KNOCK YOU! (OFF)

I would rather buy and wear a lowly and humble pair of genuine OTTO shoes than even think to consider a boastful (but insecure) “class A”/”factory overrun”/”replica”/”China” NIKE (or any other major brand) knock-off! We sometimes deny they are, and avoid using the word FAKE, and justify the lower price to their “minor” and hidden defects. The justification is further emphasized, especially if the seller himself is quite conscious that the items come from a questionable source. What’s funny is, some people who patronize these products move so awkward because they feel there’s heavy doubt that they’re using counterfeits, even defending why they look a certain way. Well, I guess that’s better than bragging about a 50/50 sham. HAHAHAHA!!!! “Image is everything” is a human sickness. Tsk, tsk, tsk….

Sure, the majority of manufactured commodities seem to all emanate from China nowadays, but purchasing them from authorized dealers and retailers still makes a huge difference. The important term here is: Quality Control.

Why do we deceive ourselves, anyway?

IF WE WANT, BETTER YET, NEED THINGS THAT TRULY PERFORM, THEN WHY DON’T WE DO OUR BEST TO SAVE UP FOR AN ORIGINAL? In social interactions as well as material necessities, NOTHING BEATS AUTHENTICITY.

We, as struggling and financially-challenged employees, want to attain a better appearance in everything but we sacrifice quality and comfort. Sadly, this has become acceptable to some of us. And more so, if the initial intent was for sports use, injuries (that could have been prevented or minimized) worsen as a result of this mentality. And then we later blame ourselves for buying cheap imitations. At times, they’re not even that cheap anymore. What a waste!

For me, a knock-off is a turn-off. Period.