Colin Kaepernick controversy

I don't agree with him but this is the united states of america home of the free.What makes this country great is the right to be *******s.

 

My view is that as an American, he has the right to express his opinion in this manner. I think the fact he has been sitting for the National Anthem for the past three games and yet it was only noticed after the 49ers third preseason games says a lot about his irrelevance as a player anymore.

I have no doubt if he was still the same star QB today he was a few years ago, everyone would have noticed him sitting out the anthem during the first preseason game.

 

You would think that a guy that may be looking for a new job at some point would want to be less controversial. Plus, in interviews he sounds like a bumbling fool when he tries to explain his position.

 

Other NFL?

 

View from across the pond.

One of the biggest kicks I get from visiting America is the reverence given to "The Flag", I even feel patriotic when watching your flag being hoisted / taken down, and the singing of your National Anthem. You let this go, and it's the slippery slope.

 

I think him taking issue with the flag and anthem being symbols of a country that oppresses black people is off base. Those are symbols of a country that has worked hard to pass laws and make everyone equal. The country has gone through great lengths to eradicate racism. Now, there are racist people, but sitting for the anthem isn't affecting them.

 

It's his right to do this but I'm cool with this being another teams problem heading into the season.

 

I support Kapernick's right to do as he chooses, and I feel that his cause is a valid one, though what he's doing won't accomplish much.

However, I am also strongly opposed to the forced patriotism and flag worship that is part of sporting events in the US. As a country, I think that we're better than that, and its totally unnecessary and out of place. To me, its all very uncomfortable.

 

He should worry more about stopping the oppression of the san Francisco offense by his horrible play

 

The PC of this whole country lately makes me want to puke. Everything we have is because of that flag and those who have fallen for us to sit our lard butts on a sofa and be able to watch a game we so love. He's an insolent jack-tard that doesn't appreciate what he has. He's able to be a millionaire playing a game because of that flag.

Does he have the freedom to have his own opinion? Sure. But my expectation is you will stand out of respect during the national anthem. If you want to voice your opinion, do it on your own time. Personally, I feel if you don't like the USA, there are flights leaving to wherever you want to go all the time at the local airport.

I think its a straight up job requirement to respectfully stand during the national anthem. If you choose to not do that, you don't play in that game and your check goes to Wounded Warriors.

 

How is what Kaepernick is doing in any way politically correct?

 

I am not a big fan of the president, nor where it seems the country is heading, but I will always stand for the national anthem as too many have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms and country.

 

IMO CKap is legally protesting an issue he obviously feels strongly about. He's risking quite a bit for his beliefs in terms of his career, endorsements and even future employment. I doubt most would be willing to give up as much for their beliefs. And I see the right to legal protest as one of the greatest rights of Americans.

I'm not sure his choice of protest was the best. It certainly drew attention and promoted discussion. But unfortunately many people are too emotional to discuss the actual reason for his protest and instead focus on the flag. His stated goal was to create intelligent discussion about institutional racism, but the form of the protest seems to render many incapable of intelligent discourse on the topic. Ironically, I find those calling for CKap to be punished, fired or to leave the country (on some talk shows I've even heard callers say he should have his a** kicked) as behaving in a more un-American fashion than anybody else involved in this.

 

Colin Kaepernick is a pig.

 

I'm not an American so take this however you want.

My take on this is that the flag, anthem and pregame ceremony is a celebration of your nation and the military. Of all the things you hear about and from Americans is that the flag and the military represent is the very right of an individuals freedom. How many times have we heard some form of "the military is fighting over there so that we can be free here"

If that is the case, how can you complain that someone is taking them up on that very freedom? I'm sure that all those that fought would be thrilled to hear "hey thanks for that but we are good but we aren't going to use that freedom."

If you asked Colin "Do you respect the individuals that fought and are still fighting?" I'm sure he would say yes. But his protest isn't about them individually. To Him (whether rightly or wrongly) this whole process represents symbols of oppression so he chooses to use his freedom to protest in this way.

Is there a better way he could go about this. I dunno. It seems that this has generated a fair bit of attention which is what you want to achieve from a protest. Either way, this will probably end up being much ado about nothing. (His protests will be nothing, not the issue because that is something that needs to be addressed.)

 

I think his protest is doing exactly as he intended. It's shining a big bright light on the reasons he made that protest. It's also bringing the wormiest elements of our society that tend to hide by sticking together with other like minded people and not commenting on certain subjects out into that bright light, basically making Colin's point for him.

