|
There has been a recent tide of North Carolinan gear being worn by people of all ages, and it has spread even to the Great Wide North of Canada, eh? The colour is the same in itself, light-blue, with that NC logo, the 2 letters intertwining eachother perfectly. It's genius, I have to say, they've turned a state's sports teams into a brand, just like the New York Yankees' baseball caps have been turned pink so that females in the ghetto can wear them in "style".
When people buy Nike gear from Malaysia, they sometimes realize that they are endorsing child slave labour, which is true. But when you buy gear from a certain state's sports brand, you are also endorsing a bigger problem...
Paddling is an American tradition, not known well in Canada. Some might argue that paddling is on it's way out, which is true in most cases. There are no school boards in the nation who are thinking "let's go back to the dark ages and bring this barbaric practise up and running again!" Even people like http://www.nospank.net believe it's on it's way out, but they don't think it's happenning fast enough.
I became aware of this practise a few years ago, and it's changed the way I think about things. When I see people dressing in that shiny light blue NC gear, I think "how would he like to go to a NC high school?", because, North Carolina is a state which allows paddling in its' legislation. Some school boards opted out of it, so they are the lucky ones.
Not thinking before buying is fine, but this practise needs more awareness-raising. North Carolina isn't just about the sports. I must admit myself, it is quite a beautiful state. The politics of mankind are what tarnish a territory's beautiful image.
Money and consumer products CAN cloud a person's moral viewpoint, which is fine. Buying NC gear isn't directly linked towards the beating of high school kids. It is very possible that if everyone just stopped buying the gear, and told the state why, they would consider banning corporal punishment in schools for good. Money is that strong an influence, that's why people are in an uproar over child slave labour products.
If you are one of those that doesn't let these pathetic politics get in the way of your sports enjoyment, then you are one of the lucky ones.
|
|
|
21 comments - join this discussion...
|
|
|
|
|
|
