The term ‘sneaker culture’ really grinds my gears. My whole body cringes when the term ‘sneaker culture’ gets thrown out there in a regular conversation. It gets thrown out there often and it gets thrown out there by the most vicious of the vultures…This was never a thing 10 years ago, it’s only started popping up over the past few years. ⁣
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I googled it…the definition of culture: ‘the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group.’ Benign enough. So why does it bother me so much? ⁣
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A marketplace =/= a culture. ⁣
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There is definitely a sneaker culture – but it is absolutely not what people refer to as ‘the culture’.⁣
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I think it has to do with the fact that most of the people that are talking about sneaker ‘culture’ are really only talking about the monetary aspect of it. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not some kind of saint – I’m a dude that loves sneakers and likes to make a bit of money off of them. But make no mistake – I don’t think that a ‘culture’ in which 98% of its participants care more about making a few bucks than anything actually deserves to be called a ‘culture’. It should be called a ‘marketplace’.⁣
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A ‘culture’ is not derived from whoever is able to spend the most money on it. That’s not where ‘culture’ comes from. Culture comes from those who struggle and suffer and make something new and beautiful through that struggle. IMO You cannot *buy* culture. And those who think they can are the worst kind of people.⁣
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How do y’all feel when you hear the words ‘sneaker culture’? ⁣