Ever notice how sometimes someone will say something that is so on point, you just have to say, “Yeah. Wow.”
Recently, I heard someone
say something just like that, that really just hit the nail on the head.
I had been watching a
video on YouTube about the history of the Air Jordan sneaker. The documentary
was very positive about the shoe, but some criticisms were shared too.
One criticism was that people had been willing to commit violence to obtain a pair of Jordans.
The person who shared
this criticism was Dr. Harry Edwards, a former professor of sociology at U.C. Berkeley.
What made Edwards' words so insightful was that he didn’t just address the problem superficially. He tried to describe the underlying issue with American and consumerist culture at large.
Here is what he said:
“The tragedies that took
place between kids -- the killings, the assaults, over clothing as well as shoes --
was an indication of what we had taught as a culture. [And unfortunately] wearing the right clothes, identifying with the right image became some kids' sole hook and handle
on their own personal self esteem.”
That about says it, I think. Yeah . . . Wow.
