Robert Brink - Writer

Too Hot For etnies Vol. 4: Harsh Kicks!

March 24, 2006 | Skip To The Comments (0)

Once again, I was out of town, at Tampa Am, when I posted this little gem of a blog on etnies.com:

For a limited time only, get these exclusive new etnies sandals, made from 100% recycled materials, at a shop near you! etnies proudly introduces its new limited edition sandal...

Trife!

The explanation:

This photo was sent to me via email by Don Brown, Vice President of Marketing for Sole Technology, who always sends me tons of funny stuff to put on the site. Don is a fun guy with a great sense of humor, who is loved and respected by many in this industry. Myself included. Posting it seemed humorous and logical to me, perhaps it was even a slow newsday or whatever, so I went with it.

Evidently, some little kids started a message board thread and ran their mouths about it for about 10 posts (out of 70) before their A.D.D. kicked in and they started yelling about Nikes and how much cash Ken Block got for selling DC to Quicksilver. In other words...the kids don't really care about the "political correctness" of the post. They forgot about it within hours and went off on other tangents. However, when an employee of etnies found the message board (a site which I have never heard of, mind you) and informed my boss, someone promptly removed my sandal post and it was suggested that I write and post an apology, which I didn't. I was told that the original piece was removed because, "We can't piss off the kids or our customers."

I won't even mention some of the moral quandries and double standards relating to the person who suggested I post an apology...but such is always the case, right? People usually rat others out to make themselves look better, or simply out of pure jealousy.

It was a joke...entertainment, and no one was attacked or insulted by my words. It was simply a silly reference to sandals made out of water bottles...quite clever I might add. I would never have thought to do that if I needed emergency footwear. I would be in pain with bloody feet and screaming. As a matter of fact, I can honestly say I learned something from that photo. Seriously, I never knew sandals could be made from water bottles and fabric. That fact alone amazes me.

Besides, there are other things to be apologizing for. This is skateboarding, right?

Furthermore, no one cried the blues, complained or deleted anything when this blog was posted on etnies by me five months prior. I don't see much of a difference, other than that the "sandals" one was complained about on a random message board and the "homeless guy" one wasn't. But if companies based their decisions on what people complain about for a few hours and then forget, what would the company have? Probably not much...certainly not a spine or an identity, right?

Just another example of inexplicable and oddly selective censorship if you ask me...