Conservatives Triggered by Nike Cancelling Code-Violating Shoes with 'Racist' Betsy Ross Flag

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Nike Air Max, both here
looking like the multi-material money-wasting forsaken failures they are

Well, fellow Americans -- freedom-lovers, freedom-fighters, equality-givers and right-wingers alike, another Independence Day has come and gone. Another day of celebrating our country's birth and beginnings (big, wide, breathing pulsating warts and all) in the history books. And yet another controversy has come and gone with it, and conservatives are angry about it. Not, not the continuing drama of the crisis of immigration on our Southern border--that shit is irrelevant (to them). No, something they're genuinely furious and passionate about.
NIKE HAS CANCELLED DISTRIBUTION OF A NEW LINE OF SHOES DESIGNED WITH THE BETSY ROSS AMERICAN FLAG!!!

OH, THE HUMANITIES!!!!!

Yes, this was a thing. With the shoe, and Republicans' piss-tivity of its being held back by Nike.
Here's what happened.

The Air Max, a pretty good-looking shoe, besides the heel
The Geek Herald

Nike was to release a new line of shoes tied to the 4th of July called the Air Max 1 featuring a design of the colors of the American flag, with an image of the original American flag representing the 13 Colonies designed and sowed by Betsy Ross in 1776 featured on the heels. These were to be released shortly before the birth of our nation. That is until Colin Kaepernick put a stop to it.

Esquire

Kaepernick, a hero of civil rights for people of color (especially African Americans) today, looked at the shoe and asked Nike (he has an endorsement deal with the company) not to sell as the BR flag represented a time in United States history where slavery and oppression were still running strong against natural Africans, plus the fact that these days white nationalist groups have used the version of the flag as their rallying symbol. After news of Kap's stopping the presses on the Air Max hit the web, Republican politicians and Conservative talking heads alike did what they did best(?) at: bitching about it.

Now, look. I'm not a certified sneaker-head. I love to own a good pair of sneakers every once in a while, and most of them I'm lucky to have. Although most of them come from thrift stores rather than the actual stores that sell them hot and fresh off the assembly line. But this is absolutely ridiculous. I will believe that right-wingers do have a certain style and appetite for sneakers -- designer or comforting -- as much much as the next guy (some more than the more important's issues of the matter sadly). But had Kap not said anything about the Air Max shoes, right-wingers wouldn't have cared about it, let alone bought them. And its' this is yet another example of them putting their politics and policies aside (as if they had any that benefits us) for a non-issue that affects literally no one (even though I'm talking about it now, it certainly as hell didn't affect me). In fact, this isn't the first time they've done this; fuck, this isn't the first time they done it involving Nike.

Remember the "controversy" of Fox News Channel hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham that sponsors to drop their deals with their shows last year? The former said misogynistic, homophobic and racially insensitive remarks on Florida radio shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge’s program, (That got companies like Lexus, Jaguar, Pacific Life, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and bedding maker Sheex saying adios to “Tucker Carlson Tonight”, which later experienced a y-t-y revenue drop in 2018.) while the latter mocked Parkand Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor David Hogg for not getting into four prestigious universities. David then decided brilliantly to hit back at Ingraham where it hurts: her wallet. He took to Twitter to ask his supporters to boycott the companies that support her show and directly convince said sponsors that they are supporting a white supremacist (supporter) whose views on such are toxic and racist, and they should think about what they're buying into. They agreed and dropped her like Precious' evil bitch mom dropped her baby.

Or the time fellow Fox News host Sean Hannity saw his show lose sponsors like Yeti coolers and Keurig coffer makers. It's this sponsor boycott that got Hannity's and Fox News' viewers and other conservatives really in blood-boiling tizzy as it got them to destroy the products in various ways while recording them doing the deeds and posting them to YouTube and social media; they also comment on the boycotts saying in unison that they won't be buying the companies' products after the boycotts. The companies have since come back to Hannity, but nothing as of yet in some cases in Carlson's and Ingraham's cases as of this MMost's posting. But here's the thing: they bought Yeti's and Keurig's products anyway... and they gave the companies their money anyway, so... yeah, that was pointless and stupid.

And the Nike thing was also stupid. Speaking of...

