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Irregular commentary on whatever's on my mind -- politics, sports, current events, and life in general. After twenty years of writing business and community newsletters, fifteen years of fantasy baseball newsletters, and two years of email "columns", this is, I suppose, the inevitable result: the awful conceit that someone might actually care to read what I have to say. Posts may be added often, rarely, or never again. As always, my mood and motivation are unpredictable.

Buster Gammons















Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Kaepernick Critics Focus On The "Wrong" Method (Because They Don't Like The Message)


I'm not surprised the Colin Kaepernick post drew a few comments.  Naturally, Donald Trump could not resist, tweeting to Buster and the world that Kaepernick should "leave and find another country."  As always, he's Mr. Subtle!

Got two direct comments to the blog.  The first one came from Anonymous #1.  Then the reply to that comment came from Anonymous #2.  This post ends with my own comment to Anonymous #1.

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2 comments:

  1. Bomani Jones says, Now let’s be clear: Kaepernick’s stand will not change the world. Neither did Muhammad Ali’s, nor have very few individual actions. The dramatic acts of individuals sound good in history books, but rarely seem so in real time. What Kaepernick did won’t change America or even the NFL.

    So why do something to widen the division and pack it with salt only to make it sting more if it won't have an impact?
    Do something positive and start bringing people together. If that was his intent he simply chose the wrong path.
    Aren't you tired of seeing the divides in this country? We got to start bringing people together if we want to make progress.
    There are better ways, but no betters days if we don't start playing together!
  2. Replies
    1. The fact that it triggered this much discussion I think qualifies as having an impact. Is it going to directly decrease the number of wrongful deaths at the hands of police? No, but in order to do that we need policy change, and in order to effect policy, the issue needs to be taken up by the majority. What he did clearly was effective in giving him a platform to speak through mainstream media. You can't play as a team when half the squad isn't given a jersey

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Bomani Jones is a sports journalist who regularly appears on ESPN (including once while wearing a "Caucasians" t-shirt!).

 Dear Anonymous #1 --  Not sure how much of your comment is an actual Bomani Jones quote, but I'm pretty sure that, on principle, Jones supports Kaepernick.  Check out this video clip where Bomani Jones says that Kaepernick's "statement is in his words, not his actions."

 http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=17414125

 Let's examine some parts of your comment:

 Kaepernick's stand "won't change the world."  Are we to do only what changes the world?  What would that be and how do we do it?

 Muhammad Ali's stand did nothing?  Really?  Name the last time we had a military draft.

 "History" requires reflection and the passage of time for an accurate assessment.  "Real time" is right now.  It's transitory.  It's a Trump tweet.  It's reactive, not contemplative.  History lasts.  Real time doesn't.

 "Widening the divisions" is your impression, an opinion not shared by all.  Many in the black and Hispanic communities are in fact coming together in agreement with Kaepernick's message.

 "It won't have an impact."  Wrong.  Certainly it's already had an impact in "real time."  We'll have to wait and see about any historical resonance.

 Now let's be clear.  In a form of activism, Colin Kaepernick acted and spoke out against racism and police brutality.  You say:
"He chose the wrong path."  Describe in detail the right path.
"Do something positive."  Such as?  And are you so sure that Kaepernick was negative?
"Bring people together."  Fine.  How?
"There are better ways."  Give us some examples.

 Your comment still boils down to not liking the message.  You're tired of the repeated reminders of American racism, and believe it's divisive and counterproductive.  But happy talk and wishing the problem away has never been a solution.  And if anyone ought to be tired of racism, it's African-Americans.  They dealt with it personally for the past 400 years.  If anyone knows about divisiveness, it's them.

 Slavery was one of our great societal sins.  Racism continues to this day -- it's embedded in our social fabric.  We've made progress, no doubt.  There is much more work to be done.  That's why Colin Kaepernick (and so many others) keep bringing the message to our attention. 

 Sorry for the inconvenience.

  


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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 30, 2016 at 3:07 PM

    Those are Jones' quoted words you are challenging not mine.
    You are wrong in your thinking that Kaepernick's message isn't well received. We know we have problems. Work at solving them. Not expanding divisions.
    It's his form of delivery that is disturbing. Why pick a means that'she so inflammatory to so many. It hurts his cause. Many in the black community agree that he picked the wrong delivery method.
    I'm beginning to think you, as a blogger, enjoy the divides in this country because it gives you simply something to write about.
    Time to shift our gear out of low and move to high and bringing people together. Just a thought.
    It's going to be another ugly 4 or 8 years no matter who gets elected if we can't unite this country.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 30, 2016 at 3:34 PM

    Anonymous 1 again. Listen to Michael Irvin on Mike & Mike from Aug 29th 4th hr. He describes how he feels about the flag. He doesn't come say Kaepernick is wrong, but it's obvious he believes his actionson are disrespectful.
    Unless you're a closet Trumper, you think this country is already pretty great. So why perpetuate the disgust & divide? Find constructive ways to bridge the divide! Please?!

    ReplyDelete

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