The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 1.30 Ariana Grande 7 Rings Snafu, Why Howard Schultz Infuriates Dems, The Polar Vortex, & More

Episode Date: January 30, 2019

Latest episode of The Philip DeFranco Show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Wednesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show and let's just jump into it. The first thing we're going to talk about today is connected to a game we like to play on this show called What is part of the internet outraged about today news? Today we have our returning contestant, Nike. We've seen thousands of people signing a petition calling for Nike to recall a shoe with a logo that they say resembles the Arabic writing for Allah, which means God. The petition was started two weeks ago on Change.org. It has already accrued over 14,000 signatures.

And the writing in question is on the underside of the Air Max 270, and many have called it offensive to those who practice Islam. The Post saying, this is offensive because this is on the bottom of the shoe. It will surely be trampled, kicked, and become soiled with mud or even filth. The Post goes on to say, it is outrageous

and appalling of Nike to allow the name of God on a shoe. This is disrespectful and extremely offensive to Muslims and insulting to Islam. Islam teaches compassion, kindness, and fairness towards all. And adding, I urge all Muslims and everyone who respects the freedom of religion to sign this petition. Following this, we ended up hearing from a Nike spokesperson who responded to this backlash by saying, Nike respects all religions and we take concerns of this nature seriously. The Air Max logo was designed to be a stylized representation of Nike's Air Max trademark.

It is intended to reflect the Air Max brand only. Any other perceived meaning or representation is unintentional. What they're referencing there, that might be confusing because you saw the first image. How does that represent the Air Max logo? Oh, it's upside down. Someone flipped the Air Max logo upside down

and then took offense to it. Which is why in addition to taking offense to this, signing a petition, you also had people saying there's nothing to see here. Tweets like, as a Muslim and an Arab, I can confirm that it does not say Allah at the bottom of these Nike Air Max shoes. Look at all the negative press this idiot

in their petition has attracted. You come across as hypersensitive moaners with a persecution complex. Now following this situation, you have people saying, well this isn't the first time Nike's come under fire for using Arabic writing on their sneakers. But there it appears the situation they're talking about is over 20 years old.

Back in 1997, the company used a logo that resembled Allah on one of their shoes. Nike also handled the situation differently then. They recalled the sneakers, they modified the logo to separate the symbols. But also this recent Air Max situation isn't kind of just by itself in a bubble. These new complaints come just weeks after Amazon

removed over a dozen products. Items like bath mats and doormats that were imprinted with Islamic calligraphy references to the Prophet Muhammad and verses from the Quran. Regarding that, the products, which it ends up being the case often, were being sold by an independent merchant on Amazon's website. And those items were deemed offensive by the Council on American Islamic Relations. This because they said that these products would be stepped on or otherwise disrespected by customers. And that's just another example. Obviously the situations are somewhat different. But with that said, I did wanna pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts around this?

Now, as far as my opinion, I think that if you are offended by this, it is a big, big stretch. To think that you see something offensive, you have to flip a shoe upside down, then flip the logo upside down, and then only look at a part of it. To me, at least, it seems one, like a stretch,

and two, like there are far, far, far, far, far, far bigger battles. Then, because apparently this is the week for it, we have more bad tattoo news. Earlier this week, we of course had a lesser known, but really bad tattoo of Harry Styles on a person's face. And then today, we have the immensely popular Ariana Grande getting what she thought was a Seven Rings tattoo.

Seven Rings is the name of her latest single. It went billboard number one. But it has now been reported that while the characters separately stand for seven and ring, reportedly when these characters are put together, they stand for shichirin, which is a small charcoal grill used to barbecue. Although in Ariana Grande's defense,

Japanese barbecue is good. I wouldn't get a tattoo of it, but I'm a fan. That said, after a ton of people chimed in, Ariana Grande ended up deleting that post. Also according to Kotaku, in a now deleted reply, Ariana Grande said that she left out this part of the symbol, which should have gone in between, thus shortening the correct seven rings to small charcoal grill. Also saying in another now deleted tweet, it hurt like fuck, still looks tight, and adding she wouldn't have lasted one more symbol. And to those responses I would say, I can't tell if she's being serious, that she was like, ah, it'll still work.

Or she's kind of trying to take control of the narrative after the fact. But I mean, we should understand that it's not just like random symbols. This is a language. Depending on what is included, what is not included, even how you space certain things, it changes what you're talking about.

For example, if for some reason someone in Japan was like, I want to get an English tattoo of therapist, because I'm all about therapy and I want to be a therapist, that tattoo would drastically change if you added a space or there was some sort of separation after the first three letters. Right, it looks almost the same, completely different thing. But as far as Ariana Grande is concerned here, I think she has three options. One, she just lives with the tattoo and this whole story becomes part of that tattoo.

