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Colin Kaepernick’s Sit-In
This weekend the National Football League’s Colin Kaepernick decided for the third straight preseason game to sit during the playing of the national anthem. According to Kaepernick, America “oppresses black people and people of color” and there are dead “bodies in the street” of black and brown people “murdered” by white cops. The San Francisco 49’ers quarterback also believes that “white supremacy” is the “standard” American practice.
Kaepernick said, “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.”
To be clear, this controversy isn’t about Colin Kaepernick’s First Amendment right to freely express his opinion- however uninformed it may be. He’s literally at liberty to say almost anything he chooses. However, though the First Amendment protects his right of self-expression, it doesn’t protect him from being criticized for exercising his opinions.
Kaepernick refuses to stand to honor the flag or the country that, “oppresses black people and people of color.” What about the many blacks and other “people of color” who’re currently serving or who’ve died in service to the country and its flag that he refuses to honor? His selfish, racialized protest ignores and delegitimizes their sacrifice(s). For this reason alone he deserves every bit of moral condemnation that comes his way. He earned it.
That said, when he talks about America’s racial oppression of blacks and people of color, does he include himself in that false racial narrative and lamentation, or does this “oppression” refer to other blacks in the country? Why or why not? I’m very curious to know the specifics of how America has oppressed Colin Kaepernick.
Here’s one problem (among many) with his sorry explanation. If one is going to make a political statement by rejecting the public display of respect for the national anthem, the flag, and those who’ve died defending and are currently defending the values both symbols represent, one better have a well thought out explanation justifying the rationale for such a controversial decision. Not half-baked racial platitudes regurgitated by racial and social justice warriors, but actual specifics that demonstrate intellectual coherency and a sense of sobriety.
As we’ve seen, his explanations don’t qualify.
Since Kaepernick didn’t parse his statement, people are left to assume that America oppresses all blacks, he included. Thus, he has an obligation to explain exactly how a black kid- adopted, loved and raised by white parents (not black ones), in a nice California suburb, whose multimillion dollar salary is incommensurate with his talent, has- or is- experiencing the kind of “oppression” that motivates him to sit in defiant protest when the national anthem is played. He should clearly explain his recent enlightenment to America’s treatment and “oppression” of blacks. In other words, why now? Has this “oppression” worsened recently? If so, when and how? He also should explain in detail what government actions constitute “oppression” and how contemporary America is guilty of it. Further, he should explicitly define “white supremacy” and how it’s “standard.”
Simply saying these racially provocative things with smug emotional certitude doesn’t make them so.
If by oppression he means the dead “bodies in the street” of black and brown people who were “murdered” by white cops,” then like most people who adopt the dishonest propaganda of predatory cops intentionally killing “unarmed blacks,” simply and only because they’re black, he’s a fool who’s flat out wrong. Such parroted slander of murderous cops undercuts the integrity of the many good cops who do a thankless job protecting citizens in areas Kaepernick would never live, let alone drive. It also undermines his moral credibility in the process.
By thoughtlessly repeating disingenuous racial narratives like his fellow blacktivists and other racial agitators, Colin Kaepernick has intentionally disregarded evidence-based reality. He’s guilty of continuing an all too familiar falsehood to advance a racialized, ideological narrative of black victimization by racist white cops.
Unfortunately for the millionaire, rookie racial grievance merchant, facts simply don’t support that position. Though police officers aren’t perfect (who claims they are?), for the most part, they don’t murder people. Police officers have killed criminal suspects and others who’ve either resisted arrest, have assaulted them, or have attempted to disarm them in a bid to inflict harm, including death, during police stops and other escalated confrontations. In other words, because of their imprudence, criminal suspects- regardless of color- have underwritten their early deaths and bear some responsibility. Thus, their deaths don’t qualify as “oppression.” Of course, all officer-involved shootings aren’t justified but a great many are and they shouldn’t be invalidated simply because morally misguided and foolish people want to attach social virtue to varying levels of brown complexion.
Interestingly enough- and this may be news to the new racial militant- but there are a number of dead black and brown bodies in the streets that have absolutely nothing to do with racist police officers and everything to do with out-of-control black criminality. Why isn’t Colin Kaepernick standing, or more specifically, sitting in solidarity with them? As is obvious by now, even to half-interested observers, blacks kill more blacks in one week than white cops kill blacks in an entire year. Why is Kaepernick willing to ignore these victims of color, and their families? NBA star Dwyane Wade- himself a supporter of Black Lives Matter- had a cousin that was shot dead while walking her child in a stroller several days ago by two black felons. Racist white cops, white supremacy, and white “oppression” had nothing to do with her death. Does Kaepernick have anything to say about this?
According to local news outlet WGN in Chicago, Chicago police reported two people were killed and seven more were injured at four different locations, all within 20 minutes of each other early Sunday morning. No racist cops were responsible for the dead and wounded bodies in the street. What about these black bodies and other victims of color?
