Americans never quite figured out that that Vietnam was a nationalist phenomena, not a communist one, despite the best advice of the French, who were as it happened, speaking from experience. The Cheney Administration and his now-discredited neo-con still are sore we "lost" and blame the hippies and liberal media for our "loss". But the real reason we lost, apart from the American people's unwillingness to contemplate the total extermination of more than 50mm Vietnamese, is pictured above left: The Ho Chi Minh Sandal. More on that observation at a time other than when the market is so visibly shitting.
But with that thought in mind, I move on to the rather pleasing fat-tailed sight of CROX being vomited heavily by anyone and everyone today on the back of what one might term "channel indigestion". To their credit, CROX outlasted HLYS (Heelys) infadland despite my own small sample size which says [my] kids derive more glee from the latter than the former. But in an inflation challenged America, one would be forgiven for concluding that the indistinguishable oh-so-cheap imitations seen on every corner and increasingly in shop windows would be gaining some traction with consumers. And so it seems, Ho CHi Minh Sandals have struck yet again to sabotage American capitalists best-laid plans.
CROX down, ISRG to go?
ReplyDeleteclare
How nice of you to stop by! The other one seemingly susceptible to Ho Chi Minh payback, is Deckers (DECK). They've integrated the formidable Israeli version of of the HCMS in TEVA, and bought an Australian boutique maker of fuzzy dust-mite traps that are shaped like shoes. They too, seem to be popular, though the spectre of slipping up like Heelys must be in forefront of everyone's mind.
ReplyDeleteI was searching for authentic Ho Chi Minh sandals when I came across this - very interesting stuff. A great observation.
ReplyDeleteBack to my search! I did once find some in a surplus store in Cape Cod.
-Paul
Your comment about the the "nationalist movement" and not a "communist one" is completely wrong and naive. The South Vietnamese were deathly afraid of the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong, because of their frequent and horrific atrocities. You need to do your research and not just state your erroneous opinions. You should compare the number of atrocities committed by the communists as opposed to the allied armies in Vietnam. Please try to explain the need for a blood bath and "re-education" centers in Vietnam after the war. The good guys don't always win!
ReplyDeleteI was more categorical than I meant (or should have been) to be. What I should have said was "primarily" or "first and foremost" a nationalist movement. Ho Chi Minh, for the record, shows admiration and a desire to enlist the Americans support in the nationalist movement following the second world war. They were rebuffed. Their methods in the all out war vs. the colonials and the local elites supporting the status quo, having taken a page from purges past, and having been advised by communists big and small, were of course deplorable, but nonetheless effective in insuring compliance of occupied territories. I was not and am not defending the Viet Cong, nor their methods. However, history might have taken a markedly different turn had the Americans been supportive of the nationalists and their fight for rights of national self-determination (vs French colonialists), rather than letting the french have their way with their colonial interests following the second world war. Heavens knows the US earned the right to call those shots. Perhaps a struggle with the communists was inevitable in southeast asia, but it might have taken the form of a unified nationalist vietnamese (allied with the USA) against the chinese along the northern border (as it did following the american defeat).
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