This past week there has been much conversation and controversy behind San Francisco 49’er Quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to remain seated for the singing of the national anthem.
Videos have quickly gone viral of angry fans burning his jersey. There has been a horrific out lash of racial slur-filled and hate charged tweets towards Kaepernick. The “N” bomb is getting dropped left and right. Republican nominee Donald Trump said he should find another country to go to, see if he likes it there. Again, the real America rears its ugly head. It’s commonplace now that the closet racists have a public voice at the forefront.
What I’m confused about is, where all of the public outrage was this past weekend when there were 84 shootings in Chicago? What about the murders of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castille?
I didn’t see too many red-faced Whites losing their minds, burning police uniforms, demanding justice. I did, however, notice a lot of them “needed to look into it more” or “needed more facts”.
Well these men probably had a record. Wait, one of them didn’t? Well, he must have done something intimidating. Oh he was pulled over for a tail light? Well, surely he was carrying an illegal concealed weapon. Wait, he had a permit? Well, yet and still #BlueLivesMatter.
Right?
White-conservative Americans don’t bat an eye when Syrian children die from bombs, or mothers are gunned down. When the country spends billions on oil wars or Trump declares he will build a wall to keep out all of the raping and murdering Mexicans, no in fact, it’s celebrated. He’s the new voice of the "silent majority."
Is he? Is the majority so silent? The KKK is popping up all over the nation with recruitment rallies and distributing flyers in communities spewing hate against basically everyone nonwhite. The Brotherhood of Confederate White Knights wants to build strength in numbers.
The ignorance, bigotry and racism in this country is boiling at an all-time dangerous high.
So when Kaepernick decides to make his own stand against oppression, police brutality and racism by refusing to stand for the national anthem, well those good ol’ boys completely lose their mind. Luckily a number of veterans have come to the defense of Kaepernick stating that they fought for his right to freedom and free speech, which is all he is exercising.
He isn’t harming anyone, he isn’t calling for violence, he just simply will not stand for racism, a broken system and injustice in a white supremacist country.
Is there anything so wrong with not standing? When the announcer comes on the PA system he says “please rise for the national anthem” He does not demand it. You are not executed on sight when you do not stand. Where was the outrage when Trump didn’t put his hand over his heart during the debates?
People are saying he is an athlete and he should be setting an example for children.
He is.
He is fighting a corrupt system. He is fighting back against racism and oppression, and because of that I have chosen to #SitWithKaepernick
