Colin Kaepernick is...

[Martinus]

Oh good, I attracted grumbler.

Make sure to avoid eye contact and play dead, and it will go away distrated by someone's careless grammar.

[garbon]

Distrated?

[Valmy]

Is the outrage at not honoring the anthem bigger or smaller than sending unsoclicited dick pics or running a dog fighting ring?

Seems much smaller. Few people were rallying around to support the dick pics or the dog fighting.

The thing that makes this juicy for everybody to babble about is this is yet another opportunity to stake out your position in the Culture War. So we get memes about how now it is ok to walk around being a Muslim and like do Muslim stuff but not ok to respect 'Murica. Because of how much worse things are than they were in 1852. Or 'why do all white people hypocritically care about Kaepernick but not about the white spotted pygmy east africa spider? Is it because they are the worst human beings in the universe? Don't answer that, that was rhetorical.'

[crazy canuck]

It is probably the activists' fault now that you mention it. They don't put together concrete programs to fight for so why should people like Kaepernick? Sure a statement was made but it was a statement that had been made pretty consistently ever since Ferguson. It is time to do something.

But *he* can't do anything other than what he has done. He almost certainly agrees that something should have been done long ago.

I doubt that's the case. We all really could do more. I don't think I've ever called my congressman about an issue or attended a local council meeting. He could easily make use of social media to call for something specific. General statements to draw attention, well what is that really accomplishing? Who isn't paying attention yet that is going to pay attention?

Lots of people - this is getting plenty of discussion.

If he posted something on social media, I am sure you would all be here decrying what a vapid stance he is making, and how cheap it is to just bitch on facebook, rather than actually risking his career.

And yes, we could all do more. He could do more. He could quit. He could donate his entire salary to some worth organization. He could douse himself in gasoline and light himself on fire in the middle of the next game he is playing.

Whining about what someone DOES do because he could "do more" is fucking weak sauce. No matter what anyone does, they could "do more". If your complaint is that he doesn't do enough, why aren't you bitching at the 1000+ NFL players who did nothing at all? Aren't they worse than someone who did *something* even if it wasn't enough to meet your lofty standards?

I disagree, clearly. As I've already said making statements at this juncture seems...well pretty useless. Problems of policing and problems for black people receive so much coverage in the media already. If he wanted to do something meaningful then he should have done something meaningful.

I think, if anything, his stunt has been a distraction. At least for most of the past two weeks, the discussion was on whether or not what he did was appropriate. People weren't discussing/trying to act on solving the issues he was highlighting but rather discussing the superficial of what should be the reaction to his action.

Seems to me that the most negative reaction was after the initial "stunt" but after that even the sports radio talk shows had segments on the issues.  You sound like a person who back in the day would be saying "Rosa, don't do that.  You are just going to get them mad".

[Valmy]

Well you guys are certainly free to disagree with me. I am just running out of patience with the 'Occupy Wallstreet' form of political action. Yeah so we talk about stuff. What next?

[crazy canuck]

Well you guys are certainly free to disagree with me. I am just running out of patience with the 'Occupy Wallstreet' form of political action. Yeah so we talk about stuff. What next?

You would rather go directly to violence in the streets?

[Valmy]

Well you guys are certainly free to disagree with me. I am just running out of patience with the 'Occupy Wallstreet' form of political action. Yeah so we talk about stuff. What next?

You would rather go directly to violence in the streets?

Well that already happened didn't it?

[crazy canuck]

Well you guys are certainly free to disagree with me. I am just running out of patience with the 'Occupy Wallstreet' form of political action. Yeah so we talk about stuff. What next?

You would rather go directly to violence in the streets?

Well that already happened didn't it?

Yeah, that is my point.  If talking about something is out, there is really only one alternative.  I just don't understand the position that talking about an issue has no value.

[Valmy]

Yeah, that is my point.  If talking about something is out, there is really only one alternative.  I just don't understand the position that talking about an issue has no value.

Huh. I didn't think I was not being clear. I can understand not agreeing with what I am saying but what about it is difficult to understand? Certainly I don't see where I called for violence in the streets.

[garbon]

Yeah, that is my point.  If talking about something is out, there is really only one alternative.  I just don't understand the position that talking about an issue has no value.

