The Reaction

Ok, apparently, everyone is just as pissed as I am about these Chinese-made, Ralph Lauren Olympic uniforms. In today's Times, it says Ralph Lauren has made a concession and will make the 2014 olympic uniforms in the US.

Anyone else's reaction to that?

Mine?

Not good enough!

If I were an olympic athlete, I would flat out refuse to wear these uniforms. Senator Harry Reid has already said the USOC should be, "ashamed of themselves". Then USOC CEO Scott Blackmun goes on record and says, "We are absolutely committed to working with our sponsors to ensure that the concerns are voiced and addressed".

I don't buy that, not for one minute.

If the USOC were committed to supporting its own country, they would have never made a deal with a clothing manufacturer that makes their clothes in China. Ooh, just because it's Ralph Lauren, we can skimp on the integrity? Just because we can say, "oh, did you know Ralph Lauren designed these uniforms?". That picture in my head could not be more obnoxious if they were eating a caviar cracker and wearing a monacle. 

Is this what we are as a nation?

A bunch of lemmings that will sell out for the latest fashion trend. If Kim Kardashian wears it, I must wear it; don't care if it was made by a horse-whipped adolescent girl. We ARE the Roman Empire right now. Not the blossoming, growing Roman Empire of the last few BC centuries, but the crumbling, over-extended, flagging empire of the thrid and fourth century AD; the Roman Empire right before the Goths invaded. We need to call an about-face right now. The USOC needs to do something right now.

Their concession, at least what they say they are going to do, is make the 2014 olympic uniforms in the United States. Big whoop! Firstly, the "Winter Games" are not even the REAL olympics in the first place. No ancient Greek warrior was ever snowboarding in a drained, frozen swimming pool. The Winter Games are the sideshow olympics, not bereft of athletic feats, but deifinitely the red-headed step child of the Summer Olympics.

The USOC contends that it is too late to make new uniforms, I say that is a lie. If they really wanted to do it, if the pressure was really on to get USA-made uniforms, it would happen. Why in 2014 are we willing to settle for this? Does Ralph Lauren have factories over here they could use? Hmmnn. Will they build a new factory over here before 2014? Will they rent an existing one? My next obvious question is why didn't they do it THIS time? I bet I know why. Because Ralph Lauren wants to keep their manufacturing in China. I bet they open a factory in Michigan or someplace, print the 2014 uniforms there and then evacuate right back to Shang-dong or wherever the heck their sweatshops, ahem, factories are in China. 

The designs are ridiculous, too. I'm looking at a photo of some of the athletes wearing their threads. The designer got confused and landed somewhere in between a Navy shipmate, a green-beret and an Ivy-League student. Seriously, a beret with a sport coat. I'm not kidding, check them out. They are holding a big USA flag in the picture. I wonder where it was made.

You can see them, here, http://www.ralphlauren.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=12817133&cp=12817133.13006509&ab=global_usolympic

Well, here it is folks, our first chance to stand together.

Let's boycott Ralph Lauren clothing until they open a factory in the US. This will not be a problem for me but anyone else out there that might consider a Ralph Lauren item, I implore you, put it down. Even go with another named designer for the time being. Let's focus our ire at Ralph Lauren and the USOC. Get your friends, family, everyone we can together on this. We will also boycott any Chinese-made US Olympic gear. Any hat, shirt or whatever you see to buy in support of US olympians, make sure it ain't made in China.

Also, let's make our voices heard.

Here is the main email address for the USOC, info@usoc.org

And here is the url address to send an email to Ralph Lauren, http://www.ralphlauren.com/helpdesk/index.jsp?display=store&subdisplay=contact&ab=footer_emailus

Let's get after them, people. Let's take our country back!