Nike’s Global Warming Denialism

Worldwide can refer to a number of things: referring to the whole globe. In the music industry, this term is often used to describe the music that is popular worldwide, not just within the United States and United Kingdom. Worldwide can also refer to national or international groups of music, such as the GAP Network or Interscope Records. It sometimes refers to an artist, band or DJ who performs worldwide. It can also be used to describe a style of music.

In an Aug. 10th headline news article in The New York Times, Associated Press writer Michael B. Siegel used the term “worldwide protest” to characterize the ongoing demonstrations by people throughout the world against the multinational company Nike. The article described one protestor in India who wore a gorilla suit to the Nike event, claiming that the company’s brand symbolizes cruelty to animals. Siegel added that more people should join in the worldwide protests to call for changes in Nike’s policies. The Associated Press style sheet for color and format styles indicates that worldwide protests should use neutral phrases when covering national and international events.

There are a variety of causes for global issues like these. One is promoting environmentalism, which advocates making changes to the way that products are produced and made around the world in order to create a cleaner and healthier environment for everyone. Another is the issue of human rights, which emphasizes the need for respect for individual rights around the world and advocate non-violent resistance to wrongdoers. Many political leaders around the world have highlighted the issue of worldwide poverty and the poor economic state of many people living in modern day Nike-designed housing projects around the world.

The writer did not detail any specific examples, but he implied that Nike was one of the culprits in causing such a problem. He went on to say that “the world’s lack of concern for these issues is perhaps one of the causes of the crisis.” He went onto say that if politicians and world citizens would care more about these problems, then hopefully more people in the world would buy the Nike swoosh and other Nike products. He concluded his piece by writing that one could make a difference in the world by buying the swoosh. He included a link to donate to an environmental non-profit organization and encouraged readers to do the same.

It is interesting that this writer chooses to criticize Nike. As someone who has worn the swoosh on numerous occasions, I know for certain that it is an icon in the fashion world. That being said, one could hardly expect a worldwide problem with Nike, when there are so many other corporate giants in the world manufacturing products that pollute our water and air. It seems that writer wishes to bring attention to only one corporation, when in reality there are so many more that do harmful things to the earth and its delicate ecosystem. He also discounts the impact that large companies have on our economy as some sort of innocent bystander.

The belief that global warming is not occurring, or is on the decline, is simply not true. Climatologists around the world agree that it is something we need to address. It may not be as severe as previously thought, but it is a serious issue nonetheless. One could use all the help they can get to stop this planet from going down the drain. One person at a time can make a difference, so why not help out those who are affected most by the destructive actions of large corporations?