Nike decided yesterday to feature Colin Kaepernick in their recent ad campaign. One prominent analyst declared it a winner for the company.
In what sense? To promote what?
What is the true goal of Nike? To make money? The NFL suffered economically by not acting upon Kaepernick's kneeling campaign against the hopes and aspirations for a better world which the anthem surely represents. One can only expect that Nike will suffer the same fate. And why would that be?
Because Americans value their lost family members over their desire to own a pair of Nike shoes. Bet on it. There are other choices, especially after their lost loved ones spilled blood for the right of companies like Nike to make money within a free society.
But perhaps Nike, run by fat cats who've made way too much money, sees anthems and flags as an atavism, an obstacle to a global economy where we all hold hands and sing 'We are the World.'
The problem with that thinking is that again Americans have paid a dear price in blood for a global economy; and they, like other peoples of the world, don't like it. Americans have gotten a taste of what a global economy portends for them, which is why so many voted for Trump.
In the global economy that Nike seeks, Americans lose more and more jobs to Indonesians who are worked ruthlessly in Nike factories, up to sixteen hours per day, outside meaningful regulatory oversight, for the grand sum of three and a half bucks a day. Such a world has lowered wages for Americans and forced many of them into a life of crime and drug addiction. Social problems abound even as Nike executives live large.
Trump gathers immense criticism, but the vote for him was authentic. Whether he is a fraud, a fool or a jackass is irrelevant. What counts is why people voted for him. He promoted a different America where American companies take care of Americans first, where American companies invest in America first. He promoted an America that gets out of the business of war and exploitation.
This stands in contrast to what Nike believes in. Nike has not invested in America because well-paid Americans will take profits away from its executives who are fervent in prosecuting their fantasy life of a billionaire. Nike has not built factories in the poor black communities on whose behalf Colin Kaepernick and his fellow kneelers are making a statement. This latter point is particularly rich; instead of Nike and its wealthy celebrity-shills giving the black community what it truly needs - investment - it gives them a cause to riot for. Riots make people feel good, but do they do good?
No.
Nike needs to face the real world. In the real world, people love their countries; people are proud of their countries. People want their own people to live full, prosperous lives. And they want all countries to enjoy those same benefits.