by Kayla Coleman
Many of today’s youth, and some adults, can be seen wearing a variety of high priced sneakers in an array of different colors and styles. People can be seen wearing them to classes or proclaiming their affection for them in Facebook groups and pictures posted on Myspace. One of the more prevalent lines of sneaker is former basketball player Michael Jordan’s line of Air Jordans. The Air Jordan line includes 23 shoes, and their releases span his career as well as after his retirement. With the average price of his shoes starting at 100 dollars, the shoe has made its way into a number of closets around the world. Although some see nothing wrong with collecting these sneakers, despite the cost, others feel that it is a waste of money for something that goes on your feet. Is it a guilty pleasure in the form of hobby or waste of time displaying the immature choices that exist with youth?
a clip from Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing; Courtesy of Youtube.com
Brandon Racadio, 19, is a college student in P.G. County, Maryland. He is the proud owner of a shoe rack that holds at least 10 pairs of Air Jordans. Racadio and his collection fall into the category of most fans of Air Jordans. He does not consider himself excessive but is still a fan of the sneakers. College life is generally one that does not include an extensive amount of miscellaneous funds. However, Brandon is one the many who seems to find a way to buy the latest Jordans no matter what. “Sometimes I’ll save up my money before a pair that I know I want comes out. If I don’t have the money, usually I don’t get them.” Brandon considers his purchases a hobby and not a hindrance to his bank account. “I like shoes and I always like the ones that Jordan puts out. I could live without them but right now I just enjoy having Jordans.”
Joseph Gibbs, 23, is a University of Maryland, College Park Alumni who currently works for the Department of Education in Washington, DC. After the making the transition from college student to a full time member of the working class, Joseph has developed a different perspective of his Air Jordan collection. “I started wearing them in high school. Now that I’m older I can honestly say now that when I started it was a little ridiculous because I mostly just wanted whatever was apart of the latest fashion. Now that I’m out of school and working, I buy Jordans because I can. I feel like I’ve earned them and it’s my choice to spend a portion of my money on whatever I please.” After interviewing Joseph, it seemed that his connection to shoes was one that was not on a high caliber. “I have to dress professionally now so my Jordan collection has been scaled back. They are still my shoe of choice when I’m dressed down though.”
Some people feel that the success of the Air Jordan line of shoes is attributed to a level of immaturity that most of the consumers share. Kristen Williams, 19, feels those excessive purchases of Air Jordans (or any sneaker) are a waste of time. “I don’t understand what’s so great about them. They’re just shoes and after a while they’ll get dirty or worn down and you won’t want to wear them anymore. You just wasted 150 dollars on some shoes you may only wear for a year.” Michael Turner agrees with Williams’ views. “I can understand wanting nice shoes but it seems a bit much to spend well over 100 dollars for them. I feel like there are ‘fashionable’ shoes that are just as good as Jordans and don’t cost as much.”
Standing on opposite sides of the shoes, some people value the 100 plus dollars spent on the shoes and some value the shoe. In the end, Air Jordans as well as other sneakers are very much apart of a trendy youth culture and are following these youthful indulgers into their adult years. However the question still remains, is it a harmless indulgence or waste of time?
Brandon Racadio, 19, is a college student in P.G. County, Maryland. He is the proud owner of a shoe rack that holds at least 10 pairs of Air Jordans. Racadio and his collection fall into the category of most fans of Air Jordans. He does not consider himself excessive but is still a fan of the sneakers. College life is generally one that does not include an extensive amount of miscellaneous funds. However, Brandon is one the many who seems to find a way to buy the latest Jordans no matter what. “Sometimes I’ll save up my money before a pair that I know I want comes out. If I don’t have the money, usually I don’t get them.” Brandon considers his purchases a hobby and not a hindrance to his bank account. “I like shoes and I always like the ones that Jordan puts out. I could live without them but right now I just enjoy having Jordans.”
Joseph Gibbs, 23, is a University of Maryland, College Park Alumni who currently works for the Department of Education in Washington, DC. After the making the transition from college student to a full time member of the working class, Joseph has developed a different perspective of his Air Jordan collection. “I started wearing them in high school. Now that I’m older I can honestly say now that when I started it was a little ridiculous because I mostly just wanted whatever was apart of the latest fashion. Now that I’m out of school and working, I buy Jordans because I can. I feel like I’ve earned them and it’s my choice to spend a portion of my money on whatever I please.” After interviewing Joseph, it seemed that his connection to shoes was one that was not on a high caliber. “I have to dress professionally now so my Jordan collection has been scaled back. They are still my shoe of choice when I’m dressed down though.”
Some people feel that the success of the Air Jordan line of shoes is attributed to a level of immaturity that most of the consumers share. Kristen Williams, 19, feels those excessive purchases of Air Jordans (or any sneaker) are a waste of time. “I don’t understand what’s so great about them. They’re just shoes and after a while they’ll get dirty or worn down and you won’t want to wear them anymore. You just wasted 150 dollars on some shoes you may only wear for a year.” Michael Turner agrees with Williams’ views. “I can understand wanting nice shoes but it seems a bit much to spend well over 100 dollars for them. I feel like there are ‘fashionable’ shoes that are just as good as Jordans and don’t cost as much.”
Standing on opposite sides of the shoes, some people value the 100 plus dollars spent on the shoes and some value the shoe. In the end, Air Jordans as well as other sneakers are very much apart of a trendy youth culture and are following these youthful indulgers into their adult years. However the question still remains, is it a harmless indulgence or waste of time?
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