Kaepernick

I didn’t know who he was or who he played for before he sat down and social media lost it’s collective mind, but here I am writing about him.

What he meant to do was bring more equality. Highlight a wrong that we as a people need to address. It is easy to criticize the act but, as a friend said this afternoon when I sent this to him for a sanity check, no decent human can criticize the intent. My wise, (and tall and smart and funny, in case he’s reading this), active duty Marine friend continued our conversation with:

To those who’ve suggested he disrespected America, men killed in combat and all of us who served in the military? I can’t speak for all veterans, but I didn’t serve for a song.

I served initially for a better future. And three meals a day. And a skill set. And for the chance to afford college someday. And to break away from the tragic series of stereotypes I was born into. And to be forced guided taught voluntold led to make better choices. When I reenlisted years later, I served for a Nation who’d just been attacked.  And for the freedoms and rights that Nation embodies and affords to all of her citizens.  Not for a song.

This comic says it better, though. Succinctly and in color.

I posted that photo on Facebook this morning with a single line:

“Don’t use my service to demand his silence.” Sgt H

Among the early responses was one from a friend whose opinion I value; someone I enjoy exchanging ideas with even if we don’t always agree. Someone who is far more attuned to things in the sportsball community than I am:

It’s not so much what he did that bothers me as the way he went about it. So what, he sat. Big freaking woo. And now he’s relevant again for 5 minutes as people talk about him. Has his “message” changed anything? Nope. Has he himself done anything to change anything? Nope. Perhaps he could make some real change by putting his money where his mouth/actions are. He is in a real position to make a difference (perhaps donate his time to a football camp for at risk inner city kids) & instead he chose to sit on his talentless ass.

Whoah. Ok. Um, ok.  So, that cartoon struck a nerve. This was my response:

Sitting down is no less effective than smashing a hashtag at the end of a vitriol infused tweet and calling yourself “part of the solution.” The field is his platform.

Sitting down was his way of standing up and I commend him for it. The point of my post was to share my opinion about the lame idea he disrespected American veterans or America herself by sitting down.

The National Anthem is a song. It’s words. Words penned more than a century ago. Some of the words have been intentionally ignored because they’re disparaging to an an entire segment of the American population.

None of us served, fought or DIED for a song. We served, fought and DIED for a Nation and, in part, for the freedoms we’re afforded as a result of being born here.

What blows my mind is the way white fans flipped their shit about it. Where are *those* fans when NFL players rape, kill, torture animals, abuse drugs, wreck cars and abuse women and children? They’re pissed because their fantasy football teams played poorly while their “main man” was suspended for a few games.

I disagree with him. I fought for his right to disagree with me.