FIGHTING FOR LUXURIES

December 29, 2011 | Daily Republic
Sneakerheads’ priorities out of whack
by Kelvin Wade

When I read about people being trampled in the pilgrimage to Mecca or Hajj, I can almost understand how religious fervor could result in such a tragedy. If I read about crowds trampling people to get to food and water being distributed by relief workers in a war-torn area, I can understand how that happens. Hunger is a powerful motivator.

But fighting and trampling people for shoes in the United States? In Fairfield?

Last Friday, Nike released its new retro sneakers, the Air Jordan XI. The shoe is a replica of the ones Michael Jordan wore during his championship 1995-96 season, when he won the All-Star MVP, NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP. The shoe retails for $180 and people lost their minds trying to get a pair.

Police in Seattle had to use pepper spray to break up a fight over the shoes in a mall among 20 people. In Indianapolis, a crowd broke a door off its hinges and trampled people to get to the shoes. A man in Jersey City, N.J., was stabbed in a brawl over the Jordans. In Richmond, a man accidentally fired a handgun in a crowd of hundreds awaiting the sale of the shoes at Hilltop mall.

And yes, in Fairfield, a crowd of more than 1,000 people descended on the mall to get the shoes. Twenty-four Fairfield cops and officers from the California Highway Patrol, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office and the Suisun City Police Department had to respond to keep the crowd from getting out of hand. Two arrests were made and a door was knocked off its hinges.

For shoes? Really?

I contrast this with the nearly 1,000 children with their parents who showed up at the Community Center on Christmas Eve for Mission Solano’s toy distribution and meal. These were folks who didn’t have $180 in their pockets and were in real need. They conducted themselves with decorum. Multiple police departments didn’t have to send officers to handle the needy people who showed up for this event.

On the one hand it’s good for the economy that so many people have nearly $200 to spend on shoes. But on the other, it’s a manifestation of a sickness in our society. Something is wrong when people are wiling to fight and trample other human beings over luxury items. Perhaps this is the ground where the so-called War on Christmas needs to be fought, rather than the silly spats people focus on. Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men should trump crass materialism.

CNN commentator Roland Martin tweeted a question about whether thousands of people would line up at a bookstore to buy a book that Michael Jordan wrote.

Why don’t more stores partner with charities? Why isn’t the cost of those new sneakers $180 and a canned good donated to a charity? Bag of oranges or potatoes. Loaf of bread. Children’s toy. An old donated coat or sweater. If you can come up with $180 for sneakers in this economy, can’t you muster up another five bucks for the charity of your choice?

Earlier this year my brother and his wife camped out overnight for the chance to get their daughter in a good school. They got her in and she’s excelling. I can understand hundreds of people camping out and vying for that kind of opportunity.

Replica sneakers? Not so much. Peace.
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ADDITIONAL NOTES: If someone wants to take their hard earned money and wait in line for sneakers, then go ahead....do you. But if you're fighting, pushing, stepping on people then you're an idiot in my book.

There's a lot of talk about the 1% and the 99% right now. There's talk about those who have made off like bandits paying a bit more in taxes now to give the middle class a break. I agree with that wholeheartedly. I believe in a progressive income tax. We are our brother's keeper in my opinion. That said, it's not the 1% lined up outside malls, fighting and brawling for shoes. Like I said, if you've got nearly two hundred bones to lay down on some sneaks you could afford to do a little for the less fortunate. There's plenty of worthy causes out there that could use your five dollar and ten dollar donation. There are church pantries that could use your can of tuna or soup. And why not, at a time of consumption over a luxury item, don't we remember those less fortunate. Everybody wins. And this isn't the government doing the handing out. It's individuals helping individuals. It's people realizing that they're fortunate and want to give a little something to help someone out because who knows, maybe one day you may find yourself in the position of needing a little something. You may be in the position where you wouldn't even consider spending two hundred bucks on a luxury item. You may need it to help cover the rent, light bill, or clothes for your kids. Food on your table.

It's embarrassing to me that we always have these stories of fights, shootings, pepper spraying every Black Friday or whenever some hot item hits the market. What does the rest of the world think of us? What the hell are we?

And why haven't I seen a statement from Michael Jordan. This isn't the first Jordans' unveiling that has caused disruptions. Say something. If he has, cool. But I haven't seen or heard it.