I'm going to reiterate that I didn't care that Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem. What I will say is that believing he shouldn't kneel during the anthem does not make a person racist, it doesn't mean you don't believe that police brutality is wrong, it just means you think kneeling during the anthem is wrong. He turned a clear and concise message that a lot of people would agree with and turned it into a muddled mess of whether or not police brutality is okay, whether or not it's okay to kneel during the anthem in protest of police brutality, and whether or not there's any reason it's okay to kneel during the anthem.
And let me remind you that Kaepernick did not JUST kneel during the anthem.
Kaepernick after the first game he sat
Nate Boyer:
And I'll point out to you that despite Nate Boyer suggesting kneeling instead of standing. 1) the die was already cast by the time Kaepernick changed his tactics, people saw who he was before he went to kneeling. And 2) Nate Boyer only speaks for Nate Boyer. It's like people saying the Target CEO said it was okay to destroy his store and they'd rebuild and used that for justification for rioting. Target can be okay with it, that doesn't mean everyone has to be.
Kaepernick:
Praised Fidel Castro: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2677957-colin-kaepernick-praises-fidel-castro-comments-on-support-of-malcolm-x
And wore socks with pigs dressed as cops.
Kaepernick was under the impression that he could anger people into agreement, and he was wrong. It's why we have a Martin Luther King holiday and don't have a nationally recognized Huey P Newton or Malcolm X holiday. Two of those three were fueled by anger and separatism, one focused on building community and being a mechanism for change and inclusion.
To many people the flag represents the American ideal. What we're striving for and what we're never going to achieve. When he kneels and says the things he says he's absolutely giving the impression that he doesn't value those ideals.
And let me remind you that Kaepernick did not JUST kneel during the anthem.
Kaepernick after the first game he sat
Quote:
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.
"This is not something that I am going to run by anybody," he said. "I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right."
Nate Boyer:
Quote:
I'm not judging you for standing up for what you believe in. It's your inalienable right. What you are doing takes a lot of courage, and I'd be lying if I said I knew what it was like to walk around in your shoes. I've never had to deal with prejudice because of the color of my skin, and for me to say I can relate to what you've gone through is as ignorant as someone who's never been in a combat zone telling me they understand what it's like to go to war.
Even though my initial reaction to your protest was one of anger, I'm trying to listen to what you're saying and why you're doing it. When I told my mom about this article, she cautioned me that "the last thing our country needed right now was more hate." As usual, she's right.
And I'll point out to you that despite Nate Boyer suggesting kneeling instead of standing. 1) the die was already cast by the time Kaepernick changed his tactics, people saw who he was before he went to kneeling. And 2) Nate Boyer only speaks for Nate Boyer. It's like people saying the Target CEO said it was okay to destroy his store and they'd rebuild and used that for justification for rioting. Target can be okay with it, that doesn't mean everyone has to be.
Kaepernick:
Quote:
"How can you stand for the national anthem of a nation that preaches and propagates, 'freedom and justice for all,' that is so unjust to so many of the people living there?"
Praised Fidel Castro: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2677957-colin-kaepernick-praises-fidel-castro-comments-on-support-of-malcolm-x
And wore socks with pigs dressed as cops.
Kaepernick was under the impression that he could anger people into agreement, and he was wrong. It's why we have a Martin Luther King holiday and don't have a nationally recognized Huey P Newton or Malcolm X holiday. Two of those three were fueled by anger and separatism, one focused on building community and being a mechanism for change and inclusion.
To many people the flag represents the American ideal. What we're striving for and what we're never going to achieve. When he kneels and says the things he says he's absolutely giving the impression that he doesn't value those ideals.