I hope that Nike receives overwhelming criticism for their “Yanking a U-S-A- themed sneaker featuring an early American flag after Colin Kaepernick told Nike that the shoes were offensive because they were a symbol of slavery. Specifically, the flag created during the American Revolution has 13 stars representing the American colonies that revolted against English rule.
My argument is that while from a perspective of human rights America has not lived up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, we remain on balance a “light unto the nations.” For us, to allow people like Kaepernick to impose his views will establish a dangerous precedent. It reminds me of the excesses that occurred in France following their revolution or China during the Cultural Revolution. Kaepernick has a history of belittling American patriotism, including his kneeling at football games when our national anthem is played.
My guess is that Kaepernick would condemn our World War II accomplishments and veterans because during that era America employed a segregated army. When I think of how generous America treated German, Japanese, and Italian civilians after World War II, I am proud of that record. That is, this same Jim Crow army was magnanimous in victory.
For Nike to remove those shoes because America allowed slavery during that era takes the American Revolution out of context. Instead, we should be proud that not only America defeated monarchist Britain, but we took the unprecedented steps of including the Bill of Rights Amendments as an add on to our Constitution, the first democratic constitution.
In conclusion, Kaepernick’s perverted historical perceptions have now found support from Nike, one of America’s leading companies. His myopic perceptions will encourage further demands. Sadly, at this time we cannot forecast the next actions of extremists. I think we should take action now to educate not only the leaders of Nike but also other opinion makers. The consequence of silence is mayhem.
