San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the only backup QB in the league that can’t get out of the spotlight. Given all of the wrong reasons that NFL players have been in the spotlight for in the past few seasons — dog fighting, murder, domestic violence, drug abuse — Kaepernick is being torn to shreds for an action as simple as not standing during the national anthem.
The peaceful protest began on Friday, Aug. 26, when the 49ers played the Green Bay Packers. When asked about his choice to sit during the national anthem, Kaepernick replied, “I’m 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.”
The backlash from people opposing Kaepernick’s actions has been nothing short of comical. Arguments to his protest have ranged from “People die fighting for that flag, show some respect,” to “You make $19 million a year! How the hell are you oppressed?” and “Racism is only a thing because people like Kaepernick push an anti-racism agenda. Want to make racism disappear? Stop talking about it.”
Yes, people have died fighting for that flag. People die fighting for every right that is protected in the Constitution, which gives Kaepernick every single right to protest peacefully. He is expressing his First Amendment rights, which give him every freedom of speech that both Kaepernick and his critics enjoy regularly. The NFL has already spoken out that their policies encourage, but do not require, players to stand during the anthem. Kaepernick will not be fined nor suspended by the league unless there is a change in league policies.
Essentially, the instant that you make it mandatory to stand during the national anthem is the moment you take away each person’s right to choose that is so explicitly stated in the First Amendment. Those intent on forcing someone to participate in this seemingly patriotic act are destroying the very patriotism that you are trying so desperately to protect.
It has gotten to a point where many soldiers (current and past) have come to Kaepernick’s side with an understanding. The hashtag #VeteransforKaepernick has been trending, with the majority stating that they fight for his right to stand or sit. It’s his First Amendment right. It’s his choice. That’s the bottom line.
It’s as though all along people opposing the Black Lives Matter movement have said, “They need to protest peacefully,” and then Kaepernick protests peacefully leading the same people to say, “No, not like that.”
The same people who are so blatantly ignoring that Kaepernick has the right to sit both constitutionally, and from the NFL, are those who so vocally express that they have the Second Amendment right to own a firearm. Sadly, they lack the understanding of the hypocrisy they represent. You can’t criticize someone who exercises their own rights while simultaneously defending your own, especially when one amendment leads to the highest gun-related death rates in the world and the other leads to people peacefully protesting during the national anthem.
Then there are those who wonder how Kaepernick himself is oppressed. I’m sure that he would be the first to admit that his economic standing in and of itself leads to a type of privilege that the vast majority of Americans can’t relate to.
However, it is not the job of the white, middle-class American to judge what is oppressive or what isn’t. The argument that Kaepernick himself can’t speak out on behalf of the oppression to minorities in this country falls apart under any scrutiny.
People are constantly calling for people of influence to speak out for the problems of the lower class. People are constantly asking athletes to take a stand for what they think is right and to be role models for the future generations of this country. People refuse to listen to the cries of lower class minorities when they speak on their own behalf about their oppression. The same people will refuse to acknowledge those cries when they come from the mouth of someone who actually has a voice that can ignite change or reform. It’s a sadistic and never-ending cycle of privileged ignorance.
Kaepernick is not speaking for himself. Kaepernick is speaking for the people in poor communities in Baltimore, Chicago, New York or Los Angeles. Kaepernick is speaking out against the atrocities committed by the U.S. government in failing to aid these areas and encourage prosperity. Kaepernick is speaking out against police officers who commit atrocities, and members of the force who fail to condemn cops who abuse their authority. He obviously is not crying out about his own current financial and political standings.
Kaepernick himself has stated that the first million dollars he makes during this upcoming season will be donated to the development of poor communities in the U.S. He is not just talking the talk; he is walking the walk.
Another contingent of those against Kaepernick have submitted what may be the most preposterous argument against him: that the athlete is perpetuating a racial divide in this country through his protest, that racism wouldn’t exist if we just stopped talking about it. In other words, it’s an unabashed and ignorant display of privilege gone amok.
Racism exists in the United States. It’s shown by the trends of people being killed by police; black people account for nearly as many police deaths as white people despite making up only 14 percent of the population, while Caucasian people comprise 77 percent of the population.
A 2013 study showed that black men faced a 20 percent longer prison sentence for the same or similar crimes when sentenced than their white criminal counterparts.
That could be attributed to the fact that white people can gain access to lawyers that black people typically can’t. Another 2013 study showed that the median income for a white household in America was just over $57,000, whereas the median income for a black household in America was only $33,000.
Racism and racial divide is still obvious in this country and won’t be fixed by simply brushing it under the rug. Those who fail to condone Kaepernick’s peaceful protests and fail to acknowledge the racial divide in this country are effectively part of the problem and are among the population that is granting validity to Kaepernick’s claims.