He made a sacrifice. This has significantly damaged his football career. If he'd kept his head down, he was going to get another starting job somewhere in the NFL. But now a lot of teams won't touch him. All it takes is the unfortunate coincidence of the teams in position to need a Colin Kaepernick to be the ones that are bent out of shape about this for his career to essentially be over in the NFL. Which is ironic and again proves Colin Kaepernick's point, since this is the same NFL that forgives guys a dozen times for battering women, an NFL that charges the defense department MILLIONS for those military tributes that they're supposedly doing out of patriotism.

He's getting hit from every side of this. It's really bringing the ugliness into the spotlight. Rodney Harrison goes on record saying Colin Kaepernick isn't black. Jerry Rice disagrees on twitter with Kaepernick's protest and Miko comes at him with explicit homophobic rants against Jerry, also referring to him as an Uncle Tom. The San Francisco Police Department demands an official apology for Kaepernick's protest and then it comes out that the SFPD caught a bunch of their cops texting one another stuff like "All ni--ers must ****ing hang" and "Get ur pocket gun. Keep it available in case the monkey returns to his roots. Its [sic] not against the law to put an animal down."

It's really stirred up a hornets nest and that is to the good, because a LOT of people would rather pretend the stuff we're seeing and hearing in response just doesn't exist.

 

You would have a point if he didnt just rehash BLM talking points... Well that and calling Trump a racist and that Clinton should be in Jail... Wonder why no one is discussing that.

 

I tend not to view things like this as "right" or "wrong". What's considered "right" or "wrong" not just in popular opinion but also in legal interpretation changes over time, partly because of people challenging the status quo like Kap is. What is considered "American" or "pro-American" has also changed a lot over time.

So for me, unless the issue affects me directly or it looks like it would change the world towards something I would not like (e.g. try forcing religion into science and I'll go ballistic), the only issue that interests me is whether someone who wants to change the ethics is successful at it or not. What works and doesn't work is for me what's interesting.

 

I think anyone that holds a flag/song/symbol to equal or higher regards than the freedom that symbol represents is not only missing the point, but is basically anti-American.

Freedom is more important than symbols of freedom.

In reality, the flag is just a logo and the anthem is just a jingle. What's really important is the quality of the product.

 

You like most in the media are missing a major point. There are many that are not offended by him not standing but his explanation of why he did it.

I could care less if he stands. Its his right. He had every right to say what he said. People have every right to comment on what he said.

 

He has every right under the constitution to do this. And I have ever right to despise him for it and for his ignorance of reality and defamation of law enforcement.

 

I have a point regardless.

Trump is and has been decidedly racist and there remain many people convinced Hillary Clinton broke the law. I've seen several discussions of Kaepernick's saying that. You're turning this into a side thing, and now you're going to defend the side you identify with against the side you perceive to be the antagonist.

That's not what I'm doing here. Notice I brought up that Rodney Harrison, a man who would otherwise AGREE with Colin Kaepernick's underlying reasons for protest, complaining that Colin Kaepernick isn't really black because he has mixed parentage. Notice I brought up Miko Grimes who would be at the front of any BLM parade spouting homophobic nonsense and calling Jerry Rice an "Uncle Tom" because he doesn't agree with Kaepernick's protest. I bring those things up right along side the obvious white supremacy and disregard for black lives that is festering in a San Francisco Police Department that had the gall to demand an apology for Kaepernick's protest.

My point was this has turned over a rotted log and a LOT of festering bugs are scurrying around in the bright light.

 

Actually Harrison was mad he made his comments because he assumed he was white.. He even stated he didnt know Collin was Mixed..

As if a White person can not discuss race relations.. Seems to be Harrisons position. He was fine and dandy with the comments after he found out Collin was mixed.

Miko Grimes is just a horrible human being and instead of constantly projecting her own misery and hatred i hope she chokes on it.

Part of his comments is not a "Side thing" .

 

Irrelevant to my post and point.

I didn't miss any point. People are telling him he should leave the country.

 

And they are just as ignorant as his comments.

 

Please. He's chasing money on a hot topic knowing his NFL career is not doing well. He's a punk. This is the best country ever and if you don't feel pride in being an American then don't let the door hit you where the good lord split you. There are far too many people in this country here out of convenience not desire.

With that said, I'm on here to talk football not politics. So I'm out on this topic after this. I respect all here and look at the phins as my escape from reality.

 

He can do as he pleases, the flag stuff IS certainly ay overblown IMO.

