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This is quite an irony; A capitalist venture hawking communist iconography, the proverbial chicken stylin' with a Col. Sanders hat. All profits from sales going the state?

Why should I have to buy that hat? Adidas should give it to me. Adidas has more money than I do.

Communist regimes killed over 100 million of their own subjects in the course of the 20th century.

You have to wonder if Adidas would think it was cute to market a cap with a swastika on it.

Why don't they just begin marketing and selling Nazi hats too. Wouldn't that go over well.

And, perhaps, anyone who decides to purchase this hat should get treated with the same disrespect that should be (and is shown) for neo-nazis.

It makes me wonder if these companies are wanting to turn American civil discourse one step up into conflict?

Here's the letter I sent - use it as a template if you want to save some time:

Adidas Customer Service:

As a Constitutional Fundamentalist and a strong supporter of ALL of the Amendments to the Constitution, I respect Adidas' right to offer apparel with the communist "Hammer and Sickle" logo, and I respect the right to "expression" of anyone that would want to purchase or wear it.

The question is - WHY would anyone WANT to wear such a thing, and what message does it send?

Communism is a deeply flawed and evil ideology, and it is a historical fact that during the 20th century it was responsible for the death of at least 100 MILLION people. Wearing the hammer and sickle is as bad or worse than wearing the National Socialist Swastika.

It is particularly ironic that Adidas, a brand that in and of itself is a classic icon of capitalist consumerism should choose to market a product glorifying a symbol of such a repressive and murderous system.

I will not even try to guess what your motivation for this is - did someone in your Marketing Department think that this would be somehow "Hip" or "Edgy"?

It is niether - it is simply distasteful and disgraceful.

This is not about politics, or Conservative versus Liberal - this is about right and wrong.

I am deeply troubled and disappointed by the Adidas brand identifying with this oppressive symbol

I won't say that I'm "offended" by this - what I will say is that the people who would find it most offensive are dead. Show some respect for them.

It's the least you can do.

Your Name Here
Your Town Here, State

Sorry for hitting "Post" twice, folks - you know the stereotype - us "Knuckle Dragging Conservatives" are prone to such things...........

I should have worked the word "Shameless" in there, too.......

Well a Swastika on a hat or better yet ,a white one with KKK on it . Adidas must be PC and include all logo's of hate and murder, lest someone becomes offended . Useful IDIOTS !

Its a perfect accessory for doofus college students to wear with their Che Guevara T-shirts.

Ive already seen college students wearing CCCP (honoring the Soviet Union) and hammer and sickle shirts. Its nothing new.

looks like they pulled it from their site.

TonyD95B:
Very well and succintly put. Just as I would expect!

JW Wright says: "Looks like they pulled it from their site."
I'm still sending a letter. Thanks for the headstart, Tony. Disgraceful. No more Adidas purchases from me.

Here's my letter and story

Ordinarily I wouldn't write an email to a major corporation to inform them that I will never buy their product again but in this case Adidas has crossed a line that should never be crossed.

Let me tell you a little about my family history. My grandfather's family lived in Turkestan during the early part of the 20th century. My great grandfather was killed under Vladimir Lenin either by machine gun, a bullet to the back of a head or at a forced labor camp. It is unknown which fate was his but it is known that people of German descent in Samarkand were rounded, enslaved or killed.... all under the sign of the Hammer & Sickle.

My great grand mother also of German descent fled Turkestan.
She was gang raped and killed in 1945 by the “liberating” Russian troops that came through Austria, where she had settled after escaping Turkestan.
again... under the sign of the Hammer & Sickle

I'm wondering if Adidas is also planning Swastika emblazoned hats or inverted crucifix hats next.

I'm really glad the last pair of shoes I bought were made by the good folks at Reebok.

Sincerely,

John H****, USA
Proud Capitalist and Freedom Lover

i got this back:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for contacting Customer Service at www.shopadidas.com.

Your questions and concerns are important to us and we are dedicated to assisting you in anyway possible. In order to assist you in the most efficient and timely manner, all email correspondence must be submitted through our online email form. To locate our online email form, we ask that you visit our Help Desk at Customer Service at www.shopadidas.com/helpdesk and choose Contact Us under Online Store Information. Then, choose the subject that will address your question and send us an email through our online email form.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Sincerely,

Customer Service at www.shopadidas.com

http://www.shopadidas.com/helpdesk/index.jsp?stillHaveQuestion=yes&subdisplay=contact&display=store&cp=1320930

You have to use this form on the website to send an e-mail.

I "axed" Adidas if they had any Che hats and matching T-shirts emblazoned with my favorite Che quote:

"Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any enemy that falls in my hands! My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood. With the deaths of my enemies I prepare my being for the sacred fight and join the triumphant proletariat with a bestial howl!"

Ronald Reagan pointed out that 'a Commmunist was someone who read Marx.
A Conservative was someone who read Marx and understood him.'

The liberal that would cram this hat down over his asphalt head would have the same level of understanding about the atrocities that occurred within the Soviet Union under Communism as does my cat.

The T-shirt that goes with that hat reads: Dumb and Dumber.

once again, i'm embaressed to live in oregon!

once again, i'm embaressed to live in oregon!

I, too, wrote to Adidas Customer Service.

I could not find the item in the online store, in the hats section:

Adidas Mens's Hats

But tracing item back to original post, and following link, you find that the item is "Temporarily Out of Stock"

http://www.shopadidas.com/searchHandler/index.jsp?oos=true&nullProductId=3412877

I would rather let my head freeze then wear that stupid cap

there is also this email address

Consumer.Relations@adidas.com

you can still find 'em on ebay.. along with china and cuba...

http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkwZmarxQ20aQ2dflexQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ

The hammer and sickle is seen as a symbol of 'rebellion' and 'freedom' because it's associated with unions and opposition to western leaders like Reagan, Thatcher etc. Moonbats regret select negative aspects of the Soviet Union (the ones they can't blame on the west), such as the Chekhist 'thought police.' But of all the different forces at play during the Cold War, the ones they oppose most of all are the western ones. I am pretty sure the same ideology is behind the kaffiyeh as fashion statement trend that started after 9/11.

I was so angry when I saw this on Fox News(Hannity) that I decided to go online and research Adidas. I was also unable to locate the item on the Adidas site. So I looked up the company info and here are some interesting facts:

- German owned sports apparel manufacturer
- Adidas Group also owns
- Reebok sportswear company
- TaylorMade-adidas golf company (who aquired Ashworth clothing)
- Rockport
- Adidas is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second largest sportswear manufacturer in the world.
- 2006 announced an 11-year deal(worth over $400 million) to become the official NBA apparel provider.
They will make NBA, NBDL, and WNBA jerseys and products as well as team-coloured versions of the "Superstar" basketball shoe.
- on their website I saw NASCAR (Dale JR) stuff so they must have a deal with them too
- there are tons of other things they have their hands in like the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China...

* Adidas' business practises/ethics and commitment to worker welfare have been scrutinised and often criticised.

Do you know if anyone has started an Adidas Group boycott site and or email/twitter campaign?

Do you know if anyone has started a formal adidas boycott site and/or email campaign?

this is the most ridiculous thing i ever could of imagined from adidas at that..what the hell!!