Even more, Chicago had witnessed seven murders and at least 38 wounded in shootings through Saturday night. Chicago’s final weekend tally includes 11 dead and 61 wounded. Black criminals and gangsters who’re largely responsible for the carnage- non-agents of white supremacy- sure as hell aren’t “getting paid leave” but most are definitely “getting away with murder.” Does Kaepernick have anything to say about this?
HeyJackass.com reports that as of this writing, Chicago has 487 homicides to date; with 2858 people who’ve been shot- the overwhelming majority (79%) of who are or were black. Haven’t’ these criminals earned some variety of moral condemnation for destabilizing black ghettos and diminishing public safety? Don’t the innocent victims- dead or alive- deserve recognition, especially by someone like Colin Kaepernick? Or has he already adopted the racial activist scheme of ignoring black deaths when white cops can’t be impugned?
The answer can partially be found on his Twitter feed, where Colin Kaepernick has taken to re-tweeting out the likes of Shaun King, Black Lives Matter, and other racial activists who’re overly concerned with ‘white supremacy,’ ‘white privilege,’ and police confrontations with ‘unarmed’ black suspects, but who’re insufficiently concerned with black crime and its increasing numbers of collateral damage.
Again, Colin Kaepernick can say what he wants and make as many political statements he chooses. But his right to self-expression doesn’t provide insulation against social condemnation for his lack of nuance or moral clarity, and his selective indignation, self-awareness, and naïveté.
The blowback Kaepernick has received is a direct result of the nation’s fatigue and annoyance with fraudulent cultivators of racial acrimony and race-obsessed identity politics. These purveyors of racial conflict have successfully and calculatedly exacerbated racial tensions and inspired protests and other forms of racialized backlash in the country during the past eight years. Mainstream America is sick of it. People are fed up with the kind of racial melodrama that’s only successful in promoting more racial resentment, which is exactly what Colin Kaepernick’s “protest” is accomplishing.
Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit in protest during the national anthem is his to make. As of now, this decision isn’t buttressed by anything approaching intellectual, political or moral coherency. Whether his misguided “protest” against racial “oppression” is a form of racial compensation to gain racial street credibility is anyone’s guess. For now, he hasn’t achieved much more than showing a demonstrable lack of appreciation for a country that’s been very good to him while making people who’re already fed up with racial division a lot more fed up.
Published in General
Exactly. Just like the many professional actors (who can barely speak a cogent sentence not written for them by someone else) Kaepernick is a highly-paid entertainer with a specific skill set that does not necessarily include the formation of public policy.
From what I’ve read his parents are Christians and raised him as such, I don’t know if they are conservatives but I think he is more likely being influenced by is Black Lives Matter supporting girlfriend, then anything.
Also, is this what the NFL wants to be dealing with right now? The NFL has allowed this to happen to often and it is threatening people’s support for the league. The Dallas Cowboys wanted to put a sticker on their helmets in support of the 5 cops that were killed a last month in Dallas and the league said no that it would be a distraction. But they allow this stunt by Kaepernick and the St Louis Rams stunt last year, Beyonce’s homage to the Black Panthers.
People watch football to get away from this stuff, they don’t want this shoved down their throats while trying to watch a game. The league needs to understand it’s audience and get a better handle on their players, and the players need to understand who pays for their multi million dollar contracts and have some respect for the people who watch their games.
Sports is getting to be such an ugly big business – and skewing left.
We need to turn our back on them, and get our sports fix at the local high school. Go to those games and cheer on the local team! Surely you know someone whose kid plays on the team, or cheers, or plays in the band. You’re likely to meet your friends and neighbors there, and the teams would really appreciate the support!
Expressing your view on the direction of pro and college sports is best done with the pocket book, sometimes called ‘voting with your feet’.
We need Separation of Sports and State for the same reason we have Separation of Church and State.
But isn’t this demonstrating the subtlety of the oppression visited on minorities by the liberal left? Many individuals who reach the heights of adoration for their performances in athletics and entertainment are simple enough otherwise to be overtaken by the liberal left’s empty rhetoric and promises.
Exactly. It’s one reason why people refer to civil rights as an industry because that’s exactly what it’s become. The pretense of civil rights is gone; they’ve been achieved for all law-abiding Americans. Really, it’s become a grievance industry- industries, really (black, racial, homosexual, transgendered, illegal immigrants, etc.).
What these people want is personal income (again, Sharpton and Jackson are Multimillionaires, Dyson and Hill on their way) and redistribution of (white) wealth couched in virtue. These people have a vested financial and psychological interests in maintaining the status quo.
It really is disgusting.
No other race disparages members of its own group like blacks do. If a black is academically inclined, takes education seriously and speaks well, fellow blacks deride him for “acting white.” If a black espouses conservative positions, he wants to “be white” and is a racial sell out, among many other things. Disagree with the prevailing narrative of anti-black racism disrupting and controlling everything in black society prompts the same racial derisions. Being mixed invites the same, “you’re not really black” racial derisions from fellow blacks.