Remember the "controversy" of kneeling Kaepernick gave during renditions of the Star Spangled Banner, in which he believes (agreeably to me) that the song was made during a time of inequality in the U.S., and does not fully represent black people whom have suffered brutality at the hands of law enforcement for the past several years?

Yeah, that got him to lose his job with the NFL after they threw him under the bus for rightfully expressing his free speech and brilliant race rights. Fortunately, he dusted off the crap and become a beloved civil activist fighting for equal rights for people of color -- which I love wholeheartedly. (While at the same time, being an enemy to stupid racist white people who know nothing about the realities of oppression in black and brown America and rejoice their supremacy. Other athletes like U.S. Women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe have since joined him in his iconic stance to similar praise) and Nike recognized this fight in him and gave him a lucrative enforcement deal leading to this incredible, beautiful ad campaign encouraging people to  beat the odds the be the best while being themselves.


And Republiconservatives were seething. And they showed their seeth by destroying Nike products in foolish and over-the-top ways and posing videos of it on YT ans SoMed. Oh and not buying any more products too.




Again, they bought the Nike stuff, and gave it their money. So what's the point of all of this?!?! Nike (and all those other companies mentioned earlier) are not suffering from GOP's "suffering". They are all multi-million-dollar (some billion-dollar) companies who don't give a sweet, sappy shit about who buys their products and who doesn't buy them. As long as they're still in the green afterwards, cry away babies--cry away. It just makes them all look dumb.

Which leads back to this issue with the Swoop Troop.


Many Republiconservatives are triggered by the cancellation because they are driven by greed and corruptions disguised as love for "their" country. They don't care about what truly keeps her heart beating today but about the past that's slowly and severely killing it. And almost buying and mourning the death of a shoe that is more a cartoon of that love instead of a celebration of its founding and startup shows it proudly.
This Air Max 1 isn't something everyone's got to have; it isn't like the iPod or the Atari or Walkman or even the Slinky. Even if it was a hit today, the popularity and trendiness would die off soon after it's hit the store shelves, as another product would beat it to be the king of the moment. It's like literally every meme on the internet before and since.  It doesn't give you life or anything that is necessary to keep you alive; it's just a pair of something to keep your feet from getting dirty and damaged. And the design isn't something to write (or text) home about. It's just a few colors wrapped around the exterior; whoopie.
But the real reason people care about it now at all because of the Betsy Ross flag on the heels. They don't even look good, the design (to me, at least) looks very tacky, sloppy and it violates the United States Flag Code.


Oh, bet'cha didn't know that exists huh? Well, it does.

According to Wikipedia,

The United States Flag Code establishes advisory rules for display and care of the national flag of the United States of America. It is Chapter 1 of Title 4 of the United States Code (4 U.S.C. § 1 et seq). This is a U.S. federal law, but the penalty described in Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. § 700) for failure to comply with it is not enforced. 

Some important sections of the code to to gawk a gander at include:

•  The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free.
• The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard.

And most importantly:

• No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform.

So, unless you work for law enforcement, a fire brigade or the military, YOU CANNOT WEAR THE AMERICAN FLAG ON YOUR FUCKING CLOTHES!
It's ILLEGAL. And it's also obnoxious, tacky and cringe-worthy.
Tomi Lahren did it in 2017 as part of a Halloween costume, and learned about the code the hard way, thanks to her favorite thing, social media.

And all of you "American patriots" came very close to doing the same in time for the 4th of July. You Republicans think you are in love with the very fabric of America, but don't jack shit about it under the surface of it out side of the flag, the bald eagle, Mount Rushmore, the plains and prairies and oceans and the guy in the most famous address who really doesn't know or care about any of them--and you. Just like the last boycott, this didn't work, because people on the left bought Nike products just to support Nike and Kaepernick, showing them as more sensible to progressing history and him as much more patriotic then the hatriots were before and ever will be. So keep it up, y'all. It all won't work like it did those last time, but Nike will keep reaping the rewards of and raving Republicans ranting about a pair of footwear. So shame on all the Republicunts ignoring the real issues of the world to bitch about something most of them probably won't even have the care (or money, mostly money) to have in the first place once again showing them to be what they are: greedy, insignificant, uncaring, self-absorbed taints with no business being even near political discourse -- let alone office.

Now, about the thing about Nike being a cesspool of harassment and discrimination for women...?