A week and a half ago, San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick set off a firestorm when sports journalists realized that he was sitting down for the National Anthem ahead of a game. What followed was a week full of a faux-patriotic nonsense, with people making non-sensical arguments for why Kaepernick was a terrible person for, you know, believing that America is not a perfect country and we still have work to do as a society. Jerseys were burned, hissy fits were thrown, and by the end of last week, a wonderful movement was taking place on Twitter using the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick, in which active or retired military stood up for Kaepernick’s right to sit.
Kaepernick’s actions have gotten mixed reactions from fellow athletes too. Some football players think he’s wrong, and some athletes are supporting him. One athlete supporting him? Soccer player Megan Rapinoe, the 31-year-old midfielder and reigning World Cup winner with Team USA. At a game over the weekend, Megan chose to take a knee for the anthem (which is what Kaepernick has now decided to do).
@JohnDHalloran pic.twitter.com/XJHiOhgbTW
— ❤️NWSL⚽️ (@gbpackfan32) September 5, 2016
When asked about it after the game, Rapinoe confirmed that she took a knee as a way to ally herself with Kaepernick.
“It was very intentional. It was a little nod to Kaepernick and everything that he’s standing for right now. I think it’s actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isn’t. We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country.”
“Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties. It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it. It’s important to have white people stand in support of people of color on this. We don’t need to be the leading voice, of course, but standing in support of them is something that’s really powerful.”
Yes, cosign. This is a great case study for intersectionalism and simply “being a good ally.” I’m sure Rapinoe will get a lot of sh-t too, but as a white woman (even as a gay white woman) she’s not going to get even half the backlash Kaepernick has gotten. But that’s the point, and that’s what makes a good ally, the fact that she has empathy not only for Kaepernick as a person, but for the political and social issues he’s representing. Rapinoe also told ESPN:
“I am disgusted with the way he has been treated and the fans and hatred he has received in all of this. It is overtly racist. ‘Stay in your place, black man.’ Just didn’t feel right to me. We need a more substantive conversation around race relations and the way people of color are treated. We are not saying we are not one the greatest countries in world. Just need to accept that [it is] not perfect, things are broken. And quite honestly, being gay, I have stood with my hand over my heart during the national anthem and felt like I haven’t had my liberties protected, so I can absolutely sympathize with that feeling.”
She also told ESPN that she plans to continue taking a knee for the anthem. President Obama officially weighed in as well, saying that Kaepernick is “exercising his constitutional right to make a statement.” Will this be the end of all the “controversy”? Of course not. But it’s good to see Kaepernick has some back-up.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Twitter.
I thought this was amazing and touching and then she backed it up with FANTASTIC talking points. I wish everyone who was standing up for something important had such eloquence in their reasoning. She was specific and aligned herself with him, but also kept bringing up how a bigger conversation needs to happen. I would love to see more athletes standing up for this…or rather kneeling down for this.
Her talking points were great. Very well spoken, and it’s sad to see that it is labelled as attention seeking, when she’s trying to speak up about an important cause.
I’m team Kaerpernick though, and now definitely team Rapinoe.
The comments on her FB page are pretty rough. Apparently all the trolls think that she is only doing it because she’s “over the hill” and that this is why they don’t like women’s sports, because of all the (sic) mouthy lesbians that look like men.
The most ironic comment was from the woman who said she resented Megan for doing this, because her young daughter is a big soccer fan, and now this mother is going to be “forced” to have a discussion with her daughter about showing respect for the flag. Hmmmm…so if this had never happened, she never would’ve had a discussion with your daughter about what the anthem or flag means to her? Maybe she should look at this as an opportunity to talk to her child about this, rather than as a burden.
This entire year has brought out the absolute worst in some of the white people I know. I’m white myself so I know plenty.
My Facebook was blowing up with things like “yeah maybe there’s a problem but the way he’s going about it is all wrong”. What?! “Maybe” there’s a problem? Ew. Makes me so mad. Every person of color is clearly stating there is a major, terrible problem, and white people I know are all “oh maaaaybe there’s some little issue happening for some people somewhere..”
And then there’s the issue with HOW he protests. People don’t want BLM protestors in the streets. They don’t want black people to make a fuss anywhere in any way, not even this most peaceful of protests of taking a knee, because it messes with their football game enjoyment. Goddamn people are disappointing.
I’m so glad this woman is showing what it means to be a white ally at this tumultuous time. We need examples like this!!
Ever since he did this the sales of his jersey have gone wayyyy up which I’m really happy about. I want to buy one now
I was listening to NPR yesterday and they reported that more White Americans in the younger age groups are expressing more support for the Black Lives Matter in recent polls. Kaepernick’s coaches are also not doing anything shady as of now to get rid of him or end his career as had happened to other Black athletes in the past. So I am happy to see these rays of light shinning in the dark.
As I said last week, whatever happens Kaepernick will be remembered and he is on the right side of history. Hats off to him and his bravery.
Ya know I was one of those white (-ish) people who was like that too. But it only took one day of driving down I70 and seeing a lone black man spread eagle on his hood being frisked by two cops with their weapons drawn, meanwhile a red corvette zoomed past me going at least 100 mph…that gave me a little something called perspective.
