When I first heard that Colin Kaepernick sat during the National Anthem of a preseason game my first thought was, “is he still in the league”? I honestly thought that the 49ers realized that he was worth a number 3 spot in a quarterback rotation at best and sent him packing. But obviously I was wrong and he obviously needed to do something to draw attention to himself because the writing on the wall pointed to him be cut prior to the start of the season.
He certainly accomplished that and then some.
As the days went by, we heard all the pundits saying that he has the right, first amendment, blah blah blah… Of course he has the right to sit during the anthem while simultaneously keeping his spot warm and toasty on the bench. Everyone has the right and no one challenged that right. In fact, I didn’t hear anyone complain about the actual sitting as much as his message afterward.
He stood up and spewed the rhetoric of the day and yet never pointed to one example.
He spoke of oppression with no actual proof.
He made the statement that cops are killing innocent people and being put on leave with pay while not charged with a crime without any evidence of the such.
It’s obvious that Colin Kaepernick has not been paying much attention to the news lately. Not that a bias media would actually sensationalize the system when it works, but officers have been charged in several cases as of late. Some deservedly so. Some simply due to political pressure and appeasement which is exactly what occurred in Baltimore.
It boggles my mind that when someone makes a false, uninformed statement, their supporters respond by saying “well at least he or she is provoking a meaningful conversation”. Yet when a certain billionaire running for President says something somewhat idiotic and ill advised, it’s not cause for reflective dialogue or debate. He’s simply a bigot.
Kaepernick hasn’t addressed the unbiased, factual studies that prove that white Americans are being shot and killed by police at double the rate of black Americans, even thought whites don’t commit nearly as many violent crimes. And please don’t give me the whole “13% of the population” nonsense. The fact that 13% of the population commits more violent crime than all other races combined is gross and sickening. But lets not address that!
Hey Kappy!! Numbers don’t lie. They never have. When factual numbers show that whites are being killed by police at twice the rate of blacks, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the truth: that cops are hesitating when it comes to shoot/don’t shoot situations with the black community. If one was to simply use the most basic math and equate white violent crime and the number of fatalities during encounters with police and apply that same formula to the black community, those numbers would show that blacks would be involved in fatal encounters with police at 5 times the rate that currently exists.
Numbers…Don’t….Lie!
And while we’re on the topic of numbers, take a gander at these:
- 13th Amendment (abolish slavery) 100 percent Republican approval – 23 percent Democrat
- 14th Amendment (freed slave citizenship) 94 percent Republican – 0 percent Democrat
- 15th Amendment (right to vote for all) 100 percent Republican – 0 percent Democrat
Why the history lesson? When Kappy and Co. spew nonsense from their high horses, one common theme always seems to be presented….that somehow citizens of today are still feeling the effects of slavery. Some are still victims while others are still culprits. Yet none of those attempting to preach history when applying to today ever mention the above listed facts. They always seem to think that Republican, and thereby conservative minded folks are the moving force behind their current predicament.
Because a large number of police officers are conservative leaning, they’re behind their oppression. But take a look. It’s right there in black and white, no pun intended.
Numbers….Don’t….Lie!
Those that you think are your friends have been the most responsible for the never ending cycle of struggle within the black community. We have talking heads, and professors, and preachers all trying to tell us how this is this or that is that. We’re constantly being told how this group or that group shouldn’t be held responsible for their actions simply because of the sins of the past.
Most of today’s issues can be explained in one simple three letter word. Are you ready? Rut.
Did I just blow your mind? A rut: a habit or pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change.
We all know what a rut is. We’ve all been in a rut. Hell, I’ve been is several. When an entire community is constantly told not to go to school and don’t get a job then the odds are stacked against you. It’s not your fault. But don’t worry, we got your back. Here you go…food, housing, heating, free cell phones, healthcare. What ever you need, consider it done. Remember, it’s not your fault, it’s the establishment.
The only thing you have to worry about is voting for us next election because those other guys don’t want you to have this. Have you figured out which party I’m talking about yet? BINGO!
Physical slavery may have ended, but institutional slavery is alive and well.
Imagine being told your entire life not to set goals and not to shoot for the stars. Eventually you will lose pride. You will lose dignity and you will lose confidence. This in turn breeds laziness and depression. A rut. A multi-generational awful cycle of feeling worthless good for nothing rut.