Two, she gets it removed. Or three, she comes out with a tattoo and this whole story becomes part of that tattoo two She gets it removed or three She comes out with a song called small charcoal grill and that becomes the number one hit and boom the way she went about things Would be a little out of order, but it'd be a great story and cover at the same time with all of that said There's there's also this small sneaking suspicion in my head that we're all being punked Like the more that I look at that a hand photo the more I'm like is that a mannequin hand? I think that stems from my desire once again like I said in the last bad tattoo video that I just hope that no one messes up when it comes to tattoos although historically people do. And then I look online I see that she's dropping her new album on February 8th and I'm like is this a promotional stunt so that she gets more publicity, but she's also Ariana Grande

so she doesn't need more publicity. I don't know, any and all thoughts on this story. Also, as a side bonus question, what is the worst tattoo or worst tattoo mess-up you or someone you know has gotten? That should be a fun one. Then let's talk about these insane temperatures that are affecting the Midwest of the United States this week.

If you haven't heard, there is a deadly freeze currently hitting many US states with extreme below zero weather conditions and brutal wind chill. It's hitting a bunch of states right now. The governors of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois have even had to declare a state of emergency to give local and state groups access

to additional resources. And this situation has grown dire for many cities. I mean, look at Chicago. Chicago is reportedly experiencing temperatures lower than many parts of Antarctica. At the time of recording this video, it is negative 17 degrees in Chicago with a wind chill warning that has been issued

for winds as low as 55 below zero. Chicago's forecast today had a high of 12 degrees below zero, which is also the lowest high ever recorded in the city. Also, additionally, much of the Chicago River has frozen over. We've seen a similar situation in other affected states. Also, the effects of this cold snap are far reaching. As of this afternoon, 2,591 flights have been canceled

and 2,381 flights have been delayed in the US. The US Postal Service has even had to suspend deliveries across the country due to extreme colds, and of course, school has been canceled for many students. We've also seen at least five deaths related to the weather so far across the United States, with two dead in a car crash in Indiana and three fatalities in Iowa due to storms.

We've also seen concern grow regarding those most vulnerable to these extreme weather conditions like the homeless, those living in substandard housing conditions, the elderly. I mean one of the greatest risks of exposure to freezing weather is frostbite. And on that note the Des Moines National Weather Service tweeted a frostbite warning stating only five to ten minutes. That's all it takes to get frostbite in this frigid weather. When you look at big cities like Chicago there are estimated to be around 80,000 homeless people. But also on that note, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel asserted that the city is prepared to combat this extreme weather stating,

"'No one in need of a safe or warm place to stay "'will be turned away.'" Emanuel also tweeting this week, "'City facilities, including community centers, "'parkhouses, libraries, and police stations "'will also serve as warming centers. "'Residents seeking access to warming centers "'and or experiencing insufficient heat

"'are encouraged to contact 311 for immediate assistance. And we've also seen reports of things like buses being turned into mobile warmth centers as homeless shelters were being overloaded with people. So there's that part of the story and then of course there's a question of why. Why is this happening? Well scientists say that the freeze is caused by the polar vortex, which is a swirling mass of cold air and low pressure that surrounds both of Earth's poles miles above ground. A polar vortex usually has one center surrounded by powerful winds, however, the vortex sometimes fractures and splits into multiple pieces. And on January 3rd, the vortex reportedly split into three parts. Judah Cohen, who is a climatologist at the Atmospheric and Environmental Research Firm, asserts that the vortex splitting is commonly followed by extreme colds and winter storms.

And this split affects climate by messing with the polar jet stream, which is the boundary between cold air traveling south from the Arctic and warm air moving upwards from the south. And so all of that results in freezing Arctic air moving south and warm air traveling northwards, giving us the frigid weather the United States is currently experiencing in the Midwest. And very unfortunately, according to Dr. Cohen,

this cold snap could continue for six to eight weeks. And of course, with all of this said, there is the big giant elephant in the room, which is climate change. And while this week we've had people like the President of the United States tweeting things like, "'Windshield temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, "'the coldest ever recorded.

"'Incoming days expected to get even colder. "'People can't last outside even for minutes. "'What the hell is going on with global warming? "'Please come back fast, we need you.'" And it really needs to be pointed out, and I apologize if any time in the past I've created some sort of false equivalency that there is actually a genuine debate about this and it's not like 97 to 3 that is such a ridiculous misleading and idiotic statement that the government agency

NOAA from their official Twitter account NOAA climate posted a cartoon trying to explain that warmer ocean Temperature results in more moisture which feed winter storms. Including the text, Winter storms don't prove that global warming isn't happening. Providing a link to their government website where they have to explain, No, that is not proof. Adding snowstorms require two things, moisture and freezing air temperatures. Later explaining not only are severe snowstorms possible in a warming climate, they may even be more likely.