Agreed, Patricia. A protest, by its very nature, is meant to be disruptive and right in your face. You’re not supposed to be able to just look away from it. it’s a response to people like those in your feed who want to keep ignoring the scourge of racism in American society.
This is a beautiful statement and youre right – this is exactly what being an ally means. I hope other athletes take the same stance from various sports. This gives me hope because the blind nationalism in this country scares me more every day….
This isn’t even about the issues anymore, this is about CK. Her actions were a “nod” to his? Seriously? Protests have bandwagoners too apparently. This whole thing goes from eyerolling to infuriating. Great, so she brought up the fact that there needs to be a bigger conversation but didn’t actually do it. Whole thing gets a big whatever from me. Celebs doing the least, getting the most attention for themselves and the actual issue can remain untouched. Great work./massive sarcasm
LMAO, glad I read to the end.
Of my comment? Cause I’m serious. The “massive sarcasm” was for the “great work” part. I don’t think this did anything at all. I don’t see how she did anything other than align herself with a rich NFL QB. She didn’t call the actual issues by name or talk about them. I don’t think in this instance that “supporting” CK is the same thing as supporting what he supports, or protesting what he’s protesting. I don’t get why she’s deserving of praise for this; I think she and many others are missing the point completely. If she (and others) really wants to support what CK is protesting than she should have said that, not talked about him. Ck is NOT the issue here, he doesn’t need and wasn’t asking for support for himself.
She did explain her motivations very eloquently and her desire for a broader conversation on race.
Oh never mind then, your comment was exactly what it sounded like initially. Finding a method to complain about any effort being done while also ignoring the actual steps and actions both celebs have taken to ‘put in the work’.
Carry on.
This looks like another white feminist trying to insert herself into our issues. As a black person I find her silly. People like this try to make it about themselves. She is a white lady.
Lady Mimosa, how can white people support people of color in a way where it doesn’t appear to make it about themselves? What about her taking a knee causes you to feel like she is making it about herself? Apart from just not being a-holes, how can we be supportive in a way that would be most beneficial?
I’m not asking to whine about how hard it is for me as a white person – I just want to be supportive in the ways which help the most and I’m looking to learn.
@InvaderTak Did you actually read what she said? She did participate in the conversation by bringing up salient points about what Colin is doing and why he is doing it. A conversation cannot be had alone. Please feel free to write something in response to what she said other than you bitching about what they are both doing. You are doing the same thing that you are accusing them of doing.
But, let’s be honest, even if they had actually had a full blown conversation about race and discrimination in this country, you would still be either”whatever” about it or “infuriated”. You don’t care about the issues at all. You just care about not being made to feel uncomfortable and inconvenienced and being made to be the bad person/villain or part of a group that either actively or inactively participates in the oppression of others. You don’t want to listen and learn at all.
Also, dumb comments like the two comments you have left in this thread are perfect examples of why the phrase “All Lives Matter” is complete and utter bullshit. You cannot divide a country that was never truly together in the first place.
Thanks for making massive assumptions about what I care about from one comment. I am not uncomfortable with the issues, and I never said I didn’t want to hear about them. For the record, and I should have said this earlier, I liked what CK did and support his doing it. Her comments rub me the wrong way because she seems to have just done what she said she was against; she first threw her support behind CK the individual specifically and then talked about how the focus was being taken away from what he was saying. And then she made a speech about CK and how badly he’s being treated. So yeah, it gets a whatever from me; it seems hypocritical. And maybe I can’t be satisfied while things today. If i read this yesterday I might have been less cynical. But today it just makes me mad.
You are most welcome. You wrote what you wrote and I responded to it. Your comments make little to no sense. He is being treated poorly for exercising his right to protest silently and bringing attention to the injustices going on in POC communities; it is a disgrace. He is a part of the movement as he is a black man advocating for change and actually putting actions to his words. She is acknowledging the actual fact that he is being treated poorly and still supporting our cause at the same time. She is even showing empathy by relating it to her own experience as a white gay woman, a community that should know a lot about being oppressed. She understands and appreciates the struggles. My opinion is that you have no reason to be mad at her at all as she is doing nothing wrong. She is doing almost everything that a good ally should be doing.
Is it impossible to think that the vitriol being thrown at him may be emotionally taxing and he would need support from other high profile people to continue to fight?
I made comment on one story about a specific athlete. My whole worldview is not reflected therein. You have no idea what I think about the topic as a whole. Her reasons for her actions don’t seem to agree with her assertion that we shouldn’t be pulling focus. She seems to have missed the whole point of her own words. That is my sole opinion on her words and or actions. Anything else is an assumption on your part. Ck did what he did and has already accepted what is happening. He was trying to bring support to the cause, not to himself and supporting him does not equal supporting his cause in my opinion. You don’t have to agree, but please don’t make assumptions about everything about me because I got mixed messages from what she did and then said. She made her actions about CK, and I feel that wasn’t helpful. My comment was cynical yes, because I am that way sometimes and I made that comment on a celeb gossip board.
