Check out this ad by a shoe company that supports strong women - and the raw hatred it generates...

[DontBooVote]

...in the comments section.

What do you think of this?

[zaj]

1. Interesting...

Looks like shoe companies are doubling down on embracing the change. Was wondering if Nike might be the last.

[TheBlackAdder]

20. Haha! Mission Accomplished!

.

Folks are writing about why ads now are pushing ideas, instead of merchandise?

Yet, there are all kinds of You can do it!" ads for men, telling them how they can be successful.


Man, the comment section is like the registry at an MRA convention.

.

[jalan48]

23. Converse is owned by Nike.

[mnhtnbb]

2. There are a lot of men who can't handle strong, confident, smart (and sexy) women.

I qualify for the old woman now (at 68) but I can tell you that even now--30 years after I left a male dominated profession--there is still plenty of sexism.

I happened to catch my white male accountant in an error two days ago--one that made the difference between owing the Feds $800. in taxes vs not owing the Feds anything. It had to do with whether my Social Security benefits were taxable or not.

When I sat with him--for almost an hour--in his office reviewing my tax stuff, he never asked me the question that would have triggered a different treatment of my Social Security benefits. I only discovered it when I was reviewing the fat folder of what he'd filed AFTER he filed it. I trusted the guy. I shouldn't have. It was right there in the Social Security Benefits Worksheet that there is different treatment of Social Security benefits in my circumstances.

The guy clearly screwed up. I spent most of Wednesday e-mailing him--back and forth-- or on the phone telling him we needed to file an amended tax return. He bullshitted me right and left with all kinds of screwy arguments, but in the end, agreed to file the amended return. I trusted him again, went and signed the amended return yesterday and mailed it in.

This morning when I read the reasoning he gave to the IRS, it was more total bullshit. And it also contained another error--because he didn't verify some facts with me--but I'm going to let it go and wait and see what the IRS does.

I still may end up writing a complaint about him to the various accountant accrediting agencies. I may also tell my divorce attorney (who recommended him) that anyone who uses him should NEVER sign a return he's prepared without reviewing the entire thing first.

I wouldn't be surprised if the guy was a MAGAT. He didn't have anything Trumpist in his office, but he had enough evangelical, fundy Jesus stuff around that it made me wonder about his critical thinking skills. His handling of my return clearly showed an inability to be logical and to want to just offer bullshit instead and he actually told me that I shouldn't quarrel with having to pay the $800. because I had financially benefited from my husband's death before we were divorced!

Next year I go back to doing my own taxes!

[smirkymonkey]

5. I hope you dump his fundy ass and find a new accountant.

He has proven that he cannot be trusted and he obviously doesn't know what he is doing. He doesn't seem to be on your side, so you should find a progressive male or female accountant who would be. He sounds like a real jerk.

[mnhtnbb]

9. I'll go back to doing my own taxes next year.

For the 15 years before I separated from my husband--who killed himself last December before we could finalize our divorce--I did our taxes. They were complicated, but using TurboTax, I got them done. Never had the IRS question our tax return.

Last year I couldn't deal with doing taxes, so I hired the accountant recommended by my divorce attorney. This year, I wanted the accountant's help in figuring out the sale of our house (which had depreciation against it because my husband had his business office in our house AND we also had a rental garage apartment that had been depreciated) in the hope I wouldn't have to report a gain. My husband killed himself one week before the house sale was due to close, so after 24 hours of nail biting to let all the attorneys determine whether the sale could go through (or whether title to the house would have to be probated according to his will), it was determined that the title of the house immediately passed to me upon his death because of the way we held title, and could go through.

He is a jerk. Last year he was very helpful, but the circumstances didn't apply that did this year with treating my Social Security benefits differently.

[smirkymonkey]

11. I am so sorry to hear about your husband.

My condolences. It sounds like it was a very difficult year for you and I can understand that in such a complicated situation, taking on an accountant was the best decision for you. It is unfortunate that he did not take better care of you in your situation. I hope that the worst is all behind you now.

[mnhtnbb]

12. Thank you.

[Hekate]

24. Do tell your attorney, since he recommended the incompetent. That's just wrong on so many levels.

Hang in there. You sound like such a strong person -- next year you and TurboTax will have it well in hand.

Yeah, that comment of his about "financially benefitting" was way out of line.

[russ1943]

25. and yet you persisted............

"He didn't have anything Trumpist in his office, but he had enough evangelical, fundy Jesus stuff around that it made me wonder about his critical thinking skills."


Love that phrasing.

[lark]

3. Don't know how to see the comments, I don't use Twitter.

I do really like the ad though. Cool.