Because as they explain, warmer air temperatures fuel more evaporation, leading to a wetter atmosphere which increases rain or snow total and Specifically today with what we're talking about regarding a polar vortex. There is a suspicion that climate change plays a role in how often the polar vortex splits. Dr. Jennifer Francis senior scientist the Woods Hole Research Center and Dr. Cohen both point to the fact that the Arctic region has warmed at a rate twice as fast as the world average and that the region is experiencing historically low levels of sea ice as possible factors contributing to the extreme weather we are experiencing.

But what I will say about that last part is that while Dr. Franz's claims of polar freezes are definitely becoming more common, she also asserts that their link to climate change has not been proven conclusively. But regarding the climate change part, I just wanted to hit on that because it is so, it's not even that it's frustrating,

it is dangerous that misinformation is being spread at such a massive level. That's where I'm gonna leave that one. Once again, to the people that just deny climate change or they agree with statements like the one from the president on that, please, please look at research from places that you might not normally go. And please don't be misled by the false equivalency that we've seen over the years of like,

this person thinks that and that person thinks this. And you know, I guess it's 50-50, even though there's overwhelming evidence that one person is right. That's what I'll just say on that part. And as far as those affected by the polar vortex here, please be safe and yeah, good luck to you. And then let's talk about the 2020 election.

I know it's kind of far away and some interesting things have been happening. I've been holding off talking about it because you usually see just a lot of people get thrown into the fray and then slowly you actually see what the picture looks like. But one of the things that has really stood out to me

has been the situation around Howard Schultz. If you don't know, Howard Schultz is the former chief executive of Starbucks and he's been all over the news because you have this billionaire who says that he's considering running for president as a centrist independent, saying in part, "'We're living at a most fragile time.

"'Not only the fact that this president "'is not qualified to be the president, "'but the fact that both parties are consistently "'not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people "'and are engaged every single day in revenge politics.'" And also during this, referencing what he called extremes on both sides. And the reaction to his announcement hasn't been fantastic.

You had a lot of Democrats saying a big independent run could take a lot of the anti-Trump vote and accidentally re-elect Donald Trump. Jim Messina, who was Obama's 2012 campaign manager, said he can't win and he could seriously damage our ability to beat Donald Trump. He should either run as a Democrat or spend his time and money doing something

that won't ruin the world. Philippe Rains, a confidant for Hillary Clinton, not mincing words, saying Howard Schultz is a jackass. He's arrogant and wealthy, and those people tend to not see the world as it is. We also saw the likes of Mike Bloomberg tweeting, "'In 2020, the great likelihood is that an independent "'would just split the anti-Trump vote

"'and end up re-electing the president. "'That's a risk I refused to run in 2016, "'and we can't afford to run it now.'" And including the message, "'Last fall, I spent over 100 million of my own money "'to elect Democrats to the House "'because I believed it was absolutely imperative "'to ensure a congressional counterweight

"'to President Trump. "'Thankfully we were successful, "'but that was just the first step. "'The next and most important step "'is to defeat Donald Trump in 2020. "'Now I've never been a partisan guy "'and it's no secret that I looked "'at an independent bid in the past.

"'In fact, I faced exactly the same decision now "'facing others who were considering it. "'The data was very clear and very consistent. Given the strong pull of partisanship and the realities of the electoral college system, there is no way an independent can win. That is truer today than ever before." Adding, we must remain united

and we must not allow any candidate to divide or fracture us. The stakes couldn't be higher. Also connected to this, we've seen some people calling for a boycott of Starbucks itself. Now regarding the negative reaction from Democrats, Schultz responded on Fox News saying, I think the Democrats need a little bit less caffeine right now. Also claiming that he's just as likely to pull in the moderate Trump voter.

And obviously we'll continue to watch this to see how this develops, if he does end up officially announcing. But with all of that said, the big reason I wanted to share this story is I wanted to hear from you regarding the idea of a third party candidate going into the 2020 election. What are your thoughts? Do you agree with Schultz that he's just as likely to pull people from both sides? Do you feel like critics are correct in that if Schultz does move forward with this, that he will help re-elect a man that he himself called not qualified? Or could there be an unexpected outcome that he could be the foil to President Trump? He actually pulls the moderate Republican vote even though the polls show there's a lot of support for Trump still with the Republican Party. Any and all thoughts here, I'd love to hear from you.

And that's where I'm going to end today's show. Remember, if you like this video, you like these dives into the news, let us know, hit that like button. Also, if you're new here, you want more, both of the Philip DeFranco Show and the Extra Morning News Deep Dives, hit that subscribe button.

Maybe ring that bell and or follow me on Twitter. Also remember, if you missed and you wanna catch up on the last Philip DeFranco show, the last morning news show, you can click or tap right there to watch those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces, and I'll see you tomorrow.