Recently the athletic-wear maker Nike made news by making Colin Kaepernick the face of a new ad campaign. Kaepernick, you will recall, is the now-out-of-work NFL quarterback who, by taking a knee during the national anthem, started a wave of protests which outraged many on the right. So, it was certainly a surprise to many to see the face of Mr. Kaepernick prominently placed in an advertising campaign to sell shoes.

A year ago, I wrote about the NFL and kneeling in a column that ended up being read by roughly 10 times more folks than usually read my words – as apparently the issue strikes a cord deep within many Americans.

And with the new ad campaign by Nike, the whole debate has popped up again on social media and elsewhere. Outraged self-proclaimed patriots are burning their Nike gear in protest, though I’m not quite sure how burning stuff you already paid for hurts Nike. As I’ve noted before, I’m honored to have friends ranging from the far left to the far right, with me somewhere roughly in the middle. So, it is not a surprise that these friends are again in raging word battles arguing what true patriotism is and what it is not. I argue that the test of your support of free speech is not when you protect the rights of those with whom you agree, but rather when you support the right of those whose speech you find truly vile.

Which, of course, brings me to blue jeans.

With all the fuss over Mr. Kaepernick and Nike, you might have missed a story in The Gazette, first reported in the Washington Post, about another company, Levi Strauss, taking what many will see as a political stand. It seems the 165-year-old company, emblematic of the American West and the cowboy spirit has taken a political stand, which is not something you see companies do too often. The jeans maker is pledging more than $1 million to battle gun violence. This is a bold and risky path for a major corporation to follow. But as CEO Chip Bergh said, “The gun violence epidemic in America has hit a point where something has to be done. It’s inevitable that we’re going to alienate some consumers, but we can no longer sit on the sidelines and remain silent on this issue.” Thus, the big boss of a major corporation is saying that some issues are too important to ignore, even at the risk of some sales. Were it not for the Nike buzz, I suspect you’d be seeing people more aware of the Levi Strauss action, and people would be burning their pants in protest.

So why are major corporations doing things that seem, well, political? Isn’t that risky?

I suspect my long-suffering editor wondered how I’d work Mr. Trump into this (Ed: nope, I knew it was coming). According to a marketing expert quoted in that same story, “In a world where they no longer expect the government to fix things, people are turning to Corporate America to step in and do some good. Consumers increasingly want to engage with companies whose values match theirs.” So, people have lost faith in their government to lead on issues of morality? Funny how that happened, eh? Cough…Trump…cough…

Is it possible that these corporate actions are not so much taking bold stands on issues out of concern for what is right and wrong, but also for the new customers that may come their way due to the bold stand? I think this might be true and I know it works the other way around. There is, for example, a shop along a road I drive from time to time that displays both an American flag and a confederate battle flag. That second flag, no matter how many times one might claim is merely a symbol of southern pride, is (to me at least) a symbol of racism and treason, and so I’ll never shop there. The shopkeeper has apparently made the calculation that he’ll gain more customers than he’ll lose by displaying that incendiary emblem.

Nike stock prices hit a new all-time high after the hullabaloo over Mr. Kaepernick, and I’m betting Levi Strauss will see the same bump. I’m certainly inclined to buy those brands more, as my political views are aligned with their apparent corporate philosophy. And with no moral leadership coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it appears Madison Avenue may be stepping up. Perhaps as people take stock of the new normal they’ll also buy stock in companies that demonstrate a moral compass? Keep your pants on, more companies will undoubtedly follow suit.