Woke Inc.
“Was wearing nikes. And suddenly realized I was in a conservative state.”
And so goes the politicization of every damned thing anywhere. And it becomes ironic, that conservative and Republican outlets go about linking to some left or liberal outlets pointing out the strange dichotomy here: leaving aside that nike’s ceo donates to (and votes for) Republicans, we move to a litany of old complaints on nike’s corporate culture — sweat-shops, the boy’s network that once allowed Reebok to make some serious in-roads and now has exposed a litany of sexual harassment complaints, heck! Maybe even an old line against consumer culture itself.
Still, to wear nikes under the “Colin Kaepernick” ad (The Great Back- up quarterback denied his back up job due to his political stance… not that there’s anything wrong with being a back up quarterback, after all one just won the Superbowl, but this is a perpetual bee in my bonnet in Kaerpenick discussions)… particularly in a conservative state (Idaho? Utah?) … is a political statement of progressive values.
So what is this crap? I suppose nike sees the market skewing young, I suppose nike sees the market skewing global. But there’s a feat here that reminds me of how I’ve read Russia is managed by Putin and his oligarchs– you have your oppositional forces — who are concerted stereotypes… an old looking Communist Party hack and a very urban hipster looking liberal, a silly looking nationalist… arguing over cultural matters. The funding stems from the same sources. They’re quite fine with the urban hipster liberal taking on the cause of gay rights — because he’s in an “other” box for the Russian masses. See too the facebook ads Russia propagated… across the political spectrum, big fans of Jill Stein and Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump — and two sides against the center.
The next odd thing about the Colin Kaeperneck ad… and associated commentary… is we’re getting the question posed out in pundit land … “How will this affect the mid-term elections?” Because of course we have to ask that damnedable question. Two manners you go with this… exciting the Trump Republican base in that host of states incumbent Democratic Senators are holding off in Trump Country, as against distracting Republicans in those states as too suburban House districts from seguing from the Trump circus to the their economic message of prosperity. Maybe it’s part of the (Republican) Nike CEO’s master plan in keeping the Senate and House and screwing over Jon Tester and Phil Breseden?