Again, you are making this about yourself and not about the actual comments she is making. You are the one making assumptions. I don’t care about you as a whole as I don’t know your real name, place of birth or anything else other than the comments you are choosing to make. I do care about this conversation so stick to the subject and stop being a hypocrite. You should not be complaining about someone making this issue all about them and then fill half your comments with baseless assumptions about how I feel about you as a whole. You are doing the exact same thing you accused Megan of doing.
Yes, in this situation, supporting him means she is supporting his cause as this is the exact reason she stated in her comments. They are two issues that she is doing at the same time. She does understand what he is doing, she agrees with the cause, and wants to help him reach the ultimate goal of equality. She is being a team player for the right side. She is not saying this is the only thing that can and should be done but it is a start. She is starting the conversation by admitting there is a problem.
“It was very intentional. It was a little nod to Kaepernick and everything that he’s standing for right now.”
“We need a more substantive conversation around race relations and the way people of color are treated.”
“I have stood with my hand over my heart during the national anthem and felt like I haven’t had my liberties protected, so I can absolutely sympathize with that feeling.” This is part of what Colin is fighting for.
How does anything that she said point to just standing by him only? The feeling of not being included and protesting until we all are included in the American dream is what Colin, Megan and a lot of other people are working toward.
I will thank you for admitting that you are being cynical and doggedly sticking to your wrong opinion. I appreciate it more than you know. No sarcasm at all.
Here we are, with the same issue again. It isn’t just that people need to protest. It’s that the *right* person needs to day the *right* thing in the *right* way. Kaepernick is too wealthy to speak up. Or he shouldn’t speak up because he hasn’t served in the military and doesn’t deserve that right. Or he’s not politically active enough to say something about this. Now Rapinoe isn’t speaking up in the way you want her to. She’s supporting Kaepernick, but you want her to give a thesis about why his protest is valid. And it’s like what Rapinoe said – when we do this what we’re telling people is to ‘know their place’. It’s icky.
This is AWESOME!!!!
Great move, lady.
I stand with kaepernick too.
Go on!!!!! Love it.
I am just so happy we live in a country -not a perfect country – but in a country where choosing to not stand for your national anthem or choosing to not say the pledge of allegiance is a choice. The backlash is expected, even people who make “all the right choices, all the time” get backlash because people are petty and will never be happy. But truly I never want to live in a country where one is forced to show patriotism.
This is such bull, I really when people didn’t support the Iraq war they were unpatriotic. Seemed u can be only right depending the subject.
But there is overwhelming pressure to show patriotism in the US. Even the op-eds I’ve read supporting Kaepernick are arguing why his protest in itself is a patriotic act. It’s a perfectly legitimate argument, but it says something that even his supporters are arguing on the basis of what is, or is not, patriotic.
MOST COUNTRIES ARE NOT LIKE THIS. Most countries couldn’t give a stuff whether or not A N Other public figure is patriotic or not. Most countries wouldn’t give a second thought to someone who ignored the national anthem. This couldn’t be a notorious protest in most countries because in most countries, nobody would notice or care.
Yes Sixer, agree emphatically with you. I moved to the US from Canada and American attitudes toward patriotism is akin to religious fervor. I don’t get it, the strong emotions for something so abstract and removed from ones daily life.
I have more fervor for my local supermarket where I can buy food to cook meals for my family.
It’s just this whole “I’m glad to be in a country…” thing. As if everywhere else is North Korea or something. The US is the peculiar stand-out, not everyone else.
There are plenty of patriotic people here in the UK. I am not one of them. I am inclined to think as an internationalist and I get creeped out by patriotism. Not that this means I am in any way better or more right. It’s just how I see things. I’ve never sung the national anthem when it’s been sung around me. I’ve never stood up. I think our national anthem is a dirge. Other people, whether they are themselves patriotic or not, just do not care that I think this or do this. Nobody thinks I am disrespecting anything. They. Just. Don’t. Care.
This is what it is like in most countries. Some people are patriotic, some aren’t. Nobody cares who is and who isn’t.
Yes Sixer we know America sucks and all other country are better…..
First all you know OSTONE family could be from North Korea so they are happy to live in a country are they have a choice.
I’m sure if the person was talking about the UK you wouldn’t have a problem with their comment.
I’m not sure you understand my point, ICAN’T.
There are good things about the US. There are bad things about the US. There are good things about the UK. There are bad things about the UK.
My point is that the US is NOT a country where you are MORE free to be lacking in patriotism than in most other countries. It is a country where you are MORE under pressure to be patriotic than in most countries.
You might see this as a good thing. Quite fair enough. I don’t see it as a good thing. Also quite fair enough.
But to present the US as a country where you are MORE free to take issue with patriotism than in most countries as OSTONE did? Well, that’s just factually incorrect. And THAT is my point. It is neither pro- nor anti- US. It is neither pro- nor anti-UK.
If you’d like to see my unpatriotism in action, just take a mosey over to any of the royal threads hereabouts. I’m not particularly shy about it!
My point is OSTONE never never implied at least to me that all the other countries are like North Korea that was your interpretation of there comment.
