“Bringing a better life to the people in Afghanistan”:
Ex-Special Forces serviceman Matthew Griffin was back in Afghanistan, on one of many trips to the nation he fell in love with while fighting there from 2003 to 2006, seeking for a way to help a people he remembered as unusually generous.
Full Story – Reuters
Fair enough… I’m happy for him and all, but I find it funny that this venture is getting as much press as it is. I’m not stupid enough to believe that EVERYONE in Afghanistan hates Americans and is out to kill American troops, because that is simply not the case. That said, convincing Americans that we should somehow feel obligated to help these people by purchasing a $65 – $75 flip flop is ridiculous and I can’t believe people are falling for it.
There is no mention of any money being donated back to the Afghan people on the website, so I am assuming that this “support” just comes from creating jobs for them and paying their wages. Without knowing the exact answer, I’d put money on the guess that labor in Afghanistan is incredibly cheap, so you can throw out the justification for a $65 – $75 priced flip flop out the window regarding that. Container shipping is very cheap also, so don’t try and tell me getting them to the USA costs a lot. Someone is making a killing here, and I’m betting it’s not the Afghan people who are making these things. There are lots of companies in the US that could be making this exact flip flop, the only difference is that it would mean less profit for Combat Flip Flops.
Maybe I should start getting all my products made in China and claim that I’m “supporting the Chinese who died building our railroads, and who were annihilated in WWII”. Would that work? :P Call me an insensitive douchebag if you want, but I really don’t see the difference.
If your fall flip flop fund is up around the $75 range, and you’re looking to support workers in a foreign country then head over to the Combat Flip Flops website and buy something.
Thoughts?
JUMP DOWN ↓ TO ADD ANOTHER
Not at you Mike….
If you know any history, the Vietnamese and Filipinos made sandals and flip flops out of used tires since the 40’s. The cost is about $0.40 each pair. Throw some fabric on it and it is about $0.50 each. The specialized tread probably runs them to about a $1.50 each. (You have to remelt the rubber.)
So if they want more than about $7 — it is a ripoff.
It’s about time someone said this. Why would I give a flying fuck about jobs in Afgh. when people are out of work in the usa? and $75 for flipflops oh man thats funny.
America needs to take a fuck everyone else in the world approach for a while…
agreed
Lets call it “time off to focus on ourselves.”
Honestly, I might support a decade or so of isolationism if only to get us talking about our problems instead of everyone else’s…
+1 x 100%
Most people outside the US would be surprised to learn this hasn’t been your policy for decades ;)
Thought this had been US foreign policy since Manifest Destiny.
I”ve seen two rape victims burned to death with cooking oil in the city of Jalalabad (UN workers were the rapists, btw). A 400-500lb roadside bomb in the middle of a village killed one of my colleagues, and sent four home for long and painful rehab, and NO ONE in the village saw the bomb (Bigger than a VW beetle) being placed. I’ve also seen a 9 month old baby that was dying of cooking oil burns–was crying too much, so the parents dumped an oil lamp on it–and they were pissed when we couldn’t save their child.
That’s just page 1 in the book that exists in my mind titled “Why I Will Always Hate The Afghan People”.
I would rather mail them $75 rusty razor blades than sandals.
I like this comment better than the fat guy in the video talking about how they’re uniting families.
Wow… yea I’m with you on the rusty razor blades thing.
No offense, ‘s far as I’m concerned, if you care- buy ’em. If not – don’t. But about the quote “supporting the Chinese who died building our railroads, and who we annihilated in WWII”. Last time I read a history book we kind’a annihilated a bunch of JAPANESE in WWII… the guys on the other side of the Yellow Sea… the CHINESE were on our side. I sure we only annihilated a few of them and only on accident… I’m not a troll I promise!
Thanks buddy, I changed the wording.
Meh, if he feels strongly enough to do this, it’s his right.
BUT, Toms is a much better model for this sort of business.
http://www.toms.com Buy a pair of cheap slip on shoe for half
of the price of these $75 flip flops (my daughters Toms cost
$40) and not only do you get the shoes, but Toms donates
a second pair to a needy child somewhere. Twice the deal
IMHO. If he’s serious, he should rethink his biz strategy.
Yea that TOMS one is a great business model!
Who wears flip flops anyway? You can’t gun down bad guys in flip flops!
What? haven’t you seen the Disney branded Seal Team 6 Tactical Flip-Flops? soon to be in zombie green?
Well maybe just maybe if these Afghanis are working and making a decent wage they will not be as tempted to spend all day making IEDs and such
I lived in California most of my life, so I know good sandles.
My Rainbow sandles cost $50, are made in America, and are so durable that I’ll probably wear out before they do (8 years constant wear and going strong, my sister has had hers for around 12 years!).
These are gimmick sandles, and are likely garbage. I agree with your assessment. What is the benefit here unless you have liberal guilt for us invading those poor defenseless afghans who were totally peaceful and innocent before we kicked over their sand castle like the bullies liberals always knew us to be.
Not sure why we need to better life’s of the Afghan people… Damn place been there a lot longer than US has been around and it is still there. Something tells me whatever they are doing is just fine.
Brits tried.. a lot, Russians tried… I think it is time we read those history books, forget about that place and let them be. By all means lets send bombers and drones in there once in a while to keep the motherfuckers on their toes, but other than that let them be.
To overkill556x45
Reason why no one saw the bomb is that if they did and co operated, they would be dead the following day or sooner. Co operation with occupying forces has not gone well in the past. Remember first American withdrawal from Iraq, thousands were killed and tortured accused of helping US. Not saying what happened to you or what you witnessed was right
It’s not that what Afgans are doing is just fine, at least not by our standards, it’s that they are more or less fine with how they run things for themselves. As you point out, their society has been where it is and as is for a very long time and they are not really interested in changing. Afganistan is a very poor country and therefore prone to corruption. The people there dislike most forms of government because it is typically corrupt. Many of them also dislike the Taliban, but usually not enough to combat them. If the Taliban leaves them alone for the most part, then they are fine with Taliban control.
As soon as international security forces leave, the Taliban will re-take control of the country. Our concern should only be to what degree a Taliban controlled Afganistan threatens Western security.
Also, since when were Army Rangers dubbed “Special Forces?” I could see Army Rangers being included in ‘Special Operations,’ but I thought Army Special Forces were “Special Forces.” Could just be the writer using blanket terminology, or maybe I’m just splitting hairs.
all of afghanistans problems could be fixed by blowing those dams we built and leaving them to it
Wow, I want to fucking puke, listening to the background music and sobb stories.
This is dumb. They should just make shoes and donate them to people in afghanistan…
Afghans, like most muslims around the world are, by and large, a mentally weak and immature people incapable of change. The Afghan civilians are armed and experienced fighters, and yet they let handfuls of Taliban control them. They are classic old-world, in the sense that They care more about living than being free, and see nothing wrong with honor killings, child-rape, etc.. Just cordon off Afghanistan from the rest of the world and raid whenever they get uppity every now and then.
A muslim bashing guy named “Saxon” who uses the word “uppity”.
If you’re trying to mess with people, be a little less obvious…
Whats your problem Kav? I’m just speaking the truth, which you apparently cant handle.