the league since that 2016 season after the San Francisco 49ers failed to resign the former quarterback. He then filed collusion grievances against the league, which have since been settled.
Last year, Nike featured Kaepernick as part of its 30th anniversary of its iconic"Just Do It" campaign.
Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But...wait. Kaepernick was only protesting police violence.
Yeah, bullshit. He's protesting this country. He would like to be selective about how we got here and how he got any notoriety at all. History is....history. Times moved on, as maybe he should. Stop trying to re-define the past. Acknowledge it and how things have changed. Make today and tomorrow better. Those are your options.
America. Love it, warts and all...or leave it.
[snip]
Yes and I wish!
Even when they control everything, they are still not happy. It's like living with a psychotic person:
"If you just do this one thing, I'll be happy." *
Does the thing
"If you just do this one thing, I'll be happy." *
*She was never going to be happy
https://news.gallup.com/poll/259841/american-pride-hits-new-low-few-proud-political-system.aspx
https://content.gallup.com/origin/gallupinc/GallupSpaces/Production/Cms/POLL/fu1jdo9txeyzjtv63gwmbw.png
BushMasterBoy
07-02-2019, 19:12
I'm sure the Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves at the cover up.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_UFO_Day
GilpinGuy
07-02-2019, 21:12
This has zero impact on my life. I don't give a shit.
America. Love it, warts and all...or leave it.
What a dumb saying. Is that what you say when you're going through security with TSA or your property taxes go up due to artificial inflation every year?
This has zero impact on my life. I don't give a shit.
This is where I'm at.
DavieD55
07-02-2019, 21:19
The story is not really news but rather anti-American agitprop. The story is manufactured for the soul purpose to fuel the fire of division and anti-American hatred for our nation on the most historically significant day in American history.
kaepernick is nothing more than a useful idiot and puppet of the anti-American globalist corporate establishment of yahoo news and nike inc.
GilpinGuy
07-02-2019, 21:27
The story is not really news but rather anti-American agitprop. The story is manufactured for the soul purpose to fuel the fire of division and anti-American hatred for our nation on the most historically signifficant day in American history.
kaepernick is nothing more than a useful idiot and puppet of the anti-American globalist corporate establishment of yahoo news and nike inc.
And this is exactly why we should simply ignore them. Giving them any attention at all empowers them to continue their asshatery.
If everyone would have just sighed and said, "Who cares?" when Kaperwhatever started kneeling nobody would even know his name now.
OtterbatHellcat
07-02-2019, 22:18
This has zero impact on my life. I don't give a shit.
I'm on with this sentiment as well.
The attention does bother me though. The asshat can stir shit up again after this amount of time on the same level as the last useless bullshit time.
What a dumb saying. Is that what you say when you're going through security with TSA or your property taxes go up due to artificial inflation every year?
Holy non sequitur, Batman.
The attention does bother me though. The asshat can stir shit up again after this amount of time on the same level as the last useless bullshit time.
It's easy when the leftist media is amplifying it. Same goes for ignoring the kneeler. The MSM wouldn't let that opportunity get away.
Holy non sequitur, Batman.
I guess the next time you ever post a complaint about something in this country, it will be while you're waiting to check your bags for your one way flight to Canada.
I guess the next time you ever post a complaint about something in this country, it will be while you're waiting to check your bags for your one way flight to Canada.
You're totally off the context.
I'm not bitching about the spilled milk that is our history. The tooth paste is out of the tube. Good luck putting it back in.
We know you aren't bitching about the spilled milk because since America didn't invent slavery, it's okay. I remember.
We know you aren't bitching about the spilled milk because since America didn't invent slavery, it's okay. I remember.
I never said slavery was OK, but thanks for making shit up and attributing it to me. Not sure why you have a bug up your ass about me.
Did some Americans own slaves? Yes. Can those Americans retroactively un-own them and have American slavery not happen. No. How many slaves did Betsy Ross own?
Do we never move on for the things that ended 154 years ago, or do we let our history be co-opted and used for an agenda?
Nike’s Betsy Ross controversy highlights new dangers lurking in old American icons (https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/02/nikes-betsy-ross-controversy-highlights-new-dangers-in-american-icons.html)
KEY POINTS
*The 13-star flag, which was America’s first, is said to have been designed by Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross.
*In recent years, the flag, like a number of early American symbols, has been co-opted by opposition groups to illustrate their ties to America before the federal government was established.
*That tie though, according to multiple experts, is not necessarily one that Nike should have thought to sidestep.
An apparent attempt at celebrating America’s history turned into political outrage this week, when Nike pulled its sneakers depicting an early version of the American flag, after former NFL football player Colin Kaepernick reportedly told the company the image is offensive and tied to slavery.
The controversy faced by Nike is the most recent example of the danger of relying on historical icons as modern interpretation changes along with political discord.
The 13-star flag, which was America’s first, is said to have been designed by Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross (though historians note that lore was propagated by her grandson and never confirmed). While Ross lived during slavery, her flag’s relationship to white supremacy was not immediately clear to a number of historians contacted by CNBC. The political leanings of Ross are unknown, but Philadelphia, with its large Quaker population, had neutral leanings during the Revolutionary War.
