Recently all eyes have been on quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers, not for his actions on the field, but off. Lately, he has sparked major controversy over his continuous refusal to stand during the national anthem prior to games.
He stated, in an exclusive interview with NFL Media: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Kaepernick joins the ranks of many other professional athletes, including Lebron James and Dwanye Wade, who have used their platform to promote social change or speak out on an issue that is close to them.
So what makes this protest so different? Many argue that it is disrespectful to his country to shun such a prominent national figure, while others claim that his right to shun these figures is exactly what they stand for. We further explain the arguments below:
This sparked a nationwide controversy like no other as people rushed to condemn his actions as disrespectful and unpatriotic. Some people argue the legitimacy of his protests, not as an actual moral objection, but as a desperate attempt to save his football career. Matt Walsh, author for The Blaze, stated in his article “Dear Colin Kaepernick: You’re Not Oppressed. You’re Spoiled. Yes, America has issues, Colin. Serious issues. They’ve got nothing to do with the cartoonish Evil White Man mythology that you’ve helped perpetuate, but they’re real and they’re serious and they need to be addressed. But as a biracial guy from an adoptive family — whose only marketable skill is running fast and throwing a ball, and not even all that well — you have personally experienced the very best of what this country has to offer.” He claims that because Kaepernick has experienced the American Dream, he has no right to complain for he is not affected by the issues he is preaching about. Many others have backed this point, and have accused him of hypocrisy and belittling an issue that affects so many other Americans that are living through it.
On the other hand, others have rushed to support him, claiming that his actions are exactly the freedom that this country works so hard to defend. The tag, #VeteransforKaepernick, began trending soon after the story broke as many soldiers spoke out against those critiquing him. Joe McCastle, who is currently serving in the U.S. Army, has said that he stands behind Kaepernick’s right to freely express himself. He stated that, “Too much focus was given to the symbol of [Kaepernick] sitting rather than the message,” McCastle said. “His message was being clouded by constant slander […] There are veterans who are not only not offended, but are actually behind him and are indeed proud of how he exercises the rights we fight tirelessly for.”
While former Marine, Matt Lorscheider, also stated: “There is horrible injustice in this country for people of color and I agree with his decision to not show reverence to a symbol of a country that has allowed it to persist,” he said. “It is his protected right ― a right I swore an oath to defend.”
Some argue that while they disagree with how Kaepernick is choosing to protest, they will not deny him his to protest or shame him for his own beliefs. They believe that to take away that right would be more un-American than anything Colin could do.
No matter what your opinion on the issue is, one thing is for certain, this is a controversy that is not stopping anytime soon. Recently, his teammate, 49ers safety, Eric Reid joined him in his protest along with Seattle Seahawks player, Jeremy Lane. While Colin invited the rest of the team to join him in his protest, he acknowledges that many will not. Nevertheless, Kaerpernick has vowed to continue his protest proclaiming: “Yes, I’ll continue to sit. I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me, this is something that has to change. When there’s significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent, this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand.”
Sources:
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17444691/colin-kaepernick-san-francis…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/veterans-colin-kaepernick_us_57c71aa…
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/dear-colin-kaepernick-youre-not-op…