Since the release of Nike’s controversial ad featuring former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, many have taken to destroying their products.
I understand sticking to your principles and supporting a boycott, but burning shoes that are already paid for and not giving a second thought about a visit to Goodwill instead seems pretty wasteful. Time Magazine even reports that the company’s sales rose 31 percent in the aftermath of the controversy.
Here at Temple City High School, however, you’ll find the mainstream opinion to be lenient on Nike. Burning shoes and boycotts don’t happen here, because the ad campaign isn’t hurting anyone.
While we don’t harbor misguided hate for Nike, we are apathetic. What we and many others should be doing is pulling our support from legitimately harmful organizations and spreading awareness.
Chick-Fil-A is a popular franchise among students. However, according to Business Insider, the company donated millions to anti-LGBT organizations through its WinShape Foundation.
Family Research Center, listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is among many organizations receiving money from Chick-Fil-A. FRC has actively fabricated pseudoscientific studies to support their lobbying against same-sex marriage rights.
In the past, the company has funded many ex-gay conversion groups such as Exodus International, organizations that damage the mental and emotional health of many. The foundation continues to cause harm against LGBT individuals.
Of course, that isn’t to say that anyone who buys from there, or other harmful organizations, is automatically bigoted and hateful. But learning about where your money goes can help you control your impact on the world. Being a decent person and supporting civil rights is great, but unwittingly contributing to a problematic cause isn’t. And, if you choose to support a company purely because of their harmful stances, that’s your problem to fix.
For anyone who wants to become more socially conscious, Temple City High School offers various extracurriculars and clubs involving activism.
The Speech Team, Model United Nations, Junior State of America, and community service clubs like Society of Friends and Key Club here at school all allow students the opportunity to discuss real world problems and make the best use of their time.
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