Huh. I didn't think I was not being clear. I can understand not agreeing with what I am saying but what about it is difficult to understand? Certainly I don't see where I called for violence in the streets.

Yes, he is being ridiculous.

[garbon]

It is probably the activists' fault now that you mention it. They don't put together concrete programs to fight for so why should people like Kaepernick? Sure a statement was made but it was a statement that had been made pretty consistently ever since Ferguson. It is time to do something.

But *he* can't do anything other than what he has done. He almost certainly agrees that something should have been done long ago.

I doubt that's the case. We all really could do more. I don't think I've ever called my congressman about an issue or attended a local council meeting. He could easily make use of social media to call for something specific. General statements to draw attention, well what is that really accomplishing? Who isn't paying attention yet that is going to pay attention?

Lots of people - this is getting plenty of discussion.

If he posted something on social media, I am sure you would all be here decrying what a vapid stance he is making, and how cheap it is to just bitch on facebook, rather than actually risking his career.

And yes, we could all do more. He could do more. He could quit. He could donate his entire salary to some worth organization. He could douse himself in gasoline and light himself on fire in the middle of the next game he is playing.

Whining about what someone DOES do because he could "do more" is fucking weak sauce. No matter what anyone does, they could "do more". If your complaint is that he doesn't do enough, why aren't you bitching at the 1000+ NFL players who did nothing at all? Aren't they worse than someone who did *something* even if it wasn't enough to meet your lofty standards?

I disagree, clearly. As I've already said making statements at this juncture seems...well pretty useless. Problems of policing and problems for black people receive so much coverage in the media already. If he wanted to do something meaningful then he should have done something meaningful.

I think, if anything, his stunt has been a distraction. At least for most of the past two weeks, the discussion was on whether or not what he did was appropriate. People weren't discussing/trying to act on solving the issues he was highlighting but rather discussing the superficial of what should be the reaction to his action.

Seems to me that the most negative reaction was after the initial "stunt" but after that even the sports radio talk shows had segments on the issues.  You sound like a person who back in the day would be saying "Rosa, don't do that.  You are just going to get them mad".

Stop being ridiculous. Besides, do recall that Rosa Parks's case was only championed as it was thought she'd prove a sympathetic face for civil rights.

Of course what Kaepernick has done isn't really anything like what Rosa Parks did. Well I guess similar in that they are both black.

[Berkut]

Well you guys are certainly free to disagree with me. I am just running out of patience with the 'Occupy Wallstreet' form of political action. Yeah so we talk about stuff. What next?

That is an excellent point...sort of.

The people raising awareness aren't actually capable of effecting change. Colin K. is not a jusge, cop, senator, President, whatever. He can only do what *he* can do, and that is raise a stink and use his celebrity to force people to talk about the issue.

Yes, that doesn't mean anything if nothing actually changes. That is not a bad thing, that is a good thing. Someone simply bitching about something should not effect change, otherwise we would be changing things for bad reasons all the time.

They can just raise the issue, and force visibility.

You complain that nothing changes? It's a fair complaint. But the right response to nothing changing for those whose power is limited to only raising the issue is to raise it again. And again.  And again.

Rosa Parks could not actually change the rules on buses - if she could, she no doubt would have simply done so. All she can do is force people to look at the problem, and see what happens.

[garbon]

I feel like it might be worthwhile actually examining a historical example before applying it so haphazardly.

[Berkut]

I feel like it might be worthwhile actually examining a historical example before applying it so haphazardly.

I think I have a pretty good idea about the historical example in question.

And I am confident that you and Valmy would be complaining that Parks stunt was just an attempt for attention, and we need to start actually doing something - hell, we've known that black people are getting screwed for decades! Rosa isn't telling us anything new!

The analogy aligns rather nicely.

But if you don't like that one, there are plenty of examples of black athletes throughout history using their celebrity to protest racism. It's not like Kapernack is doing anything new or ground breaking.

[Oexmelin]

Valmy: I have actually never really understood your animosity towards Occupy, or towards activism in general. Is it because you think they ought to invest themselves into direct political action, as in partisan politics? Or because you think critics always ought to have a comprehensive reform plan in order to denounce, or contest, a situation?