In recent years, the flag, like a number of early American symbols, has been co-opted by groups to harken back to a picture of America before a large centralized federal government was established. One of the more famous recent examples is the Tea Party’s use of the Gadsden “rattlesnake” flag that has the phrase “Don’t tread on me.”
“It’s probably mainly a matter of these groups’ attempts to appropriate and fetishize the American Revolution for their own ugly (and historically inaccurate) purposes,” said Scott P. Marler, associate professor of history at University of Memphis, in an email.
That tie though, according to multiple experts, is not necessarily one that Nike should have thought to sidestep.
“If all these historians didn’t know [the relationship between white supremacy and the Betsy Ross flag], then Nike shouldn’t be expected to know it,” said Mary Beth Norton, the Mary Donlon Alger professor of American History at Cornell University.
The “Betsy Ross” flag is not part of a database maintained by the Anti-Defamation League of more than 150 so-called hate symbols, including the Confederate flag, a noose, Pepe the Frog and Sadistic Souls, said Mark Pitcavage, senior research fellow at ADL’s Center on Extremism.
“The Betsy Ross flag is a common historical flag,” said Pitcavage. He noted that while the flag has been used used by white supremacists “from time to time,” he has “never once thought about” adding the Betsy Ross flag to the list.
Still, the flag has caused controversy before. In 2016, students at a majority white high school in Michigan waved the 13-star flag during a football game, in which several black students were playing on the opposing team. They were also holding “Make America Great Again” flags in support of President Donald Trump.
The head of the NAACP’s local chapter at the time said Ross’s flag had been “co-opted by exclusionary movements,” including “the so-called ‘Patriot Movement’ and other militia groups who are responding to America’s increasing diversity with opposition and racial supremacy.”
The NAACP and the Michigan high school didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment on this story.
In a statement provided to CNBC, Nike said the company ”...made the decision to halt distribution” of the shoes ” ... based on concerns that it could unintentionally offend and detract from the nation’s patriotic holiday.”
While Nike’s decision to pull the sneakers was intended to avoid offense, it also opened it up to political rebuke, and jeopardized potential financial incentives to add a manufacturing facility in Arizona.
“Instead of celebrating American history the week of our nation’s independence, Nike has apparently decided that Betsy Ross is unworthy, and has bowed to the current onslaught of political correctness and historical revisionism,” wrote Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Twitter, who said he was pulling funds earmarked for Nike for adding jobs in the state.
Ross’s flag earned a formal commemoration on June 14, 1777, when the U.S. passed a law creating Flag Day. The legislation reads: “Resolved. That the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”
The flag has evolved since its earliest iteration, adding more stars as more states joined the union.
“Since patriot groups, militias, etc., tend to be firmly linked to ’100% (white) Americanism,′ the rumor has now taken root that the Ross flag constitutes another such symbol (like the Confederate flag),” said University of Memphis’s Professor Marler.
“Well, if it wasn’t before, it sure will be now, and it’s a shame to concede it to them.”
Nike shares closed down less than 1% in trading Tuesday afternoon, having risen about 8% over the past 12 months.
I'm sure the 9000 blacks who served in the American Revolution, and especially the 5000 combat soldiers, would just love this. Especially considering they had less numbers, but due to length of time served comprised almost 1/4 of the actual manpower throughout the war.
Not all blacks were enslaved in that period (just like not all whites were, unless Irish and in the Caribbean).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Americans_in_the_Revolutionary_War
I think it's one thing to say "things aren't right" or "we need to change x" and another thing to say you aren't proud of America.
Consider that our government really isn't even the country. I know that's harder for a Lib because they think gov is all. But America is so much more. If you can't at least say you are proud of that you really should exercise your freedom to leave rather than ruin the party for everyone else.
Kneeling is going full retard in this department. A person is also pissing off all the people who he might want to persuade. I give zero f's over what Kaepernick thinks, for example. Oops.
Slavery was in fact ubiquitous in the 17th century. Race based slavery has been eliminated in the developed world and America eliminated it with emancipation (very different from what other countries did). What's the point in anyone brining that up? Just creating a wedge that no one can resolve. It's economic slavery that is worthy of a conversation in the present, and the people who push ID politics are the ones promoting it!
Back to Nike... They aren't in the "we need to change something" space, they went full-retard-by-proxy hiring Kaepernick AND THEY KNEW IT WHEN THEY DID IT.
When I do make the mistake of asking what can be changed, all I get are non-solutions (reparations) and buzzwords because institutional racism has been eliminated in the US. It is a myth! Another thing people should be proud of. Funny that Americans never get credit for making progress, isn't it? It's almost like the people who bring up slavery and racial issues are just desperate to justify the loathing they feel for Americans and that loathing will never end until we do.
This seems like an attempt to attack Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan by making the argument that America never was great. It's a continuation of Obama politics.
Scanker19
07-03-2019, 09:51
78295
nikes are the only shoes I like to run in.
