For those who don't know, Kaepernick was a flash in the pan quarterback who reached the Super Bowl on the back of tremendous coaching by Jim Harbaugh and a phenomenal defense. That is not to say he didn't look great getting there, but once Harbaugh let, Kaepernick turned to crap overnight and just seems to keep getting worse. He sits on the bench these days and would have been cut last year except for his contract.
So the other day, someone noticed that Crapernick didn't stand during the National Anthem. Apparently, he hasn't been standing all preseason. Why? Well, after equating the American flag with the Confederate flag, he 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."Since this time, people have been burning his jersey and making memes about him. He's losing in the court of public opinion about 9 to 1. Of course, the liberal media presents this as, "while some object, some support him too." Yeah, well, if we're going with false logic, then remember that some still support Hitler too. Anyways, I don't respect the bastard and here's why:
1. This man got paid $40 million for throwing a ball. Who is he to complain about anything? And what right does he have to use a platform that isn't even his to draw attention to himself?
2. What a load of crap! Like all Black Lives Matters supporters, he ignores the fact that cops killing black men are a statistical rarity. The real harm to blacks comes from young black predators, of which he says nothing. Like all Black Lives Matters supporters, he ignores the fact that most cops who kill black men were justified in their action, and those who weren't almost always face repercussions. And like all Black Lives Matters, he views the world through a racist lens.
The San Fransisco Police Union, by the way, has responded with figures that should be sobering. Kaepernick and BLM complain about a handful of black deaths each year at the hands of the police. Yet, 40 police officers have been murdered in recent months, more than 100,000 have been assaulted. Moreover, they cite “over 8,000 murders that African Americans have inflicted on one another in 2015.” Where is the real problem?
3. What an ignorant bastard to use a handful of killings each year which the public wants to see punished as a basis to condemn the entire country! This is a country that fought a war to end slavery, that fought a war to end genocide, that made its allies disassemble their empires, which has spent trillions in welfare to help blacks, sends tens of billions each year to help dark-skinned foreigners, has special laws to help blacks in all areas of public life including giving blacks privileges in hiring and schooling. This is a country where whites buy black music, buy the jerseys of black athletes, voted for a black President, intermarry in unheard of numbers in the rest of the world, and where any black person can become obscenely wealthy if they can act, can sing, can play sports, or is willing to work. Try finding ANY of that in Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, or China or any other forgotten corner of the Earth... or anywhere ruled in the name of Islam.
4. Riddle me this too. A number of NFL players have raped women. Using Kaepernick/BLM logic, we could call NFL players as a whole rapists and say the NFL shield stands for rape. Do you think Kaepernick would agree with that? Doubt it. Think he would find that unfair? Probably.
5. This "oppressive" country let him say this crap without arresting him or beating him or anything else.
6. What he said denigrates the sacrifices of every American who has ever fought for this country they believe in. Those black guys who fought in World War II or the Civil War or any other war apparently were fighting for oppression. He's now trying to back out and claim he didn't mean to insult the military, but that's BS. Somehow, I don't think that if I called the NAACP a hate group and then said I only meant "the bad ones" that he would excuse that.
7. What he says energizes the racists and wannabe victims who shot innocent cops in Dallas and Tennessee and who knows where else.
8. If he really cared, why wait to do this until he desperately needed something to make his completely faded star shine again? This reeks of a ploy to get himself cut so he can move on.
Yes, Crapernick had the right to say this. That is what America is about. But I have the right to tell him what I think too. And in that regard, I think he's full of crap.
38 comments:
Bev, if you don't mind, I'm going to push off the open thread because this issue seems to be growing and I think it's worth discussing.
Hey folks! As an aside, friend of the site Scott Saslow is selling some of his very cool posters here ==> LINK. If you're at all interested, check it out. They are very well done and might look good hanging in your house!
Actually, let's do it this way, JMJ. I'm going to delete your braingasm. When you can cobble together actual thoughts that provide a coherent argument rather than name calling, then I'll let you post here. Good luck.
Andrew; I agree with everything you said. However, I would just like to point out a couple things.
The First Amendment wasn't put in place to protect popular speech, and if somebody doesn't want to stand up for the National Anthem it's A - his right, and B - no skin off my ass. True freedom, which he's enjoying whether he knows it or not, is the right to do unpopular things.
That said, he seems like a posturing ass.
And all the people that are burning his jerseys, etc, have just as much right to their expression as he does.
GypsyTyger
GypsyTyger, Thanks!
Absolutely. That is what the First Amendment is. But, as you note, that does not mean that there can be no consequences. If you anger people, they have every right to criticize you back, to fire you, to end their association with you, or to stop buying your stuff. The First Amendment is meant to stop the government only from punishing you.
And let me add, that all the journalists who are quoting Voltaire and "protecting" his to speak are hypocrites, because they don't do the same when they don't like the speech spoken.
