Thursday, September 6, 2018

A Further Comment on Colin Kaepernick and Nike



By Robert Wenzel

I see a number of commenters at the post, Don't "Just Do It," Think, Study, Research, Read, are hailing the Colin Kaepernick knee protests.

I view this as a tactical error.

It is not much different from those who blindly hail revolutions. Do I really have to point out that
revolutions have led to Castro, Mao and Lenin?

Revolutions must always be considered in the context of what a revolution is likely to bring.

Merely overthrowing an oppressive regime is not enough, it must lead to more freedom, not less.

The same goes for protests against a regime. The question must always be asked what will the protest lead to?

There is nothing about the Kaepernick knee protests that suggests it will lead to more freedom.

As I pointed out in the original post, it just pushes for emotional rage, primarily in the black community, without a hint that thought must be put into understanding the government laws, regulations and programs that cause the problems. It is not a protest against evil central planning, it is a protest that very likely, in the eyes of many blacks, suggests that central power should be placed in the hands of blacks. This is not a march toward the #PPS. It is simply an advocacy for a different power structure.

Finally, some have suggested that the Nike slogan "Just do it" is calling for athletes to overcome fear. But how many great athletes have a problem with fear? Or any athletes for that matter?

It is more a call to simply overcome fear. Does the slogan in anyway counter against the urban primitive who is thinking twice about grabbing a gun for a mugging? To the degree, the message reaches out to urban primitives, it is telling the thug to overcome fear and "Just do it".

Nike understands its market all too well. It is the unthinking masses who justifiably feel oppressed. And Nike's message to them is essentially: "We understand. Fight the man and just do it in any way possible. And do it in our athletic shoes." It is aimed at, among others, real thugs and pretend thugs.

Nike is simply an opportunistic organization that knows how to profit off of the damaged human beings created by government regulation. The company is probably worse than Starbucks.

Starbucks, with the promotion of social justice warrior nonsense, at least feeds off of those that have somehow succeeded despite mental dullness.

One sector of Nike, a large sector, just feeds off of the many with mental dullness who wouldn't even feel comfortable in a Starbucks.

Just do it to urban primitives does not imply overcoming the awkwardness and fear of walking into a Starbucks and ordering a Grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte.

It implies overcoming civility as the way to overcome government oppression.

Robert Wenzel is Editor & Publisher of


7 comments:

  1. This is endemic of the prevailing attitude throughout this society to embrace the narrow negative perspective.

    I chose to ultimately embrace the positive outcome of the support of free speech irregardless of the message.

    The compartmentalized hate and animosity is far more toxic than a marketing ploy or idiotic president pushing his version of patriotism. I am surprised you bolt down the hate road RW

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  2. I respectfully disagree here. He merely kneeled during the anthem. He didn’t take to the streets.

    You write very antistate views on a public website. Is that not a form of protest against the government using your free speach? Oh but your protest is wholistic with all the bases of liberty covered.

    Sorry the cops are out of control, the prisons are full, and “justice” system is broken but it’s not ok to protest against that unless you have passed Wenzel’s Private Property Society Purity trest. Please

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    1. @Phathead

      Agreed on all counts.


      @RW "I view this as a tactical error."

      As far as I can tell, there's nothing explicitly pro-state about the anthem protests. They're aimed chiefly at calling attention to violence and "oppression" at the hands of state agents.

      So are you saying that we can't have any common ground with those whose ultimate political vision includes a state? If so, I would say THAT is a "tactical error." You'd have to say that it's bad when Glenn Greenwald hilariously humiliates establishment goons, since he favors some sort of dumb democracy.

      We can acknowledge that BLM's instincts are correct that, on net, the state police neither serve nor protect them. We can encourage them to train that brewing skepticism onto other state apparatus.

      And personally I'm really enjoying the way they're irreverently jabbing their finger in the eye of the state propaganda orgy that's infested pro sports. Merits of the protest aside, its form is delicious.

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    2. I see what RW is saying. The “Just Do It” slogan, in my mind, is linked with Kaepernick’s so-called fight against “opprsssion.” What oppression is he talking about? The number of blacks killed by the police for any reason is infinitesimally small when compared to the overall black population. This goes back to RW’s wider point - “Just Do It” may very well function as the call to action for SJWs and urban primitives to fight to overthrow the current power structure’s oppression. In favor of what? More liberty? I think not.

      The State is a criminal gang writ large at best. And I despise it with every fiber of my being. But there is real oppression taking place in the inner cities. Entire communities are held hostage because of the violence spawned by the Drug War; and entire communities are essentially oppressed by a failed public school system.

      If Kaepernick and the “Just Do It” slogan where aimed at the State in favor of more liberty, I could potentially support it. This campaign seems to me to be Nike’s way of selling more shoes by upping its SJW cred.

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    3. ---This campaign seems to me to be Nike’s way of selling more shoes by upping its SJW cred---

      That's exactly it. Their internal slogan is "just sell it". Dont read into it any more than that.

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  3. I agree with RW. The football guy's protest seems to be of the "just shake things up, disrupt 'The Man,' and achieve change for change's sake and for adrenalin's sake" variety. I don't even think Kaepernick has much realization or awareness of what he's actually for or against, other than some vague hostility toward white police (even though studies show that black perps are treated better by police than are white perps), and a vague support for "social justice." In fact, there's a popular photo of Kaepernick wearing a t-shirt with Fidel Castro on it, that seems to glorify revolution and toppling the system, "shake things up," etc.----which seems to support RW's position that this is, overall, all just about have a grand, exciting, rock-the-establishment sort of "Harlem Spring."
    -Dave Afton

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  4. If Lenin were a Libertarian he would take a knee right next to Kap and start whispering Rothbard in his ear.

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