Do My Nike's Make Me A Bad Guy?
Do my new Nike's make me a bad person? Because I really like them. They feel like stretchy, cushioned slippers on my feet. When I ride my bike, a refreshing breeze penetrates the pores of the mysterious high-tech fabric on top of the shoes. The shoes look fly as a space kite, even with that crazy gray plastic crap in the middle. Plus, they were only fifty bucks! I mean, come on man. I resisted buying the hundred-dollar Iversons that tempted my wallet and my loyalty with their contoured red and white glory. But, in the name of thriftiness, I shook off the rapture of their overpriced beauty and made the practical purchase.
So am I a bad guy? Of course, I know that Nike is a vile, evil, exploitative and manipulative corporation. I know, I know. I'm aware that their shoes are produced under grueling, inhumane conditions by desperately poor Third World laborers, essentially for the promise of a shiny nickel at the end of the week. Certainly, I don't condone or support that business model. Nor do I understand how a couple of scraps of cheap-ass fabric assembled by what amounts to slave labor can be priced at over one hundred dollars per pair of shiny shoes.
Oh, wait, now I remember. Silly me...I forgot to factor the hundreds of millions of advertising dollars Nike spends in its never-ending quest to convince us of the coolness of the Nike brand. Star professional athletes have to be paid to endorse Nike products enthusiastically and stylishly. High production values and innovative advertising campaigns don't come cheap. If I want to continue to enjoy fine Nike commercial programming and the coolness inherent in wearing my Nike shoes, I have to ante up and pay the cost.
Why are these shoes so damn appealing to me? Have I been duped by the barrage of Nike ads that have flickered in front of my eyes and whispered sweet nothings in my ears over the years? I'd like to think I'm a more discerning viewer than that. But maybe I'm just a sucker. Maybe the cult of cool swirling about the Nike brand has brainwashed me to the point where I can't even be objective and rational about my taste in footwear. Or, maybe Nike actually makes some nice looking, comfortable shoes.
The problem is, unless you have some exceptionally tough feet and you don't mind a permanent inch-thick layer of dirt on your soles, shoes are a necessity. I'm not the kind of person who needs to have twenty different pairs of shoes to feel whole. I don't need to wear a pair of low-top Carolina blue sneaks to match perfectly with a North Carolina jersey. I feel comfortable leaving the house without orange shoes exactly the same shade as my orange sweatsuit. (Nor would I ever wear an orange sweatsuit.)
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