Those other groups, mixed or not, aren’t preoccupied with racial solidarity (and accompanying racial insecurities) to the level blacks are. Most of those groups still rightly believe that culture has more cache than melanin content and maintaining black grievance. Most blacks (black leftists) reject culture as influential because it turns to perspective away from white guilt onto black responsibility. And aside from integrity and social respectability, there’s nothing sexy nor profitable (social goodies, programs, income, etc.) about the culture of respectability.
Well, some are as you describe but others I would say are more sincere but misguided in the same way as Kaepernick. The blacks and other minorities in the media all have jobs in the urban Democrat cities and they succumb to and even promote the ineffective approaches to dealing with the actual problems of the ‘poverty laden’ because they are not in the demographic. They need to think this through at a deeper level.
An Asian immigrant friend, upon being invited to join her university’s (here in US) “student minorities association” was in turn baffled and annoyed that she was expected to join a “minority group.” Why limit oneself while the whole world beckons?
Badly is my guess. They are not an impressive bunch.
As a local and a Niner fan I can tell you that the whispers about Kaep are that he isn’t much for the thinking side of the game and that is a big reason for the slide in his abilities. Opponents have figured him out and he can’t adjust.
This is such an awesome post Derryck. I’m local to the bay area and I listen to KNBR — sports talk — to get away from politics but it’s been all over the radio today.
It’s been depressing to hear so many callers phoning in as “white male and thus twice privileged” so they are of course on Kaep’s side. Okay, so he wanted to bring awareness. Done. What now? The thing I can never get an answer on is “what would it take?”, “What would be enough?”
As you point out, civil rights have been achieved for all law abiding citizens.
We have elected a man of African dissent as President
People that are consistently present on the list of most admired Americans include Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan and Steph Curry.
What will it take for the BLM folks to feel like we have achieved enough growth as a country in this area?
I haven’t the time to find the references now but I believe that 1st generation african immigrants do quite well. I’m not at all convinced that racism explains these problems.
There will always be racists, if eliminating all racist thought is success, then we won’t get there.
According to reports he also converted to Islam over the offseason. and to cap it all he wore this
A Fidel Castro shirt to a presser.
How about that for breaking the Kaepernicks hearts…
No one likes an ingrate.
Beautiful revelation. Identity politics makes simple solutions seem insane–and like it or not you just defused it faster than I did. Priorities. Reason. Pragmatism. Im sorry if I put you on the spot.
Bingo. I won’t watch ESPN anymore because of their idiot Lefty political slant. Don’t want a Sports talking head hectoring me on politics.
Almost a year ago, I posted Hating the 49ers about finding myself disliking the 49ers, unexpectedly, while watching a Monday Night game. It was one of my favorite rants.
I attributed it to Colin Kaepernick’s tats (my favorite rants seem to involve tattoos, for some reason). I concluded that I had been silly and was going to give the guy another chance.
Well, he had his chance. Now I can loathe the 49ers with a clear conscience.
But I’m not going to watch them play football. I’m going to enjoy a little meaningless, one-man boycott of 49ers games. I have more important things to do anyway.
I thought about writing a post on this, but I’m not sure I could keep my rage under control.
The NFL has “standards?” So do I, and their product has been scratched from my viewing lineup. It’s not much of a sacrifice. Their product has been getting steadily worse for years.
Kaepernick is
a spoiled brat, moron, idiotallowed his opinion.Stilton Jarlsberg used to be a member here (maybe he still is?) and is a wonderful cartoonist and essayist and has a must read website. This sums up the situation perfectly in my view (please go there to read the commentary):
That’s African descent. He dissents from American liberty. One is skin deep and one is all important.
The NFL doesn’t seem to realize that their viewers will leave if this keeps up. This hyper PC, leftist bent the league has been on will aleinate their audience. Their audience will complain to sponsors or stop buying products that sponsor the NFL. People will stop watching if it becomes unwatchable because of garbage like this. Football is an escape if it no longer is to people they will stop watching
I don’t know if this has been referenced here but Allen West has a message for Mr. Kaepernick. Well worth the time to read in my opinion.
Maybe the government could buy ObamaCare ads on NFL broadcasts to make up for the loss.
I feel really bad how I approached this but afford me no luxuries as I made the same conclusions about the writer @derryckgreen, I sincerely thought he was a random Contributor. Believe me, the last tired stereotype I want to inhabit is about racism. But this was an excellent reminder from whatever has been demanding me to ask the truth. Do so humbly, so I deserve whatever level of disbelief I have earned as I relate that I didn’t even know he was Black till this post. I do say that because he undoubtedly overcame far more educational obstacles than I did–and he is without a doubt intelligent and deserves more your consideration–I say that for my own selfish needs. take it as you will.
I think you meant African descent? But for some reason I’m charmed by the typo… I like thinking of myself as a woman of Scandinavian dissent.
Good heavens, Geoff! What is it you think you’ve done?
awwww man. Nice catch. I gotta get better at proofreading my stuff.
Been damaged by Identity Politics. That combined with a genuine want for truth has sorely damaged my compass. But ultimately, I inhabitaed a stupid stereotype to attack a fellow member. Which had I paid enough attention I would have never done.
Heh….that’s awesome.