My comment was also going by a lot of your other commission you’ve have made on this site.
Then if you are going on other comments I have made, you will know that I am highly critical of the UK on many issues. The OP was presenting the US as a country where you’re free to not be patriotic with just a bit of bit backlash. And the “in a country where” bit implies it’s not like that elsewhere. This is simply not the case. Patriotism is fetishised in the US more than it is in most countries and declining to be patriotic is condemned more than it is in most countries. You don’t get the backlash in most countries.
And your extrapolating of anti-Americanism on my part from that, perfectly illustrates my point.
Hi SIXER, I am actually a first generation immigrant displaced by the drug wars from Latin America and English is not my first language, so I apologize if my point did not come across well. I come from a place where drug lords are the law and speaking out in favor/against of crime, cartels, the government or ones country can get you murdered. Where journalists live in hiding because they spoke the truth and are refugees themselves. That’s the reason behind my post, being grateful to be able to sleep at night in a country where I am free and being grateful for it. I KNOW other countries don’t show the patriotism for one’s country the way the US does on a regular basis.. Believe me I’ve been around! And also, I am sure England never shows intense patriotism during the World Cup, the Euro, when Andy Murray plays and he is booed because he is Scottish or you know Brexit! Because eww people from Eastern Europe, right? Or people like Marine Le Pen or the German “Alternative for Germany” ultra nationalistic party and heavily anti-immigrant winning last week in Germany. Its just the US that it’s overly patriotic!
Hi OSTONE – I apologise if I misunderstood your original post! Sorry sorry. And I should probably also have been clear that I meant most “Western” countries or “developed economies” or whatever term you like best. Sorry for that too.
But my point still stands. As I have already said, there are plenty of patriotic people in Britain. There are plenty of people in most countries who like to cheer on their compatriots in sporting events. That’s normal.
But YES. The US DOES take it to an extreme. And we are talking about the ability to be uninterested in patriotism and the ability to not partake in patriotic ritual and not be condemned for it – not about the existence of patriotism per se. You can do this in most countries and not be condemned for it much more easily in most countries than you can in the US, as Kaepernick is VERY vividly demonstrating.
Mind you, he couldn’t even PERFORM this protest in the UK. The national anthem isn’t even played at domestic sports events. Only international ones. The UK doesn’t even have a pledge of allegiance, let alone get miffy about where one’s hand goes when one says it. Doesn’t that tell you something?
The US is more patriotic than most countries and it is more sensitive and condemnatory of anyone perceived to lack patriotism than most countries. I don’t even know why this is not totally obvious.
@Sixer I agree with you on parts of your post, generally, the US does take patriotism to a higher level more so than other countries in the developed world. That was stated in my original post. Had I emigrated to the UK (harder in my opinion than the USA) Scandinavia, Canada – I would be equally grateful to live in a place/country where I am free. Now, going back to patriotism and nationalism. Europe is going through a massive nationalistic and patriotic wave, examples listed above with Brexit, Marine Le Pen et al threatening with “Frexit”, Boris, Germany’s election etc etc. heading towards an European version of ‘Murica.
Ok, last comment, else I’m flogging a dead horse.
Thanks for seeing what I am saying.
I also agree that there is a worrying rise in nationalism across Europe. As you’d probably guess, I find it reprehensible. However, this is a straw man in terms of what I actually said.
At no point did I suggest there are no jingoistic or ultra-patriotic people outside the US. In fact, I specifically said I live among patriotic people. My only point, which I have now explained several times, is that the pressure to be patriotic and the ubiquity of patriotic ritual is much stronger and much more prevalent in the US than in other comparable countries.
Ostone, the European examples listed are really about racism and xenophobia. This is why I’m not a fan of patriotism. There is often a thin line between it and a dangerous type of tribalism and racism. Without a dislike for minorities to unify these people, what would pride in their country or nation look like? I think this example of Kaepernick highlights a similar dynamic in the US.
Myself, I lean more toward an anarchist sensibility.
Rabid patriotism is terrifying. Like anything taken to extremes, it blinds people to differing points of view.
The fact that this peaceful protest was met with such hate, rage and ridiculous behavior proves his point for needing to take a knee.
Serious question: is taking a knee the same as sitting on the sidelines? I honestly don’t know. Thanks.
Megan is invited to ALL Cookouts and Functions in perpetuity! *Fist Up* God Bless her! This is an Ally one can be proud of… Speaking of My New Fave, Kaep’s Jersey sales are Soaring, Personally I’m about to Locate me one
Please let us know so we can get one ☺
Much love, Pinoe!
Well damn Megan!
As others have said not only was her heart in the right place and her intentions noble she had AMAZING responses when questioned.
THAT IS WHAT AN ALLY IS/DOES/FOREVER NEEDS TO BE!
And sadly she’s right, all the sympathetic pats on the shoulders from white public figures doesn’t mean a hill of beans if they’re not at least willing to engage on the discussion of WHY this man took these actions and WHAT is going on in this country. By being silent you are being supportive of this system because ultimately it benefits you and you don’t want to rock the boat.