But it doesn’t apply to all. Look at Kaepernick. Look at those like Kaepernick. Some grew up with nothing and some without fathers. Some grew up without hope and did they fall into that rut? Nope. They fought against it. They stayed committed to the one thing that the establishment can’t take away from anyone: an education.
They stayed committed, dedicated and goal oriented. And they made it to probably the biggest stage we have in this country: major league sports. And those that gave it their all but didn’t get the call on draft day, they walked away with a degree. So why wouldn’t Kaepernick and his pigskin brethren speak the truth? Why wouldn’t he address the real ills that are plaguing the black community? Especially since he could have and should have been another statistic, with a black father that bailed before he was born. But nope, he made it. Not all on his own of course. He was adopted by a white family. What a great system. ‘Muricaaa!!
He wouldn’t have been adopted given the same circumstances in any other country.
Kappy and his boys would be much more productive addressing their community and saying “hey, look at us. Look what we did. Look how we made it….how we defeated “da man!”. African American athletes have the chance and the ability to be phenomenal role models and guides for their communities by just simply leading by example. Teaching. Mentoring. You’ll never hear a black athlete saying that he or she made it to the big leagues by selling drugs or rolling with a gang. It’s unfortunate that some in the black community would rather look up to some of the vile, repulsive celebrities and hip hop artists as they glorify their upbringing. Even though some of them have never seen a gang, it sells records with it’s never ending call for violence and drugs. Not to mention it’s disgusting use of the N-word as a term of endearment, easily the most evil word in the English language.
So no Kap, don’t lead by example. Just bash and spew, forcing your teams hand not to cut you. You knew they didn’t want to deal with the backlash that was sure to come. It’s oppression. It’s the cops fault. It’s that fault of the power structure aka white men. It’s funny though…getting back to the whole “13%” argument. Of that 13% percent, how many are old enough or eligible to vote? Yet Obama won in a landslide….TWICE. How could that be? I’ll give you a hint..it rhymes with white people. White America made Obama a two term President. In the greater scheme the eligible black vote would barely show up in the statistics. Is that oppression? Black President. Black Attorney General and head of the Department of Justice.
We are not witnessing oppression my friend. We are witnessing progress.
Instead of impeding it, maybe think about embracing it. Maybe thing about fueling it. Increasing its volume and mass till it explodes. You’ve done it yourself. Now teach others. It’s much easier to do that than to cry as you count your $19 million.
I apologize for the long diatribe on an issue that I claim not to care about in the least. I don’t care that he sat. I don’t care that he knelt. I care that as police officers, our response has been one of anger and spite. We’re tougher than that. We’re smarter than that. No person that only gets a chance to play during the preseason should obtain more than one second of our time or thoughts. We’ve seen this before too many times to count.
Someone will use any available platform to campaign for what he or she knows nothing about.
Any of us with a good amount of time on the job were locking people up as rookies. People with the same outlook on life and rhetoric that Kappy and his friends in the biz continue to run with. Did anything change? Not a damn thing. Years later we were locking up the children of those same subjects and if we’re on the job long enough, the grandchildren. Each generation spewing the same message. It’s always someone else’s fault. I say we swallow our pride and let morons be morons. It’s essentially job security for us anyway right?
To react is to embolden.
If we don’t give them the time of day, the platform doesn’t last long at all. The pulpit crumbles. So let them sit, stand, kneel, pick their nose, urinate, etc… Never let people see you sweat. Never let people think they got you or that they got the upper hand. There are people all over the country and in those stadiums that need us. Let’s not boycott over some spoiled bench warmer. No athlete or celebrity, good or bad, should have that effect on us. It feels great to speak up, but negative people will win every time because that is their objective. Our life still goes on. What they do or say shouldn’t impact our lives one bit. Unless it’s Tom Brady of course.
Be safe.
This editorial was submitted by a member of our audience. Due to his agency policy, he is unable to list his identity. Is it not ironic that the many will applaud the freedom of Colin Kapernick but will be the first to create hardships for our writers that are in law enforcement. It is because of this double standard and the cowardice of those that hate us, that we must sometimes protect the identity of our guest writers.