Colin Kaepernick: dbag or not?

Gonna say something unpopular here.

It always seems weird to me when the Huskers carry the American flag out onto the field. They're playing a sport. It's not blessed by God or by the country. We build up sports to a weird level of importance.

(Btw - I know they got the flag from someone in the military who spoke to them a few years ago)

 
I agree with you guys, and wanted to share a couple more articles. (knapp, by the way, I couldn't read most of the one you posted -- is it crossposted to another news source?)

SBNation: http://www.sbnation.com/2016/8/30/12708298/colin-kaepernick-protest-drew-brees-reaction

^ I am all for little actions meant to cause thought-provoking discomfort.

Brees hears the anthem and sees his World War II veteran grandfather and the dozens of soldiers he’s met through his involvement with the USO. Kaepernick hears the anthem and sees Philando Castile, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner. These are not mutually exclusive visions.

Where Brees errs is in believing that his vision of America is the only acceptable version. (...)

Kaepernick is not demanding that anyone join him in protest. But because of the power and the clarity of Kaepernick’s message, he is implicitly asking people like Brees and you and me to consider that which they honor, to consider the full breadth of America and not just the convenient parts.
Click to expand...
The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/08/colin-kaepernick-nfl-patriotism/498014/

With his means of protest, then, Kaepernick is not only using his platform as an athlete to raise awareness about ongoing tragedies. He’s also, whether by design or not, questioning the NFL’s insistent but narrow definition of patriotism, shining a harsh light on its red-white-and-blue wallpaper.

By invoking the military, the league invites a flattering comparison, implying that whatever its faults, the sport teaches and portrays camaraderie and self-sacrifice, pure American grit. The United States would be unsafe without its soldiers, the tableau of waving flags and timed applause suggests, and the American spirit would be incomplete without its football. The game’s particulars can be questioned but its necessity cannot; audiences and advertisers get the reassurance they need.
Click to expand...
And I am definitely all for challenging this self-serving aspect of NFL brand management.

 
Thanks!
default_smile.png


 
I will side with Count here. I was not a CK fan prior to this and most assuredly, I will remain a non-fan. Does he have the right to protest in this manner, yes he does, by the grace of the very thing he is protesting. Only in America!

 
TAKODA said:
I will side with Count here. I was not a CK fan prior to this and most assuredly, I will remain a non-fan. Does he have the right to protest in this manner, yes he does, by the grace of the very thing he is protesting. Only in America!
Click to expand...
I agree with you. Thousands of men and women have died for this country that the flag and national anthem represent, so a dbag like CK can "speak his mind." I don't think anyone is arguing whether he has the right to do so, it's whether we agree with his decision.

Now what will be interesting will be the future repercussions of his personal choice to make this statement. The NFL is a business. Let's say that fans refuse to buy tickets and come to games if he is still in uniform (not all fans, but enough to make a dent in the pocketbooks). Now what NFL owner will want to resign CK when his contract is up? None of the owners will as he is a cancer to their business. So then will CK try to sue claiming he's being "discriminated against" because nobody will sign him. I know I'm getting way ahead of the game here, but I could definitely see this situation playing out that way.

 
Thousands have died FOR that flag, this is true.

Thousands have also died BY that flag. Thousands of our own. Both are important to remember, and Kaepernick doesn't see America collectively recognizing both truths.

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
Thousands have died FOR that flag, this is true.

Thousands have also died BY that flag. Thousands of our own. Both are important to remember, and Kaepernick doesn't see America collectively recognizing both truths.
Click to expand...
As I've said before, I think there are other ways he can vocalize his protest. Income inequality in the black community is bad and has gotten worse over the past 7 years. This is a fact. If CK really wanted to show he truly cared, he would be signing over several of his paychecks to help those struggling in the black community. He could give up his expensive Jaguar and buy a cheaper car and use that money to give back to the community he feels is in need. Doing something like that would earn far more respect than protesting the national anthem.

 
bnilhome said:
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
Thousands have died FOR that flag, this is true.

Thousands have also died BY that flag. Thousands of our own. Both are important to remember, and Kaepernick doesn't see America collectively recognizing both truths.
Click to expand...
As I've said before, I think there are other ways he can vocalize his protest. Income inequality in the black community is bad and has gotten worse over the past 7 years. This is a fact. If CK really wanted to show he truly cared, he would be signing over several of his paychecks to help those struggling in the black community. He could give up his expensive Jaguar and buy a cheaper car and use that money to give back to the community he feels is in need. Doing something like that would earn far more respect than protesting the national anthem.
Click to expand...


"Okay Colin, you're allowed to be mad about stuff, but you're only allowed to be mad about the things that I suggest are more important to be mad about, and you should only act against those things in this list of specific ways I have deemed for you to be better."

Nevermind that he's raised millions of dollars in support of charities.

I don't suppose you own a car, do you? If so, you obviously don't care about the homeless, because you could have a car that is worse than the car you have.

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
bnilhome said:
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
Thousands have died FOR that flag, this is true.

Thousands have also died BY that flag. Thousands of our own. Both are important to remember, and Kaepernick doesn't see America collectively recognizing both truths.
Click to expand...
As I've said before, I think there are other ways he can vocalize his protest. Income inequality in the black community is bad and has gotten worse over the past 7 years. This is a fact. If CK really wanted to show he truly cared, he would be signing over several of his paychecks to help those struggling in the black community. He could give up his expensive Jaguar and buy a cheaper car and use that money to give back to the community he feels is in need. Doing something like that would earn far more respect than protesting the national anthem.
Click to expand...


"Okay Colin, you're allowed to be mad about stuff, but you're only allowed to be mad about the things that I suggest are more important to be mad about, and you should only act against those things in this list of specific ways I have deemed for you to be better."

Nevermind that he's raised millions of dollars in support of charities.

I don't suppose you own a car, do you? If so, you obviously don't care about the homeless, because you could have a car that is worse than the car you have.
Click to expand...
Your defense of this guy is amazing. Enough said.

 
I haven't responded to this simply because I didn't know how I should respond.

First, he is free to act and do what ever he wants in this situation. If he thinks this furthers a cause that he feels strongly about...well....I guess I can't stop him.

But, here's my thing. It didn't do squat. What the hell has it done as far as helping minorities in the US? We already were talking about tensions between minorities and whites. It's been on the news constantly for years. The only thing I have seen come out of his actions are people debating if he's an a$$ or not for doing it. Gee....did that help anyone?

So....in other words, he insults people who sacrificed for that flag and the freedoms he enjoys only so that we can have a debate on if he's an a$$ or not.

I think he thought his heart was in the right place but it didn't come anywhere close to accomplishing what he wanted.

 
We need to stop being a people who "raise awareness" and start being a people who come up with common sense solutions to problems.

That includes properly identifying the problem and having a realistic way to fix it. We're woefully short on those things right now.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top