June 20, 201214 yr I thought of prison shackles when I saw them. I didn't think of slavery. You're white though, right? Black people will 'likely' say the shackles are a symbol of slavery that they feel shouldn't be on tennis shoes that young blacks will wear.
June 20, 201214 yr That's what I thought of as well. Slavery never crossed my mind until I saw that Jesse Jackson had some kind of comment about them. A lot of black people that I follow on twitter spoke on it in this fashion. We all know what Jesse is up to.
June 20, 201214 yr You're white though, right? Black people will 'likely' say the shackles are a symbol of slavery that they feel shouldn't be on tennis shoes that young blacks will wear. If a black person thought they were racist why would they wear them? It just seems silly to me. They're hideous shoes but they don't seem racist to me. Just plain ugly...
June 20, 201214 yr If a black person thought they were racist why would they wear them? It just seems silly to me. They're hideous shoes but they don't seem racist to me. Just plain ugly... Same reason a lot of young black kids allow their white friends to use the N word. I'm just telling you how black people will see it's racist. Black people wouldn't expect you to understand why they feel that way. Just the way it is.
June 20, 201214 yr Same reason a lot of young black kids allow their white friends to use the N word. I'm just telling you how black people will see it's racist. Black people wouldn't expect you to understand why they feel that way. Just the way it is. Sounds to me like some people are just looking for a reason to be mad.
June 20, 201214 yr Sounds to me like some people are just looking for a reason to be mad. Some, maybe, but I can very much see how the imagine of a black teenager in shackles would bother some blacks....and some non-blacks, too. I am bothered by it...as the shoe/shackle is hilariously ridiculous. :lol:
June 20, 201214 yr Some, maybe, but I can very much see how the imagine of a black teenager in shackles would bother some blacks....and some non-blacks, too. I am bothered by it...as the shoe/shackle is hilariously ridiculous. :lol: Is slavery the only thing people associate shackles with? What about prison inmates and chain gangs?
June 20, 201214 yr Is slavery the only thing people associate shackles with? Slavery will be the first image most black people will take from from seeing those shoes.
June 20, 201214 yr The Actual Inspiration for Jeremy Scott’s Not-’Racist’ Adidas Sneakers: My Pet Monster | Observer I wouldn't think the shoes or the designer was racist or that there was racist intent behind the shoes. That doesn't erase the image of slavery that some blacks will have when they see the shoes.
June 20, 201214 yr I wouldn't think the shoes or the designer was racist or that there was racist intent behind the shoes. That doesn't erase the image of slavery that some blacks will have when they see the shoes. It also doesn't erase the fact that shackles aren't limited to slavery. I get what you are saying. Some people will see the shoes and associate them with slavery. I'm saying that is silly.
June 20, 201214 yr I think people are making too big a deal out of this. I think a lot of people cringed when they saw the shackles and pointed out that it was a tone-deaf move by Adidas to try to market a shoe with shackles on it to a heavily black market. I don't know why that gets under people's skin so much.
June 20, 201214 yr I think people are making too big a deal out of this. I think a lot of people cringed when they saw the shackles and pointed out that it was a tone-deaf move by Adidas to try to market a shoe with shackles on it to a heavily black market. I don't know why that gets under people's skin so much. There isn't much, especially on here, that gets under my skin. I enjoy a good discussion/debate as much as anyone. Well maybe not as much as PP92. That dude loves to argue about anything and everything. :lol: I do however, disagree with the racist claims made by several people (non-BGP'ers) regarding these shoes.
June 20, 201214 yr While I love a good argument I do want to point out that in this particular situation all I was attempting to do was explain why some black people would be upset by the shoes. People didn't understand why so I tried to explain why. So in this particular situation I am innocent of the charges levied against me. Word.
June 20, 201214 yr OK. Correct me if I'm wrong. It's a basketball shoe. Most NBA players are black. There are shackles on the shoe. I don't think it's a stretch to connect the dots. Am I personally offended by them? yes, because of their sheer ugliness. Not because of anything else. However, I can understand the connection. But I wish we could get past all of that garbage. I know that's a pipe dream. We can't boycott cotton because slaves used to pick it. Jews can't boycott cabbage because it's used in sauerkraut. I can't boycott wigs because my hair fell out. Let's boycott these shoes because they are hideous on their own merit alone. I'm not trying to do my best MLK either, and I can't possibly understand the racial issues that black folk have had to deal with. But doesn't little junk like this perpetuate it? I wish we knew who designed this shoe. Serious question, would we think differently if a black man designed them?
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