You've all seen the news. Heard the interviews. Seen countless memes. You've all heard endless commentary about this situation. I'm sure you're sick of it. So I am. I said I wasn't going to speak on it, but what the hell? I'm here to add my 2 cents. Take it for what it's worth.
Colin Kaepernick is a quarterback for the 49ers. A month or a so ago, he chose not to stand up while the national anthem was being played. His reason: "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." That is what he said in an interview with NFL Media after a game. That's pretty much when all hell broke loose, and he became public enemy number one.
He isn't wrong. America is not the land of the free for everyone. There are many, many issues here. A lot of people like to pretend that there aren't. And if you voice your concerns about them well...you see what happens. You get comments like "if you don't like it here, then leave" or "you or your family weren't alive to experience slavery". No I wasn't alive during slavery times, but the segregation/Jim Crow Era ended in 1964. My mom is 60 and my grandmother is 80. You do the math. And with the way things are playing out, we might just be headed back that way. But people will tell you that you're playing the victim card if you say stuff like that. That's one reason why I'm glad that Kaepernick is doing this. Because despite all the hate he's getting, he's still bringing awareness to the issue.
The biggest complaint that I hear about BLM protests and those similar, is that they're not peaceful enough. He's choosing to take a knee instead of standing for a song. He's not bothering anyone. He's not being noisy or rowdy or disruptive while the song is being played. He's not bothering anyone. That's about as peaceful as it gets. Yet it's still a problem. I don't stand for the national anthem anymore either. I stopped standing years ago. I also don't pledge allegiance to the flag. My parents told my sisters and I that we were not to do so way back in elementary school. Does that mean that I hate America? I'm sure if you asked some people they'd tell you that it does, but it doesn't.
The biggest argument that those against what Colin Kaepernick is doing have used is that it's disrespectful to the people that have fought for this country. Veterans. Shortly after this became a major headline in the media, a hashtag was created on Twitter, #vets4Kaepernick. A lot vets were chiming in and actually taking up for him. The link below is to an article where you can read some of them.
Vets Show Support For Kaepernick
Let's just talk about veterans for a seconds because Americans love to bring them up when it's convenient, like now. It's disrespectful to them if you don't stand up for the national anthem. Never mind how many veterans are homeless. Never mind how many veterans are jobless. Never mind just how fucked up these vets are when they come back from fighting these wars. IF they come back. Oh, but let's show our respect by standing up for a song. Or saluting a flag.
I'm grateful for those that have fought and are still fighting for us. They aren't fighting for this country to be the way is it today. They didn't fight for just some of us. They didn't fight so that some of us could be free. They didn't just fight for some of our rights. They fought for ALL of us. So I'm grateful for THEM. I appreciate THEM. I shake their hands and thank them for serving when I see them in uniform. I show my respect and support to THEM. Not to a song. And definitely not to a flag.
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