In fact, let me point to Tebow again, who they went out of their way to talk about how he should be dropped and it was his own fault if he wasn't picked up because "he's a distraction." So distraction = bad if it's a religious guy. Distraction = noble right if it's a gay guy (Michael Sam) or an anti-American racist (Kaepernick).
One guy on the NFL Network actually said yesterday, "This is different than if he'd said something racist or hateful." Very telling.
And upon reflection, point # 8 hits home. No matter what you think about Muhammad Ali, when he refused to be inducted into the Army he was in his prime. Ali had taken a huge hit in popularity when he converted to the Nation of Islam and changed his name. He was just starting to dig out from under that when he refused draft induction. He threw awaywhat popularity he had, lost 3 years of his prime, (as far as he knew he was throwing away his career) and had a real chance to go to prison. That's conviction. That's principle. When a falling star pulls a stunt that has no repercussions and that he knows will have espn and the media stroking him for his "courage" that's how you tell it's a stunt.
GypsyTyger
Andrew; Funny you should mention Tebow. I thought about him just after I proved I wasn't a robot :)
Tebow simply genuflected after he scored. He didn't hold up John 3:16 posters on the sideline or anything but he was a "distraction," And remember back in the eighties or nineties when the New York Giants prayed in the end zone? The media were screaming, but they weren't screaming about the Giants conviction or courage or anything like that. The media opinion was that they were "forcing their views on people who just want to watch a football game" and "bringing private beliefs into the public square." You can't have it both ways.
GypsyTyger
I can't really add anything except to issue the umpteenth reminder that Voltaire didn't really say what everyone thinks he said. I don't bring this up to be a fussbudget, but rather to suggest an amusing alternative.
It is believed that the actual Voltairean quote which inspired the "defend to the death" motif was a reaction to the burning of a book by a fellow French writer with whom Voltaire didn't necessarily agree. Reportedly, Voltaire said, "What a fuss about an omelette! How abominably unjust to persecute a man for such an airy trifle as that!"
I think it'd be really fun to distill that to "What a fuss about an omelette!" and deploy it in response to anyone who gets in a twist over a handful of words. Even more fun if it caught on.
That said, Kaepernick is most certainly cooking with rotten eggs.
Colin Kapernick is on the verge of getting cut, with no hope of any team picking him up. He knows that. And when former NFL stars see the end coming, some handle it better than others. Kapernick didn't want to go out as an asterisk, so this is his version of Mylie Cyrus 'twerking.'
It will be a story for awhile, and Chip Kelly will cut him in a day or two. And that will be it for Colin Kapernick, unless he plans on making a living doing ridiculous stunts like this. It seems to work for Nick Wallenda.
GypsyTyger, That's who these people are -- they stand on "principle" when they like the person and they ignore principle when they don't. Say the wrong thing and you need to be driven out of the public sphere. Think about how often they scream for people to be fired or whatnot. But when they like you, suddenly it's a moral outrage even to offer criticism.
In fact, I find it funny how many of the people defending Kaepernick are suggesting that those people who are criticizing him want to take away his right to speak. Not one person has suggested that that I've seen.
As an aside, one of the most bizarre moments of hypocrisy I've seen lately from liberal journalists was the other day. This panel on ESPN spent ten minutes outbidding each other for what should happen to the Giant's kicker, who is accused of domestic violence but not convicted. They all agreed he needed to be cut immediately and kept out of the league unless he clears himself at trial.
After this self-righteous soiree, they immediately started discussing the punishment given to Hope Solo, which they all thought was an outrage because she's "just speaking her mind, and it wasn't like she said anything racist." (Not the double standard already.) Anyways, one of them mentioned that she's facing a domestic abuse trial herself and the general response was that she hasn't been convicted, so you can't do anything yet. Huh?
GypsyTyger, On number 8, I agree that it matters. I have tremendous respect for people who speak up when they have something to lose, but none for people who do it long after they have nothing to lose anymore.
This is one of the problems I have with 50 year old actresses who made their careers selling their looks now whining how exploitive Hollywood is.
tryanmax, Some are pointing that out, others aren't.
On the bad eggs, one thing Kaepernick said was that the police have less training than someone holding a hairdrier. The SFPD have invited him to their academy to see the training they get. The response from leftists has been to attack a recent corruption case in San Francisco and thereby avoid getting informed. Never let the facts get in the way of a tantrum.
Fredd, I agree. I think this is an attempt to change his image from flame-out to hero.
A whiny rich guy who loves touse Twitter? He better patent that formula before someone steals it.
He sounds like a jerk, but I never heard of the guy until a few days ago so I can't get worked up about his comments. Don't have a problem with people who have invested in him burning their pricey clothes.
GypsyTyger, excellent contrast between Kaepernick and Ali.
Fredd; I agree. Andrew and Tryanmax, thanks for the nice comments.