This seems like an attempt to attack Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan by making the argument that America never was great. It's a continuation of Obama politics.
It's very similar to the first black president going to the UN to call his country racist.
nikes are the only shoes I like to run in.
Mizuno's fit like Nikes and are better made.
I've heard people like New Balance but haven't tried them.
https://www.newbalance.com/made-in-us-and-uk/
New Balance makes them wide enough for me, I like the curved last they use for multiple models, and the model I typically wear is made in the US - the 990v4.
Historical versions of the flag remind us of America's problematic past.
But they didn't in 2013 when Obama used them.
Yeah, this is a legit concern brought forth by people who love our country. [LOL]
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D-jOOarWwAADfck.jpg:small
DavieD55
07-03-2019, 12:51
http://i63.tinypic.com/28uqu52.jpg
hurley842002
07-03-2019, 12:56
I've heard people like New Balance but haven't tried them.
I pretty much wear New Balance exclusively, and as of a couple days ago the whole family is wearing them. Keen is the other brand I wear for the more rugged outdoor activities.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I pretty much wear New Balance exclusively, and as of a couple days ago the whole family is wearing them. Keen is the other brand I wear for the more rugged outdoor activities.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The kids have Keens and like them. The oldest also has some Adidas for school.
I wear Merrils for light hiking and stuff that held up very well but I don't do much with them.
--
Nike Releases Bernie Sanders Signature Shoe That Helps You Survive Under Socialism
https://babylonbee.com/news/nike-releases-new-patriotic-bernie-sanders-signature-shoe
https://babylonbee.com/img/articles/article-4448-1.jpg
OtterbatHellcat
07-03-2019, 18:09
DavieD55...…
I'm considering sending you a bill for a new laptop. :D
Scanker19
07-03-2019, 18:39
I find new balance a bit too hard for running, but I also don’t spend more than &80 for running shoes either. But I do like the witch’s new balance come in. Maybe next time I’ll try the new balance store.
I keep a couple of pairs of Nike’s in the closet just so I have something to through on the fire at the next pro-America rally.
Bailey Guns
07-04-2019, 13:20
https://i.imgur.com/2Fwavbz.jpg
When your argument doesn't have a leg to stand on, make one up. Twist something into what it isn't and get your partners in the media to advance your made up argument.
I thought this response by Ted Cruz was pretty good.
Cruz adds ‘context’ after Kaepernick quotes from Frederick Douglass ‘Fourth of July’ speech (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/cruz-adds-context-after-kaepernick-quotes-from-frederick-douglass-fourth-of-july-speech/ar-AADS0li)
Sen. Ted Cruz responded Thursday night after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick posted a passage earlier on the Fourth of July from a famous speech by Civil War-era abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
The passage Kaepernick cites is from Douglass’ speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
Douglass delivered the speech at a meeting of the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, N.Y., on July 5, 1852 – nearly nine years before the Civil War began.
Kaepernick posted the following portion, without adding any comments: “What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? This Fourth of July is yours, not mine ... There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.”
But the former San Francisco 49ers signal-caller includes a video montage of a longer version of the speech, accompanied by drawings depicting American slaves and photos from the Civil War era. Interspersed are videos from recent years, showing police using force against people of color.
“You quote a mighty and historic speech by the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass,” Sen. Cruz writes in response, “but, without context, many modern readers will misunderstand.”
Cruz goes on to acknowledge that slavery was an “abomination” in the U.S. but was eliminated through the efforts of Douglass and “so many other heroes.”
The senator then asserts that Douglass “was not anti-American; he was, rightly and passionately, anti-slavery.”
As evidence, Cruz quotes another portion of the same Douglass speech:
“Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country.
“There are forces in operation, which must inevitably, work the downfall of slavery. ‘The arm of the Lord is not shortened,’ and the doom of slavery is certain.
“I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. While drawing encouragement from ‘the Declaration of Independence,’ the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age.”
After quoting Douglass, Cruz then writes: “Let me encourage everyone, READ THE ENTIRE SPEECH; it is powerful, inspirational, and historically important in bending the arc of history towards justice.”
The senator then includes a link to the full text of the Douglass speech.
Kaepernick has gained notoriety in recent years for drawing attention to the issue of police use of force against African-Americans and other minorities. It began with his kneeling protests during the playing of the national anthem before NFL games and continued in other ways after he left the league.
Earlier this year, Kaepernick reached a settlement with the NFL after being unable to get a job with another team since leaving the 49ers.
This week, the former quarterback made headlines for opposing the so-called Betsy Ross flag added to a new design of Nike sneakers, viewing the flag as a reminder of slavery.
The apparel company agreed to halt sales of the sneaker after Kaepernick’s complaint, “based on concerns that it could unintentionally offend” people. Kaepernick has been an endorser of Nike products.
Others have argued that the 13-starred Betsy Ross flag is symbolic of America’s fight for independence from Britain, and is separate from the slavery issue.
Cruz was one of several top Republicans to oppose Nike's decision to end sales of the sneakers.
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