[Sanity Claws]

10. Go to Youtube to see the comments

I am left with the impression that some men have extremely fragile egos. I don't see what is so controversial about women making up their minds about how to live their own lives.

[mia]

4. I liked the ad.

The hatred for women in the comments section is stunning.
I feel violated and fearful just from reading them.

[toddwv]

6. It's the Captain Marvel effect.

Which is really not the Captain Marvel effect but pretty much the same misogyny inherent in our society, just wrapped a slightly different package and amplified by online communities that seem to exist solely as a distillation point for aggrieved young males who feel that women (or anyone different than them) have it too easy.

[charliea]

21. I won't attribute it to any specific

Character or incident, rather it's any promotion of a powerful, independent woman that raises their ire. Speaking as an old (white male) fart, I'd say it's a (toxic masculinity) mindset that says females are subordinate and subservient. Too many examples, #GamerGate, hatred for the remade Ghostbusters, Wonder Woman, and now Captain Marvel. Then there are the various religious sects that say a woman should obey their husbands.

PS. I have to say that the new Captain Marvel's armor/uniform is much better than the one's in the comics where she first appeared. No battle suit should have that much uncovered skin...

[java108]

7. I think websites should do away with comment sections.

They're utterly pointless beyond trolling and/or troll fighting.

[Skinner]

8. Wow lots of triggered snowflakes in that comment section. (nt)

[Blue_Tires]

16. +1

But let's get real here -- Youtube comments are always cancer

[Bernardo de La Paz]

29. They bring it on themselves

I looked for another, a manipulated photo with a snowflake wearing a maga hat but couldn't find it.

[Revanchist]

13. Call me cynical

But I wonder if more companies are making ads like this because of the controversy (and publicity) they generate. Admit it, how many of you would of watched this ad or thought about Converse if it wasn't for this new type of advertising, which seems to be becoming more frequent.

[jalan48]

17. I'm cynical as well.

Converse’s labour rating is based on the 2017 Ethical Fashion Report. This report examines areas such as transparency, how well the brand knows their suppliers, auditing and worker empowerment. While the brand may have received an A+ for their Supplier Code of Conduct and trace most of their supply chain, the good news ends there. They have minimal worker empowerment initiatives (D +) and received the bottom score (F) in relation to implementing a living wage or improving wages across their supply chain.


https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-convers

Sounds like the "strong women" in their factories may not be faring as well as the strong women buying them.

[IronLionZion]

18. Their marketing dept researched it and made the data-driven decision

to go after the young women's and woke liberal market segment in a big way. Misogynists don't buy a lot of Converse canvas sneakers so it's OK to lose their business. Chucks are not made for sports or anything practical, just walking around with a nostalgic look.

Nike and Gillette have done similar ad campaigns recently. Dove did something similar years ago about celebrating natural beauty, in order to sell beauty products to women.

There were also comments about the Asian sweatshops making these shoes.

[Caliman73]

22. Not cynical. Realistic.

I am sure that there are some people within the company who are pitching it and really believe the social message they are promoting. However, with ANY profit oriented business, the bottom line is the bottom line. They are without a doubt, ultimately making the decision based on the buzz and potential profits it will generate.

I saw the documentary "The Corporation" several years ago and it has colored my view of large multinational corporations. The premise of the documentary is, "If corporations are people, what kind of people are they?" It starts out discussing how corporations used to have to be licensed and regulated by states and had provisions for the "public good", then in 1886 in Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railroad, the clerk of the court entered a statement into the record saying the corporations are protected under the 14th amendment, and the idea of corporations are people became precedent.

We do want to reward companies for good social behavior, but ultimately they are driven by profit regardless of other consequences.

[knightmaar]

14. The comments contain a whole lot of men ..

.. telling us how this won't sell shoes to women.

[Bettie]

15. Never read the comments

on YouTube they are a cesspool in general.

Apparently, a lot of men are threatened by the idea of women having lives in which men don't come first.

[IronLionZion]

19. Advertising has come a long way from saying women can't have it

in order to get women to buy products. See Yorkie chocolate bars:

[AJT]

26. Dear Incels,

Go f**k yourselves or each other, cuz ain't no women having ya.

[TygrBright]

27. Poor things. (The commenters, I mean.) They live in a VERY scary world. n/t

[stonecutter357]

28. And now we have chuck taylor zipper for people with arthritis!

[DFW]

30. The best ad trying to appeal to a specific group was first shown 50 years ago

OK, it was a fictitious ad from a fictitious advertising agency (Truth & Soul), but it was still one of the best ads ever!