Posted on 09/19/2026 5:54:35 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
After all the atrocities they have inflicted on this nation since their formation roughly 160 years ago, a white, unnervingly pointy hood evokes, without a doubt and without much room for interpretation, the Ku Klux Klan. So much so that even the slightest resemblance can make the hair on the back of one’s neck rise. A new ad campaign by Converse is proving that.
In late August, the legacy shoe brand began rolling out images from its latest campaign for the Chuck 70 X, a modern spin on its classic high-top. Weeks later, they are apologizing after one of those images is facing backlash from people who say it bears an unsettling resemblance to KKK and lynching imagery.
“We’re sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong,” the brand began in a statement to theGrio. “We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared. This should not have happened, and we will do better.”
SNIP
(Excerpt) Read more at thegrio.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Yeah, I can see how someone could interpret it in that way if they squinted their eyes, and the light was dim, and the picture were out of focus, and they looked at it at an extreme angle from a distance. Under those conditions they would see the “offensive image” they were hoping to see.
It looks like a screen clip from Cookoos Nest. Racist KKK imagery? Uh, some people just want to be offended by anything. Im not seeing it.
Just face it. The only ads you can have feature an obese negro woman. Nothing else is allowed.
/sarc
No; no, it wouldn’t have.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.