Why is Adidas so scared to let Kanye go?

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This week, Kanye West released the music video for “Eazy,” a standalone single featuring The Game. The claymation-style video sees a Pete Davidson lookalike being kidnapped and buried alive, rejected with the lyrics “God saved me from the crash / just so I could beat Pete Davidson’s ass”.

This disturbing revenge fantasy is just the latest in a months-long harassment campaign against ex-wife Kim Kardashian Davidson, his new love affair. If it weren’t for all of Kanye’s other outbursts, his latest antics could easily be considered an act of crossing the line. And yet his business partners — from Adidas to Gap — claim none of his abusive behavior is happening, even though it’s unfolding in front of the world.

On Instagram, Kanye has repeatedly made fun of Davidson and even urged his fans to “scream” at him if they see him in public. Leaked text messages from West himself show Kim urging Kanye to tone down his rhetoric out of fear for his safety. “You create a dangerous and scary environment and someone will hurt Pete and it will all be your fault,” she wrote. West then told his fans not to do anything “physical to Skete,” his nickname for Pete and his slang for cum, and insisted he would “handle the situation” personally.

As controversial and incendiary as Kanye has been for most of his career, his handling of the ongoing divorce from Kim and his subsequent relationship with Pete can be called his most indefensible behavior to date. It’s getting so bad that you have to wonder why any person or brand would want to continue to stand by it – including Adidas, which did not respond. Submissions several requests for comment on this story.

abuse

In the past, Adidas has been content to draw a line between Kanye as a creative partner and his personal opinions. Years of Donald Trump’s endorsement drew widespread criticism of West, and the outrage came to a head when he suggested slavery “looks like a choice” in a 2018 interview with TMZ.

It is in this context that Kasper Rorsted, CEO of Adidas, said CNBC in 2019: “You have to watch what you get into, and I know Kanye pretty well. It’s a fantastic creative force. He has his own opinion. We don’t always share those opinions, but there’s no doubt that for both parties it’s been a great relationship, and overall we’ve been very happy with the relationship.

Kanye’s actions embody the very Definition of hunt down and harassment.

The difference between then – when Adidas might reasonably have been expected to cut ties with West – and now is that we’re looking at deeds rather than opinions. West doesn’t just express controversial feelings about relationships or a rival in a romantic partnership — he blatantly engages in emotional abuse and, at the very least, incites domestic violence.

From refusing to let go of Kim to actively trying to sabotage her relationship with Pete, West’s actions epitomize the very definition of harassment and bullying. write for psychology todayRegistered social worker and psychotherapist Kaytee Gillis says, “The behavior we are witnessing highlights the various non-physical forms of violence often overlooked by the courts and the public.

Gillis also pointed out that such behavior is also a precursor to physical abuse saying, “Survivors of this type of abuse know all too well the turmoil that occurs once they try to leave these relationships. If they’ve entered into a new relationship, or have common interests such as homes, children, or business, the harassment and abuse is often even worse. It can be relentless – and the courts are often powerless to stop it because it’s not physical in nature.

money talks

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Kanye’s creative partnership with Adidas has proven quite lucrative for both parties involved, as his royalty cut alone has helped propel his net worth into the billions. According to BloombergAdidas’ Yeezy sneakers generated nearly $1.7 billion in 2020, a 31% increase over the previous year which brought Kanye $191 million in royalties.

With so much money on the line, it’s easy to see why Adidas has backed Kanye for better or worse since they joined forces in 2013. No amount of outrage has been able to slow their growth, and Adidas was even able to ignore Kanye. wearing products from its biggest corporate rival in Nike. Yet when Kanye engages in emotional abuse so publicly, it begs the question of just how willing Adidas is to let him off the hook. Does he need to physically assault someone before the company cuts ties or at the very least reprimands his behavior?

Watching all that player makes me anxious.”

Watching the situation unfold has proven to be triggering for victims of similar abuse who see their own experiences reflected publicly. “Watching all this makes me anxious,” said Ayana Fekhir, a woman who endured a similar divorce in 2007. HuffPost. “I feel like I’m breathing underwater when I see the media coverage and comments. It takes me back to when no one believed they were the problem and accused me of being bitter, mean and angry.

Adidas should weigh the possibility of such trigger effects for the 40% of women who reported “expressive aggression” and 41% who experienced “coercive control,” according to a 2012 survey published in the peer-reviewed journal. Spousal abuse. Pursuing a working relationship with Kanye risks isolating these women and goes against Adidas’ frequent feminist messaging in its marketing campaigns. (Also worth noting is that 32% and 4% of men said the same to behavior categories, respectively.)

Training effect

Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

When Kanye left Nike in 2013, it was because the company refused to pay royalties for its Air Yeezy line. Kanye felt he owed a similar deal to Michael Jordan, and Nike was hesitant to offer such money (and production resources) to a non-athlete, years before musicians became a safer bet in sneakers. . But even then, Kanye was notoriously controversial and unpredictable, two qualities that very well could have been taken into account when considering a more in-depth business relationship.

Perhaps Kanye reaped the benefits of Trump’s tenure, when the president’s actions were so far and often beyond what was previously considered acceptable (and even legal) that the effect was numbing. The rapper and designer also saw little consequence as a result of his behavior. Adidas and Gap are still there with him, and Apple only pulled out of a deal to release Kanye’s 2 performance when it was announced that the album would be exclusively available through Kanye’s Stem Player.

Ultimately, whatever emotional pain he may inflict on other humans, the undeniable truth is that no one in Kanye’s life seems capable of challenging him – and that includes the $40 billion giant. what is Adidas.

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