Nike reportedly pulls "Betsy Ross flag" shoes over concerns from Colin Kaepernick

[LuisDantas]

Disagreed. It’s always good to distance a business from politics, but that ship has sailed for both Kaepernick and Nike.

I have no problem with politics as such.

But nationalism and patriotism are something else entirely, and to be avoided at every oportunity.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I don’t see why so many people hate a middle-class, white kid from Wisconsin. The nation is going insane!

I'm guessing you know this, but he is not white. He's mixed.

 

[David1967]

Outrageous and stupid. Who the hell associates the making of the American flag with slavery? I've never heard this. Colin is bonkers. It's not like he is an actual human rights activist when Nike shoes are made in sweat shops. He's a huge fake and hypocrite.

This!!!

 

[columbus]

I'm guessing you know this, but he is not white. He's mixed.

Ironic, innit?
I did not know that before this thread.
But then, I didn't even know Kaep existed until somebody on RF started talking about him. I couldn't care less about football.
Tom

 

[The Reverend Bob]

Disagreed. As Mark Twain once remarked:
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.”

IMO, Nike is making a big mistake by becoming anti-patriotic.

Mark Twain:

Patriotism is usually the refuge of the scoundrel. He is the man who talks the loudest

Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about.

Man is the only Patriot. He sets himself apart in his own country, under his own flag, and sneers at the other nations, and keeps multitudinous uniformed assassins on hand at heavy expense to grab slices of other people’s countries, and keep them from grabbing slices of his. And in the intervals between campaigns, he washes the blood off his hands and works for the universal brotherhood of man, with his mouth.

There are two kinds of patriotism -- monarchical patriotism and republican patriotism. In the one case the government and the king may rightfully furnish you their notions of patriotism; in the other, neither the government nor the entire nation is privileged to dictate to any individual what the form of his patriotism shall be. The gospel of the monarchical patriotism is: "The King can do no wrong." We have adopted it with all its servility, with an unimportant change in the wording: "Our country, right or wrong!" We have thrown away the most valuable asset we had:-- the individual's right to oppose both flag and country when he (just he, by himself) believed them to be in the wrong. We have thrown it away; and with it all that was really respectable about that grotesque and laughable word, Patriotism.”

The War Prayer

 

[Cooky]

I'm guessing you know this, but he is not white. He's mixed.

His ancestors were likely slave owners though.

 

[Cooky]

Mark Twain:

Patriotism is usually the refuge of the scoundrel. He is the man who talks the loudest

Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about.

Man is the only Patriot. He sets himself apart in his own country, under his own flag, and sneers at the other nations, and keeps multitudinous uniformed assassins on hand at heavy expense to grab slices of other people’s countries, and keep them from grabbing slices of his. And in the intervals between campaigns, he washes the blood off his hands and works for the universal brotherhood of man, with his mouth.

There are two kinds of patriotism -- monarchical patriotism and republican patriotism. In the one case the government and the king may rightfully furnish you their notions of patriotism; in the other, neither the government nor the entire nation is privileged to dictate to any individual what the form of his patriotism shall be. The gospel of the monarchical patriotism is: "The King can do no wrong." We have adopted it with all its servility, with an unimportant change in the wording: "Our country, right or wrong!" We have thrown away the most valuable asset we had:-- the individual's right to oppose both flag and country when he (just he, by himself) believed them to be in the wrong. We have thrown it away; and with it all that was really respectable about that grotesque and laughable word, Patriotism.”

The War Prayer

I'm guessing you want people to read that..?

 

[The Reverend Bob]

I'm guessing you want people to read that..?

Everyone should read Twain

 

[The Reverend Bob]

I have no problem with politics as such.

But nationalism and patriotism are something else entirely, and to be avoided at every oportunity.

I agree with you on nationalism but patriotism is suppose to be about values and principles

 

[Cooky]

I have no problem with politics as such.

But nationalism and patriotism are something else entirely, and to be avoided at every oportunity.

What commonality unites a people of a nation then? What should compel me to care about my neighbor?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

His ancestors were likely slave owners though.

Probably. As well as slaves. Not sure what this has to do with anything.

 

[Cooky]

Maybe thats why street gangs form. A kind if micro-patriotism. Village size patriotism or nationalism.

 

[LuisDantas]

I agree with you on nationalism but patriotism is suppose to be about values and principles

Is it?

I for one never saw the need to attach those with some form of country. And there are very real dangers in making the attempt.

 

[LuisDantas]

What commonality unites a people of a nation then? What should compel me to care about my neighbor?

Nations are purely political constructs. Glorified fiction, nothing more and nothing less.

Fraternity and cooperation neither require the existence of any form of nation nor can legitimaly be curtailed by that existence.

 

[Cooky]

If there's ever a flag for the human race, I think it should include a tree fruit such as the mango, since humans are a tropical species.

 

[LuisDantas]

I'm guessing you know this, but he is not white. He's mixed.

It should say something that people can't accurately tell one's ethnic group from looking at the actual person.

 

[Cooky]

Unlike humans, dogs are a prarie species... Dogs hate citrus.

 

[Shad]

What commonality unites a people of a nation then? What should compel me to care about my neighbor?

Religion once did.

The lack of common ground and a shared perpective is why the US is tearing itself apart and will continue to do so until it collapse in the next few decades.

 

[Cooky]

Religion once did.

The lack of common ground and a shared perpective is why the US is tearing itself apart and will continue to do so until it collapse in the next few decades.

As far as I can tell, the only string left holding us together is our monetary system. Which is an odd thing to hold people together to begin with IMO.

...Should our economy collapse, all hell will break loose. We might even see cannibalism.

 

[Cooky]

Nations are purely political constructs. Glorified fiction, nothing more and nothing less.

Fraternity and cooperation neither require the existence of any form of nation nor can legitimaly be curtailed by that existence.

Fraternity and cooperation could also be imaginary concepts then.

With nothing left in common with one another, there is no reason for anyone to care about anyone but themselves.