Are you avoiding certain brands while school shopping? What’s deemed controversial at the moment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Neo-Nazi blogger Andrew Anglin has declared New Balance the “Official Shoes of White People.”

“I’m a Nike guy. Or rather, I was,” Anglin wrote on his popular website the Daily Stormer, which promotes an anti-Semitic, white supremacist agenda. “It’s time to get on-board with New Balance now. Their brave act has just made them the official brand of the Trump Revolution.”

I think this was just him trying to punish Nike for supporting Kaepernick. New Balance had made a public statement supporting a trade policy out of the Trump administration which they viewed as favorable, and Trump's fascist supporters ran with it. New Balance later came out explicitly rejecting their endorsement.

All of this happened like 8 years ago, by the way, before a lot of people (or companies) understood exactly what kind of problem Trump and his Nazi supporters were going to be, before he praised white supremacist rallies, before J6, etc. New Balance probably could have handled the situation better (they should have been more cautious endorsing anything associated with Trump, even if they viewed it as a politically neutral trade position, and they should have responded faster to condemn the neo-Nazi statements in support of them). But the idea that someone wearing NBs is supporting fascist ideas instead of just, you know, wearing shoes, is ridiculous.

Which is actually part of the problem with OP's whole question. It's one thing to suggest that wealthy people not buy luxury goods from companies known to have bad politics. It's something else to expect middle class people to avoid companies like NB or the Gap (which also owns Old Navy) when buying back-to-school supplies for their kids. Regarding slave labor practices, that is not something you can expect an individual to solve with their limited shopping choices -- it has to be addressed via collective action, whether via organized boycotts or through government policy.

Don't police how people with limited budgets and time and energy shop for their kids. If you are in a position of privilege, use it to organize or lobby. If you just want to sit around judging people for ordering from Amazon or buying the "wrong" shoes, that's not activism. You're just an a$$hole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neo-Nazi blogger Andrew Anglin has declared New Balance the “Official Shoes of White People.”

“I’m a Nike guy. Or rather, I was,” Anglin wrote on his popular website the Daily Stormer, which promotes an anti-Semitic, white supremacist agenda. “It’s time to get on-board with New Balance now. Their brave act has just made them the official brand of the Trump Revolution.”

I think this was just him trying to punish Nike for supporting Kaepernick. New Balance had made a public statement supporting a trade policy out of the Trump administration which they viewed as favorable, and Trump's fascist supporters ran with it. New Balance later came out explicitly rejecting their endorsement.

All of this happened like 8 years ago, by the way, before a lot of people (or companies) understood exactly what kind of problem Trump and his Nazi supporters were going to be, before he praised white supremacist rallies, before J6, etc. New Balance probably could have handled the situation better (they should have been more cautious endorsing anything associated with Trump, even if they viewed it as a politically neutral trade position, and they should have responded faster to condemn the neo-Nazi statements in support of them). But the idea that someone wearing NBs is supporting fascist ideas instead of just, you know, wearing shoes, is ridiculous.

Which is actually part of the problem with OP's whole question. It's one thing to suggest that wealthy people not buy luxury goods from companies known to have bad politics. It's something else to expect middle class people to avoid companies like NB or the Gap (which also owns Old Navy) when buying back-to-school supplies for their kids. Regarding slave labor practices, that is not something you can expect an individual to solve with their limited shopping choices -- it has to be addressed via collective action, whether via organized boycotts or through government policy.

Don't police how people with limited budgets and time and energy shop for their kids. If you are in a position of privilege, use it to organize or lobby. If you just want to sit around judging people for ordering from Amazon or buying the "wrong" shoes, that's not activism. You're just an a$$hole.

Correction: Trump was mask-off insane racist as early as 2008 when he pushed the birther movement against Obama. And he was a known bad egg for decades prior.

That's separate from a specific international trade policy, of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we’ve been avoiding the Cat + Jack line at Target because it’s just really ableist? And also there’s an old tweet where Cat told someone to kill themselves 😬

How is Cat + Jack ableist? Everything I've seen in their ads is the opposite. And my autistic child loves them.

Dude.

[Anonymous]

There is an ocean of difference between "what's controversial that I should avoid" to guard my status striving, and "what brands have problems I should be concerned about" because I am striving to be a decent human being.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New Balance sneakers are great for wide feet. The far right can go jump in the lake while I wear comfy shoes.

I think you meant to say the far left. The far right doesn't care if you buy them and wear them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is an ocean of difference between "what's controversial that I should avoid" to guard my status striving, and "what brands have problems I should be concerned about" because I am striving to be a decent human being.

A lot of people doing the former will claim to be doing the latter, and when the implication is that people who buy a brand you have "concerns" about are not "decent human beings," that becomes obvious.

[Anonymous]

I don’t but shein or altard state because I don’t need my kids to be indoctrinated by a clothing store.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk, my husband teased me for having New Balance sneakers because apparently they are aligned with the far right in some way or another. I think he was mostly joking/trying to get a reaction and I continue to wear the shoes.

Wait, what? I know a lot of progressives who have worn NB for years (before they were cool, ha).

NB 550s are associated with graphic designers and sneaker heads.
All white NB are also associated with dads everywhere.
I think NB also might be worn by the type of far right protesters in Charlotte who wear khakis and polos. They can’t “own” something so ubiquitous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk, my husband teased me for having New Balance sneakers because apparently they are aligned with the far right in some way or another. I think he was mostly joking/trying to get a reaction and I continue to wear the shoes.

Wait, what? I know a lot of progressives who have worn NB for years (before they were cool, ha).

They have never been cool.

+1 NB are for dorks.

[Anonymous]

So you’re only avoiding Yeezy bc of the price?? You’re a hypocrite! You should be avoiding Yeezy like the plague bc there are huge concerns with Kanye.

[Anonymous]

This is beside the point, but New Balance have been a longtime DC culture thing https://www.npr.org/local/305/2023/03/24/1165865033/d-c-s-shoe-an-oral-history-of-the-district-s-obsession-with-new-balance-sneakers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you’re only avoiding Yeezy bc of the price?? You’re a hypocrite! You should be avoiding Yeezy like the plague bc there are huge concerns with Kanye.

They’re also unrelentingly, aggressively ugly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk, my husband teased me for having New Balance sneakers because apparently they are aligned with the far right in some way or another. I think he was mostly joking/trying to get a reaction and I continue to wear the shoes.

Wait, what? I know a lot of progressives who have worn NB for years (before they were cool, ha).

They have never been cool.

+1 NB are for dorks.

NB are for successful people who don't need to earn their status via streetwear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you’re only avoiding Yeezy bc of the price?? You’re a hypocrite! You should be avoiding Yeezy like the plague bc there are huge concerns with Kanye.

I think the point was that Yeezy (Kanye) and Balagencia (child porn) are controversial, but that doesn't matter because they are too expensive anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you’re only avoiding Yeezy bc of the price?? You’re a hypocrite! You should be avoiding Yeezy like the plague bc there are huge concerns with Kanye.

I think the point was that Yeezy (Kanye) and Balagencia (child porn) are controversial, but that doesn't matter because they are too expensive anyway.

This. Op here. Thanks Pp! Thank you other PPs as well.

I do have a teen and know Shein has a multitude of issues. I’m trying to avoid purchasing anything from them this year. I was unaware last year and it is outstandingly popular in DDs friend circle.