So, in case you haven’t been watching the news, Colin Kaepernick is the face of Nike’s #JustDoIt advertisement campaign for their 30 year anniversary. And boy oh boy, do people have opinions about this.
If you aren’t familiar with Colin Kaepernick, he was the one who has knelt during the National Anthem in protest of the racial inequality in the United States. Many people were (and are still) angry that he did this, claiming that he was being disrespectful towards veterans. As such, people were furious when it was revealed that Kaepernick was the face of the advertising campaign. This anger has spurred into people burning their Nike products and memorabilia as well as saying everyone should boycott Nike.
Personally, I’m not quite sure why people would burn their own products that they have already purchased rather than simply not buy anything from Nike again. If one truly is angry about the campaign, which is completely one’s right, one could donate the Nike clothes they no longer want to homeless veterans.
I also have to mention that people’s anger about disrespecting the military is misplaced, because Kaepernick began to kneel after consulting with veterans about the most respectful way to protest racial inequality while also respecting the military. The veterans explained that this was the most respectful way to do this, as many people in the military kneel to honor the fallen. Which is what Kaepernick is doing – he is protesting and also mourning the lives lost due to police brutality. (Which is a whole other subject and not part of this article, don’t be worried).
Additionally, the people that are angry about this are the same people who call other people who get upset “snowflakes.” This is ironic considering they are upset about what a private company is deciding to do – which is exactly what the “snowflakes” are upset about. I think what both sides of the political spectrum should take away from this is that both sides of the political spectrum get upset about things that companies do that the other side of the political spectrum thinks is silly.
In case one is wondering how Nike’s stock is doing – it dropped down a couple percent right after the boycott was announced but has been rising slowly back up. The drop could simply just be a short-term reaction to the boycott’s announcement considering that the stock is back on the mend.
This response is kind of all over the place, but I wanted to leave people with an understanding of Kaepernick’s views and also why he chose to kneel. A lot of people view the kneeling as disrespectful towards veterans, but few people know that Kaepernick began to kneel after consulting with veterans about what he should do while still being respectful.
Also, in case one is still angry about Kaepernick’s kneeling despite the knowledge of the words of the veteran – they have every right to be upset. What isn’t okay is not allowing Kaepernick to have his protest because one believes it to respectful. Not allowing Kaepernick to protest is violating his first amendment.
If you’re curious about keeping up with Kaepernick and what’s going on with him, I’ll let you all know his collusion his case was just approved to go to trial. So, the NFL is going to be having a fun next couple of months considering Nike’s advertising campaign and their lawsuit with Kaepernick.
I hope anyone reading this learned some more about the situation and can better understand their own feelings about it. On a personal level, I support Kaepernick (and furthermore, Nike) for his choices. I love living in a country like the United States that allows people to protest without fear of imprisonment.
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this article and please share your thought of Kaepernick and the #JustDoIt campaign. I am eager to see other people’s opinions about this subject!