Exactly Eternal. And now I’m reading that police are saying they won’t provide police protection if CK keeps protesting. Which is exactly his point, he doesn’t have a right to protest oppression but cops can pick and choose who they protect? It’s so infuriating.
It’s infuriating that he refused to stand even though it was Military Day and soldiers who risk their lives were standing in front of him. Oh that’s right, that was “kneeling” day. That was disrespectful to those men and women. And I highly doubt that ALL police would refuse to provide protection should he need it.
Seriously question, is difficult being a bigot?
@justme Please explain how it is actually disrespectful to the men and women who serve this country. Is he keeping their earned benefits from them? Is he making sure that they do not have access to health and mental care? Is he making sure that they cannot get access to good jobs? Is he being in their coffee and throwing mud at them and calling them pigs? Is he harassing them and choking them to death for selling loose cigs so that his or her kids can eat?
What about what he is doing is so disrespectful to service people? He even changed the way he protested (from sitting to kneeling) after he spoke with a service person.
LMAO Marty,
There were so many words that could have been written that would have obliterated justme’s point but that single question just did it all so well.
Yep, one man taking a knee is why veterans have the lowest form of health care, why they often end up homeless or addicted to drugs, why they have high incidence of suicide and domestic violence – ALL BECAUSE COLIN COULDN’T JUST FOLLOW THE CROWD LIKE A GOOD LITTLE BOY.
Another serious question: does the mental gymnastics of all these obligatory rules that supposadly honor veterans do anything to help with their actual needs or are we just in it for the pose before we PLAY SOME FOOTBALL!!
Ok. Explain this to me guys? As a part of the American psyche I can’t quite understand. On the one hand, you have the military as a de facto religion. No whiff of disrespect must be shown that could possibly reflect as a criticism of the military, even if it is at a gazillion degrees of separation. This includes protesting structural racism blighting millions of lives because someone’s second cousin once wore a uniform. But on the other hand, the very same people say that all state institutions must be distrusted to such a degree that everyone needs the ability to purchase an arsenal of assault rifles without so much as a background check. Regardless of mass shootings occurring on a weekly basis. Must have guns because state institutions bad and dangerous.
How can people believe both at the same time?
It’s faux-patriotism, Sixer. It’s how people will fight tooth and nail to keep their Second Amendment rights intact, but won’t support a black man’s right to express his First. Because I can guarantee you that a good portion of the people screaming “RESPECT” are the same people that have no problem calling President Obama out of his name, or laugh at people comparing Michelle Obama to a gorilla. It’s political and constitutional hypocrisy at it’s highest.
Personally I just live by this James Baldwin quote, “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
@ Marty
What? So sorry, the police are going to stop protecting him because…??? He’s not protesting the police force, he’s not protesting veterans, so unless they support the inequality and racial injustices POC have had to face he is supporting their vision of justice and equality for all.
In fact, this is a non-violent political movement, why are police forces getting involved at all?
Oh wait, because they aren’t nonpartisan, and they feel guilty and like the finger is pointing at them because they haven’t fixed up their acts.
Marty – thanks. It’s just such a weird thing to me. And I can’t work out if it’s deliberate hypocrisy or cognitive dissonance that people are unaware of in themselves. Because you just cannot hold both positions at the same time. The one negates the other.
@Detritus- I don’t get it either. I can understand not agreeing with him, but to threaten the whole team with lack of protection is on a whole new level of incompetence.
@Sixer, don’t forget something else – an almost deification of police since 9/11, combined with an attitude of many police departments and unions that those who uphold the law are putting themselves in the line of danger and therefore deserve to use whatever means they deem necessary, no questions asked. There are many wonderful police officers who joined the force specifically because they want to make their communities better, but there are also many who now think that their Shield is literally a shield against all criticism and that they who uphold the law aren’t subject to it.
Bridget – yes, also thanks. I’m trying to get it – I’m never going to agree (see above!) but I want to get it, you know? Hard to argue a point when you don’t fully understand where the other point of view is coming from. There’s a lot of doublethink going on from what I can see. We have that here in the UK obviously, just about different things – but equally hard to get people to change from.
@Sixer – keep in mind that we’re seeing the legacy of Bush/Rove jingoism to get re-elected. The US is so huge, and with such a varied population, that pride in being an American is one of the few things that bring us together. But keep in mind that the loudest aren’t necessarily the most numerous, and you’re just hearing from a really vocal minority (which is actually a huge probably with our current American political climate).
I do get that – one of the reasons this is the only American site I come to is because most people are nice and I get this stuff explained. Further to what you said there – I read only today about the gun thing that gun ownership in the US has actually gone down from 50% in the 1970s to 30% today. Yet the rhetoric has got so much nastier. I suppose the rhetoric is the last hurrah from the side of the argument that will eventually lose.
Both are jerks IMO. I know that is an unpopular opinion around here but black people are not “oppressed” nor are police shooting young black men all the time. Are there issues to be resolved? Absolutely. But this accomplishes absolutely nothing except make people more divided. If you aren’t helping solve the problem, you are part of the problem. Does CK do anything to benefit black people? I’m asking because I really don’t know.