GypsyTyger
Tell it, AP! More words of wisdom (albeit with some interesting misspellings) from MLB Network's Eric Byrnes: http://byrnes22.com/?p=634
Great Castro shirt, too, Col-baby. Nah, no oppression or police brutality on that island. Ugh, the stupid, it hurts.
On a kinda related note, woman beating tough guy Chris Brown pointed a gun at a woman and is now in a standoff with the police.
He's ranting about the police and black lives matter. If he doesn't make it out of this alive nothing of value will be lost.
Here's a link.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2016/08/30/report-drugs-weapons-recovered-lapd-standoff-chris-browns-house/
Yeah, but if a white guy had beaten Rihanna...
...oh never mind.
Sounds like Kaepernick's activism is being fueled by his girlfriend.
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2016/08/30/kaepernick-social-media-posts-laud-black-lives-matter-black-panthers-since-dating-activist-dj.html
Kaepernick, 28, who has come under fire for his decision to remain seated during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner before San Francisco 49ers games, reportedly began dating Hot 97 DJ and MTV host Nessa Diab in July 2015. A few months later, his social media posts began to reflect the Black Lives Matter and Muslim activism of Diab.
"History!" Kaepernick wrote on Instagram Oct. 15, when he marked 50 years since the Black Panther Party was founded.
Kaepernick has posted 170 photos or videos on his Instagram account in the four years since he created it. Most of his first 128 posts were pics of him in football gear, publicity photos or shots taken with friends. But 31 of his last 42 posts have strong social justice connotations, often featuring quotes from radical Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X, Black Panthers founder Huey Newton and cop killer Assata Shakur. During a Sunday news conference about the flag flap, Kaepernick dressed in a black hat with a large, white “X” and a T-shirt that featured photos of Cuban despot Fidel Castro and Malcolm X.
Anthony,
So, it's about a girl?
Chris Brown is back in the news? I think it's time for a flashback:
Red Eye's Andy Levy apologizes to Chris Brown.
LINK
"All these, however, were mere terrors of the night, phantoms of the mind that walk in darkness; and though [Ichabod Crane] had seen many spectres in his time, and been more than once beset by Satan in divers shapes, in his lonely perambulations, yet daylight put an end to all these evils; and he would have passed a pleasant life of it, in despite of the Devil and all his works, if his path had not been crossed by a being that causes more perplexity to mortal man than ghosts, goblins, and the whole race of witches put together, and that was—a woman."
-Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
Anthony and Kit, some things never change.
Rustbelt,
Never, ever change.
As an aside, it looks like the Minnesota Vikings' season ended today. Teddy Bridgewater had a "gruesome" knee injury in practice that required on-field sedation. He's apparently done for the year at least.
Eric, Misspellings? Pshaw! When it comes to blogging, I'm prefect! :D
Good call on the Castro shirt. There's nothing like supporting an oppressive dictator while whining about the freest country on earth.
Anthony, Chris Brown won't be missed. Total turd.
On Kaepernick's girlfriend, it's amazing how often sex leads to ideological ignorance. Check out the history of the Muslim Brotherhood. They seem to be founded by guys who can't get girls. I would argue that a lot of fundamentalism is premised on sexual dysfunction as well. So why not this?
Rustbelt, I think Dumbo is more apropos.
He sure likes American dollars....
I don't think there's a lot I can add here except that he really stepped in it except with people who aren't already up to their eyeballs in grievance politics. I can't say I'm surprised that his girlfriend may have influenced him, either... I've seen people's ideology become a lot more flexible when relationships (and, er, everything else involved with it) enter the picture several times. Whenever I've seen it it's usually been the woman coming around to the man's views but I figured that the reverse was true just as often. Between this and one of the other big bits of lunacy making the rounds (ie the Total Package Anthony Weiner finally driving Huma away because he can't stop taking and sending pictures of his...last nasme) I guess a lot of idiocy really can be explained by sexual dysfunction, huh?
- Daniel
Also, Andrew, if we don't want to diss the classics, I'd say 'The Man Who Knew Too Little' and 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' might also be acceptable.
Oh JMJ, you are using big words, but they don't actually form thoughts. You're so close though. Keep trying! I'm pulling for you!
I might have had a tiny bit of respect for Kapernick if he actually sacrificed something, as pointed out by Gypsy. Who is he protesting? The police? The police don't work for the country. The fans? BLM ranks about 82 on list of problems people are faced with. They care but they really don't care. The NFL? Who made him and other black men rich? If he was protesting the lack of black coaches, he might have something. Heck, I would have had more respect if he refused interviews in protest because that would cost him. Of course he won't get his 30-sec sound bite.
It smells of race bait where if he gets cut and not picked up, he can claim it is because he is black and outspoken?
Is he really black?
>>Is he really black? >>
Much like his game since Harbaugh left (and some might say before even that), he's half-assin' it.
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