However I laugh at the reasons he outlines...another idiotic generalization about black people being oppressed. Poor people have a hard time with crime, police and oppurtunity. You can take all those examples of of how black people are oppressed and apply them to a hillbilly in the West Virginian hollers and get the same results. Many cops simply are not trained very well, but none of them shoot you because YOU ARE BLACK! People have no common sense in this country.

This country is already 6 months away from being screwed because it will either have a crazy old man who wants to take away the hardest workers this country has and give them to the lazy, play on your phone, self entitled american generation, or a known crook who has done nothing in politics but lie and steal furniture.If you think one of these candidates is great and the other bad then you are a puppet who voted for a letter not a human being. WE ARE SCREWED either way.

But sure...Colin can sit down on the bench all he wants and I have no issue with that, but his cause is quite fictional.

 

Contradicting views....

I don't like that by protesting the National Anthem he disrespects the military

I also find it funny that the majority of the people who are most offended by this whole protest, Christians, have the bible that tells them to not worship false idols. I've seen many many posts the past couple of days talking about the sacredness of the flag.

 

Kaepernick has the right to do what he did, however I don't think his manner of protest shines the light on the actual issue he is raising in the best way. By not standing for the flag he has opened himself up for criticism and started side debates that take away from his actual point. It seems he could have accomplished more by actually getting involved with the movements themselves (however my understanding is that he has been active on social media doing so) and doing something on the ground level. Still he never brought attention to sitting for the national anthem by actively broadcasting it, he was asked about it after the game. Which sends kind of a mixed message, was it simply meant to be a personal protest and if so did he really mean to attract attention to his actions/the overall point? Not sure, either way I don't see him as evil or a martyr, he's just someone doing what this country has given us all the freedom to do.

We all have the right to change what we dislike about this country and actively speak towards doing so. Politicians make a career out of this and now some of which are telling Kaepernick to like it or leave it when their whole platform is about how this country is going down the tubes and how they are going to make it great again (implying it isn't, which isn't that the same as what Kaepernick is saying). Such narrow mindedness and the social media/news coverage over hyping over every aspect of life is more so the enemy than anyone standing out in protest. I would actually like to see a statistical analysis of law enforcement violence in this country over the last few decades based on several factors such as race, economic status, age, etc. Such studies may exist and I admit I haven't actively searched them out which is why I have reserved opinion on this whole matter rather than just taking a side in one of the two sides seeing who can shout the loudest. I simply feel people need to research and study before forming an opinion and if you are too lazy to do so don't go around stating opinion as fact.

 

I support Kap 100 percent.
The fact that it is pissing people off is awesome.
He's not standing for the flag, but standing for inequality.
I wish more athletes would follow.

 

I disagree on the first part. First, I have no issue with him doing what he did. He wanted to protest, it was nonviolent, and legal, no problem with that at all.

But I think the only thing he did was shine a light on him and the national anthem. It did not advance BLM at all, or the myriad of issues facing African-Americans today. The talk is about him, flag, national anthem, and his lack of football prowess. Just my thoughts. The police brutality issues are just a tangent to Kaep and the anthem right now.

Just my opinion.

 

If we're debating effectiveness then I think Kaepernick's action was WILDLY successful. This thing has been raging nationally for nearly a week. It has forced politics into sports, and it has taken sports into politics. It has writers penning hundreds of articles debating and explaining everything from the roots of the Star Spangled Banner (and the lost verse that celebrates the killing of runaway slaves), to the exact history of the shirt depicting Malcolm X meeting with Fidel Castro. It has brought strark ugliness into the spotlight, and also brought pure heartwarming brilliance into the spotlight (try going to twitter and searching #veteransforkaepernick).

You say that it's not effective because it dilutes the issue he cares about. I say if he did anything else, we wouldn't even be talking about it. And that means it would have been far, far, far less effective.

 

You would have a point if the BLM talking points weren't the same talking points since the civil rights in the 60s.

 

Kapernick has a right to not stand for the national anthem, but it is quite disrespectful to not stand and at least recognize the price that his been paid for him to express his views freely. With that said I think his message that "people of color are oppressed" in this country is not true. We have a black president and scores of people of color in all walks of life who are executives, entertainers, athletes who make millions upon millions of dollars just as white people do. There will always be racists of EVERY color, but systematic racism in this country doesn't exist anymore.

 

He's standing for inequality? Huh?

 

I disagree.

It brought a discussion. I do not think you understand how hard that is to accomplish. Most people like to sweep race under the rug.