Hmmm really? A black man gets 60 years in prison for driving with a suspended license, white man gets 30 days for molesting a 8 year old. Black man gets killed for resisting arrest, white kid gets hamburgers on his way to prison. Sadly I’m not being facetious and making this shit up – this happens in america ALL THE TIME. Yes, ALL THE TIME. You want to describe that as ‘issues’ rather than ‘oppression’? Fine, describe it however you please. But please don’t pretend that calling attention to these ‘issues’ is dividing people. We are already divided – your, frankly clueless, comment is evidence of that.
If that is not ‘oppression’ I don’t know what it.
If calling attention to these issues, while putting your own career/income at risk isn’t heroic, I don’t know what it.
CK did not put his career or income at risk. He’s a choke player and the only reason his wasn’t cut is because of this. Sorry, no one in this country is oppressed. Everyone is allowed to speak freely, protest freely and state their views. Just like everyone is allowed to not like what you say or protest and state their views. Calling him a hero to me diminishes real heroes. You know, men and women who put their lives on the line to protect other people.
@ just me
How can you just ignore all the black men that have been killed by police? It is not an occasional thing. When’s the last time you saw a white man killed by police? I live in Jacksonville FL. There were some young black kids playing their music loudly. This old man told them to turn it down, when they didn’t, he started shooting at them. Over some freaking music! Just cause you’re white and don’t experience racism, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. My husband is mixed, he was told a couple of years ago by some ahole at his job, that the bathroom was white only. People stare at us when we go out to eat, not all the time, but frequently. You know how many black men have been killed by racist cops, what about the guy that was shot and killed, even though he was obeying the cops? Go with somebody Black to the store. Hang around some black people, and see the difference in how they are treated. I’m seen as trash by some people because im married to a black man and I’m white. Why is that, do you think? There are good cops,
yes and there are bad cops. To ignore the bad cops is to do a disservice to society. And then people like you wonder why some blacks go out and riot? No they shouldn’t riot, but how would you feel if your issues kept getting ignored and acting like it doesn’t exist? Look at this guy, people have a problem with him protesting peacefully? Wtf. America is not perfect, neither are cops or the military. And neither am I. And to say so is not disloyalty. All citizens should be treated equally and that’s not happening. If you are a true American citizen, you will do everything in your power to help other citizens that are not treated as well as you. Oh what has he done for black people? What have you done? He donated a million charity. Can he talk now or should he still know his place?
He is not a hero. Do you know what makes a person a hero.
If you’re here… who is watching The Bridge???
@justme. If you honestly think nobody is oppressed or that everyone is free to do as they please/protest as they please…..I whole heartedly challenge you to step outside your safe box and go out in the streets and talk to people. Observe the part of society you aren’t aware of. I promise it’s there!!! Just because you haven’t directly been affected by it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen daily.
Just say you hate black people and move on.
@justme: speak and act freely as long as you agree, right?
“Does CK do anything to benefit black people? I’m asking because I really don’t know.”
So basically your entire comment on based on your personal perception of a situation you’re clueless about.
Now whyyyy would that cause an opinion to be unpopular??
Because it’s bigotry is based on a total lack of facts or scientific proof? Nooo, I’m sure that’s not it.
Facts??? Proof??? But military = patriotism, which trumps ANY arguments about oppression. Obviously.
Would you go away? You’re here all the time on these articles and no one is listening and no one is agreeing with you. Take it to Breitbart or the Fox News comment section, and I’m sure they will pat you on the back all day long for your strong stance against Kaepernick. What are you doing to solve the problem?
Oh, the irony in this response…..
@justme: I urge you to re-think your position. Restricting rights of the “the other” and aggressively taking advantage of systemic and de facto oppression has been a political and economic ploy of the humans with the advantages throughout human history. To say that doesn’t happen in the US is willingly ignoring the facts. Recent examples include state “voter ID” laws that are being struck down as unconstitutional.
I totally agree with everything you said. All the extreme examples hit the news.
Shouldn’t you be busy waiting for Trump to build that wall?
@justme Seriously? Have you been living under a rock for the last few decades? We’re barely a breath beyond Jim Crow. Also, per your previous comments about military day, have you seen the numbers of veterans who are supporting Colin Kaepernick? They all get what he’s about and they all understand that their role, theoretically, is to protect the Constitution, which includes our right to political expression.
I am not familiar with her, but am now a fan and love her!
This has been the most racially divisive time since ive been alive, which is a bit ironic since we elected a black president. I’m a woman of color, yet ive never been made to feel as though I should almost be victimized til the last few years. I feel pretty “privileged” to go to college basically free due to my race (which almost feels like reverse racism), while my white cousin, supposedly instantly born into this “white privilege,” is paying off student loans galore and lost a promotion due to a quota. I never saw color truly until now that the media constantly throws it in my face. I was brought up to pick myself up from my bootstraps, not to feel like anything was owed to me. As an African-American from an urban setting, I feel this is a GREAT time in America for my race, in many, many ways. I know police brutality is real, and it disgusts me, but its not so damn lopsided as its made out to be. I shall continue to recite the anthem, and while I respect those who don’t recite it along with me, I feel they should give OTHERS the respect to at least STAND.
