For those of ya who have been here with me since day one, you know that I am a huge SneakerHead. I sort of "left the game" for a while but this is something that has been in my heart since I was a kid. Yeah it sounds a little dramatic and over the top, but I'm just callin a spade a spade.
So last week was the 3rd release of the Air Jordan XI "Concords" (fourth if you consider the Defining Moments Package from 2006) and as history tends to repeat itself a few people apparently were harmed, some even fatally over these sneakers. All of this brought some sort of hate to Mr. Michael Jordan on my FaceBook feeds. I would quote some of the statuses of the people who are upset but I'm choosing to be lazy and pretty much go off the top.
So basically what seemed to be the consensus yesterday on my feeds were things like "When has Jordan ever done anything for the hood?" and "Wow, people going crazy over these sneakers and Jordan never did anything for ya"
Wow? Really? Aight let's talk about it then.
You're probably all right, *that we know of* Jordan probably hasn't done anything for the community. And I say "that we know of"because there are thousands of people that give back each day and don't go out of their way to promote it. So we don't know wether or not Jordan has ever done anything, but for the sake of this discussion let's say that he actually hasn't. Fine, here's the skinny.
Michael Jordan is a BUSINESS man. Before we go any further let's take a look at the definition of the word Business.
business
[biz-nis]: a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern.**Sited: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/business
Now please correct me if I'm wrong, but nowhere in that definition, nor in any other that you will find does it mention anything about charity. Correct? And why do you think that is? I'll tell you why, because it's not a part of the idea of "Business." Yes it is appreciated and sometime expected by rich people to give back to the communities from which they came, however it is not a requirement. So getting upset at Jordan cause he hasn't built a park for your children to play in is nothing more than displaced anger. I'm sure a lot of you are still upset that kids died and were robbed for their sneakers. I am as well however let's look at the play from all angles. Is Jordan really to blame? NO! You know who's to blame? The people who do these crimes. Stop pointing fingers at the ones who are making money and point the fingers at the creatures that are going out to do dirt. That's no different than blaming Eminem for the suicide of some kid somewhere in the middle of God knows where just because said child bought an Eminem CD and heard him say something about slitting his wrist. That's a song that has just been sung waaay too many times. I hate that shit, people are no longer thinking for themselves and the blame is spread all over the place instead of being slapped right back on the one responsible.
But before I digress let's get back to Jordan. I believe the argument was him not giving back to the hood right? Okay, so let's play a game, name me all the celebrities that DO give back. And of those how many are still: selling out concerts, or having their music fly off the shelves, which ones are still selling clothing like there is no other brand. Oh, no, take your time, I'll wait. EXACTLY!
*That we know of* Jay-Z hasn't done much for Brooklyn recently has he? Aside from mentioning the borough in a few songs he has not, and let's be real here, Hov can afford to buy every resident in Marcy Projects a Mercedes-Benz s550. Yet we still choose to go out and buy his albums, he still sells out Madison Square Garden... The Garden, do you know how fuckin huge the Garden is? Why does no one come at Jay-Z and ask "Yo, how ya go buy his album and he aint done nuttin for you?"
*That we know of* Ralph Lauren doesn't give back to the Bronx, does he? No, but every nigga on my block thinks he is KILLIN it with his Rugby and Polo Boots. No one comes at Ralphies neck and ask, "Yo How ya go buy Polo and Polo don't do nuttin for ya?" Cause we know that Mr. Lauren can not only afford to rebuild our closet's physical dimension but fill it from top to bottom with Top notch quality threads. Am I right or am I wrong?
So where is all this hate really comin from? Are you mad that you didn't get your pair of Jays? Are you mad that you had to line up for 18 hours and when you got to the door your size was sold out? Well guess what that's not Jordans fault. You don't get mad at the company that produce Turkeys when you get the the supermarket on Thanksgiving morning and they're all sold out do you? All I'm sayin is, be a revolutionary across the board. If you mad at Jordan be mad at Hov, if you mad at Hov, be mad at Polo. Cause at the end of the day the only difference between the 3 are the names of the brand.
*And before I go I'll tell you why people don't ask about Hov and Polo, because deep down everyone knows that it's not their responsibility to give back to anyone. It's cruel to say it but Business is Business and business is Cruel. You have to take your personal and emotional feelings out of it whenever you're discussing it. Cause when its all said and done, no one puts a gun to your head and says "Gimme your money, go buy my product." No, society in our country is run by the economy. Make money! that's what it's all about, you go and buy what you choose to buy. So don't complain about the price. You don't like, you don't buy. Plain and simple, and if you just so happen to miss it, well then there's always next year.
Also, I hope ya realize that Jordan has indeed given back to Charities as has Jay-Z and Ralph Lauren. I mentioned what I mentioned for the sake of this discussion. So before you go and point fingers look at the 3 pointing back at you, and use em to type in "Google.com" in your web browser.
Don't Believe me? See for yourself: http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/527-michael-jordan
To those who tragically lost their lives on December 23rd, 2011, over a pair of sneakers my most humble and sincere apologies go out to you and your families. I do believe that it is ridiculous that it has even come to that again. Something that we haven't heard of since the early 90's is becoming a reality again, hence me saying at the beginning of all of this, "As history tends to repeat itself." So again, my condolences, for the rest of you, know where to point those fingers!
That's Game!
Stay Up and Stay Tuned!
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