It basically sounds like “Because I don’t see it or experience it, it doesn’t exist.”
Well as an African woman who was also raised to pick herself up by her bootstraps, also went to college, is paying off student loans, and lives in an urban setting I have seen police corruption with my very eyes. It is on the news – with video evidence – about my hometown every night. I don’t think this is a GREAT time for AA, it’s just another era where some prosper, some struggle and the issues that decimate populations and resign them to poverty and crime are not being addressed properly due to race.
I feel very fortunate that I was raised to know that simply because things were going well for me didnt mean I was the rule, I was the exception. You may not have seen other’s color but plenty of people saw yours.
haha. Due to a quota. HahahaHAHAHahahahahaHAHAHahaha.
In China, there’s a slang term that roughly translates to “fifty cents”. It refers to the amount of money losers get paid by the government to write inane comments on blogs, newspaper articles, and social media supporting the official Communist Party line. You know them by their word-for-word parroted drivel. No one really pays them any attention because a wumao isn’t worth the time. They’re a representation of the Party’s collective angst, massive insecurity about their own legitimacy, and deep-seated fear of social upheaval.
It’s cute how you think you’re being clever posing as a black person using classic Goldwater Republican rhetoric. What I really love, however, is the irony of an American wumao taking the time to comment about race on a gossip blog. It says so much about the Party.
“posing” as a black woman?! seriously, how dare you. You can disagree with me all youd like, but I am entitled to my own belief, and wasn’t trying to offend. i am not a republican, fyi, not a fan of either party overall. of course, admittedly, the stuff i wrote is based in part on my personal experiences. And pardon me, but on this site, this “gossip blog,” theres plenty of commenting on race and other relevant issues. I am allowed to have an opposing experience and thought process than others. but i guess you just pick and choose where you want to tolerate supposed intolerance.
I’m endlessly entertained by this! It’s like that Dave Chappelle black white supremacist skit. Hai Clayton Bigsby.
I bet the Civil War was just about state’s rights and you long for the day when you as a black person in the South will have more state’s rights to pull yourself up by the bootstraps with?
Nah, just kidding. Tell us more about teh white cousin who lost her promotion because of race promotion quotas. Or you could go dig deep on the internet and uncover this dude called Barry Goldwater and start piecing together the mystery of where your super special life insights come from.
First, wow. Second, double wow. There is no such thing as reverse racism. I would write this in caps but my horoscope said that I need not be so aggressive today.
Next, you got the scholarship because you had excellent grades and was an overall excellent candidate for the program, not just because you are an African American. To denigrate yourself like that when you earned the right to be there is sad. You got a small leg up because of the racist garbage policies that have been thrown at minorities for centuries. You graduated because you worked hard and were a focused person who happened to be an African-American. Also, why did you apply for the scholarships if you feel that those scholarships are unfair to whites? You could have protested by taking out student loans just like your cousin. You did not have to accept the money.
To be frank, you don’t know why your cousin was passed over for the position. Did you have full access to the resumes of all the candidates? Maybe it is that your white cousin was not good enough compared to the other candidates. Things like this do happen to white people.
Good for you that you want to say the national anthem. Colin and I wish you the best and support your right to say whatever you want. We will continue to silently protest without you.
It really is as lopsided as you claim it is not. Just look at the cops who are acting like petulant kids and not doing their jobs that were mentioned in the post.
Thank you. There is no such thing as ‘reverse racism’.
Kaepernick has been a great study in the respectability politics MLK hated so much. We don’t want blacks rioting to get their point across, but when one makes a mild, nonviolent protest, we have a problem with it, too. So the reality isn’t that we want nonviolent protest, it’s that we dislike being told that white people need to look at themselves and this country and fix it. We want minorities to sit down, shut up, and take their oppression quietly.
Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth. They want people of color to fix all the problems by themselves and never put any effort themselves- even though some white people and their hypocritical thinking are the actual problems that need to be fixed. I wish they would just admit it so that we can all move around them toward progress.
Good on her!
AMEN to this! – “It’s important to have white people stand in support of people of color on this. We don’t need to be the leading voice, of course, but standing in support of them is something that’s really powerful.”
And yet, still, no one gets it into their mind to ever take a seat or a knee for womyn’s issues. We aren’t even represented in the Constitution at all and no one ever seems to get up in arms about it. I’m more than a little tired of these other “…. lives matter” causes getting all the attention. Literally half of the human population is oppressed by the patriarchy – when do OUR lives finally get to matter?
Log off and get to work.
Sandra Bland video will make you wanna do a whole lot more than take a knee.
JustMe : have you seen her arrest video? Look it up. There’s long & short versions.
SANDRA BLAND.
After you watch, please get a grip.
This! I’ve watched her vlogs as well. We all lost a voice with her murder. It pains me that the people responsible may never be brought to justice.
Good for her!!!!!!
I’m not an American, so I guess that I don’t have much say in this debate… I truly have no issue with Mr. Kaepernick’s peaceful protest.
But I do have to say that he lost any respect I would have had for him when he chose to wear the police/pig socks.
His excuse that he wears them because of “rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments not only put the community in danger, but also put the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust” makes no sense to me.
I believe that the good cops far far far outnumber the bad cops. By Kaepernick’s logic, one would get away with wearing a shirt depicting all NFL players as wife-beaters. Who cares if the majority of NFL players are upstanding citizens there are a few bad seeds there, who have been charged with domestic abuse, so why shouldn’t I paint all NFL players with the same brush?
I would challeng Mr. Kaepernick to go on a ride along, in the most dangerous parts of whatever city he chooses. I would love for him to see what police members really go through. Like being first on scene at a double homicide, at a fatal collision, at a sudden death of an infant or at a domestic dispute where a woman is beaten so horribly, her eyes are swollen shut, and has a bloody face and nose, but she’s so desperate to protect her beater that she fights with police.
It sickens me that people hate the police so much, and don’t make an effort to educate themselves what it really means to be a police officer. Yet Mr. Kaepernick is a grown man who makes $19 million a season to play a game. A police officer in SFO starts at $81K per year to put their lives on the line to protect the public.
Bad cops are the ones making good cops look bad and creating hostility.
So you’re saying that because good police officers outnumber bad police officers, and because their job is hard, that they are above criticism?
Bridget, that is absolutely not what I’m saying. My post was about those ridiculous socks that Kaepernick wore so proudly. It wasn’t like there were little caricatures of male and female police officers and a few little police piggy characters thrown in there. Every single character on there was a pig/police character. So in his ‘funny’ little protest, all police members are pigs. (I don’t know about you, but I don’t refer to police as pigs at all. I call a bad cop what he/she is: a bad cop. )
Not all police members are bad and the ones are bad certainly deserve to be made to follow the same rules as every citizen that they serve. But juvenile little ‘protests’ like Kaepernick’s choice in socks should be criticized too.
In my Province there is an area within the provincial government that “polices” the police. They investigate any police involved deaths (shootings, deaths in custody, any serious allegations involving police misconduct, etc; This includes both municipal and RCMP police members. I think that this is a good thing. It’s not police officers investigating police officers.
I’m not sure if there are units like this in all (or any) of the States, but maybe it is something that would be beneficial to have.
Of course there are units within the police departments. But here’s why folks have an issue with what you’re saying:
1) you’re telling someone how to protest a very real injustice
2) you’re not realizing there is a gap – who is to say that the municipal groups aren’t themselves biased? After all, what we’re talking about here is a systemic problem. While there are plenty of good police officers, because there is an issue with the larger police groups accepting any criticism (no matter how valid) and the feeling that because they work dangerous jobs to keep us safe, that we shouldn’t question their methods. And realistically, there is a HUGE difference between how crime committed by a white perpetrator and a black perpetrator are treated.
Yes, you may think his socks are juvenile, but what he’s protesting is a very real, very big issue, and I’m just not cool with trying to decide how anyone is allowed to exercise their right to peaceful protest.
I agree that the cops/pigs socks was a bit much. I even agree that the majority of cops are probably not this way, and that bring a cop is a very risky, dangerous job and people don’t always understand the dangers cops face everyday. However, I’m also a little sick of the rising trend of comments like “this wasn’t a best way to go about it”, “even if he has a point this is in bad taste”, etc. It’s becoming increasingly clear that to a lot of people, there is no “right way” he could protest. Protests are not meant to be tasteful. Seeing cops depicted as pigs is uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as being arrested/beaten/killed by law enforcement because of your skin color. Finally, it is completely unacceptable for police to refuse to work 49ers games because of Kaepernick’s protest. That is the definition of not doing your job.
Actually, game security is voluntary overtime for police officers so they are well within their right to refuse. The organisation will just have to hire a private security company.
@Jessablessa: I understand that, technically, the police may refuse – I chose my words poorly about not doing their job, in that, interpreted strictly, this is not required for their jobs. However, their jobs overall are to serve and protect all people, and refusing to provide protection to people who might need it because Kaepernick insulted them seems a poor way to go about that. As this article correctly states:
“Kaepernick’s message boils down to police being selective about who they choose to serve and protect. Officers threatening to pull their services from 49ers games because of his comments essentially validates them.”
I have no dog in this fight but I find it funny that all of you are freaking out on someone with an unpopular opinion in the comments section, while defending the right of someone who expressed an unpopular opinion.
People can have an unpopular opinion, but being racist (as in, thinking that black people are not as good as white people) is unforgivable.
So you think something like Holocaust denial is just an unpopular opinion? Because in some countries, it’s a crime.
It’s like there’s a difference between a random opinion and a system of knowledge–ideology–that perpetuates violence and oppression or something.
this is fantastic, and i am really glad she is supporting him…however, and i have wanted to ask for a really looooooooooooooong time now:
what in the heck is with this “america is great” b.s. seriously? please someone explain to me why the hysterical insistence that america is great. hell, it is a successful catch phrase for one of the two running for president.
anyone? bueller?
i am constantly telling my 15 year old son that the more he has to talk about how awesome he is, the less time he is spending BEING awesome. is this what the america greatness stuff is like?