OT: John Harbaugh openly reaching out to Kaepernick?
NOT posting because of politics, but because of Harbaugh...also Harbaugh.
Link goes to video, found his statements pretty interesting, especially since the brothers seem to have similar mannerisms. Would be intersting to see how Kaep performed under both brothers!
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20172607/baltimore-ravens-coach-john…
It's "disgusting" to kneel during the anthem? Wow, you have a pretty low threshold for being disgusted.
People didn't make the sacrifices you note so that other people would be forced to respect the national anthem or so that people would be unable to protest. On the contrary, those sacrifices were made so that we would live in a country where people are free to hold and express dissenting opinions. You don't have to agree with Kaepernick to appreciate that the fact that he has the right to protest the anthem is a powerful symbol of a free country.
You go on and on about the freedom the flag represents. What kind of freedoms are you talking about, if not the freedom to disagree with your government? Freedom of speech is literally the first amendment in the Bill of Rights, which is an indication of how valuable it is. Yet you seem to have some kind of idea that "freedom" means being forced to respect a piece of cloth. That seems like the opposite of freedom to me.
If you actually go around the world, you'll find that we're pretty much the only democracy that worships the flag (or any other national symbol) to such a great extent. Many other countries realize that blind nationalism is dangerous - they learned that lesson well in WWII. Germany has a thriving democracy, yet you'll rarely see a German flag flying there. Symbols and flags aren't necessary for people to have pride in their country and their democratic ideals.
Now here's my opinion: your defense of police shooting innocent people is far more "disgusting" than any act of peaceful protest. I don't care if you're a Democrat, Republican, libertarian, socialist, or anarchist - it's appalling when police shoot any unarmed individual. The penalty for "disrespect" shouldn't be death. And nothing should justify a shooting other than an imminent threat to the life of an officer.
"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a *d@!n* what you think you are entitled to!"
but its friday so why not; I can't get over your ignorance. You realize the very thing you were fighting for is for freedom of speech right? Freedom to express opinions? Because if you weren't and we didn't have those freedoms yeah your right we wouldn't have it as good as we do and we would in the same place as some of the probably pretty bad places you have been.
I certainly thank you for your service, but I also respect peoples right to express their views, especially in a peaceful way.
How good "you" have it....
Hello white person.
Funny you used the word "ignorance."
| synonyms: | incomprehension of, unawareness of, unconsciousness of, unfamiliarity with, inexperience with, lack of knowledge about, lack of information about |
Interesting word choice.
Blackballed for the definition of a peaceful protest
What you are saying is true. He is being blackballed because of his protest, which was entirely peaceful, specifically targeted and, while I don't agree with the protest, done in a respectfull manner. It's not like he stuck up his middle finder during the anthem or screamed obsenities over the singer.
The problem is that there is a legitimate reason that a team may not want him on their roster. A key aspect of most winning teams is cohesiveness, lack of in-fighting and limited distractions. For right or for wrong, Kaep brings with him a good amount of distraction. Not only would the press coverage be over the top, but other players would constantly be asked about Kaep's sitting / standing. Such distractions never help a team. And, there is a real chance that the players on any team are fairly divided over this issue (sadly, likely along racial and/or geographical lines). No coach or owner wants to inject such a hot button issue into a locker room.
Now, if Kaep was Tom Brady or Cam Newton, then perhaps a team would conclude that the benefits outweight the potential issues. But, while he had some great years (under Harbaugh), he is not that player anymore. Whether because of injury or just lack of continued development, Kaep hasn't been good in quite a while. So, why would a team deal with all of the potential downside risks to take a middling QB? There are tons of middling QBs out there that don't come with any baggage.
It's fair to say he'd be a media distraction. He definitely would.
But he was voted "Most Inspirational" according to chip kelly, and there are far less talented guys getting backup money.
On that Kaepernick stat: 144 quarterbacks have thrown 200+ passes in year turned 29. 143 on NFL roster when turned 30. Kap only 1 not.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) June 7, 2017
A few points in response to that Freeman stat:
Kaep's good years are really a few years behind him now. It's not like he has been good in 2-3 years. If he were still the player that he formerly was, I suspect that this discussion would be irrelevant and he would be on a roster starting.
That aside, of the 143 other QBs that he mentioned, how many of them would create the media distraction that Kaep would? I really liked his game a lot, and I respect that he stood up (or - wait for it - knelt down) for what he believed in, but if I were a coach, GM or owner, I just wouldn't want the distraction, and even more, I would be concerned about bringing hot-button, divisive issues into the locker room.
Again, for a high-caliber starting QB, it may be worth it. Tom Brady, Cam Newton and Big Ben can single-handedly carry a team, so you deal with the negatives. But for a middling back-up QB, what's the point? Even when he played last year, it's not like he was even decent. He was pretty bad. There are plenty of guys who can hold a clip board, work with the 2s in practice and be ready to come in if needed for either mop up, or in the event of injury, that you just don't need the negative risks. I expect that many will say "but look at how good he was - hell, he made it to a SuperBowl." And I agree that 2012-14 Kaep would absolutely be worth the risks. But he just isnt that guy any more.
How can I put this.... Personally had no real problem with him exercising his right of free speech and to protest however he saw fit. Many people have given their lives so he could do just that. Now, as is with all things in life, there are consequences for our actions and even though we have free speech, it doesn't shield us from the repercussion for the things we say.
Thank you for your word smithing. I wish I could of said this, instead i would of "knuckle dragged" it.
I know you meant well with your comment and my response to you isn't because I am making an assumption of what type of person you are. It frustrates me that there is truth to what you say. I saw Kaep's protest as an opportunity for people to start some dialogue about the reason behind the protest. Here we have a mixed race individual who grew up with a white family, was well taken care of as a child, got a full ride to college, and makes millions of dollars, who is telling us that he feels oppressed. My reaction was for me to try to understand Kaep's perspective and his reason for the protest. Unfortunately, a lot of people who don't have the same perspective instead focused on the act of the protest and got confused or angry because they couldn't relate. So the "consequence" is their ridicule and hate and ultimately fear to employ him because he might be a distraction. Does anyone else see the irony that Kaep's protest about his perceived discrimination has resulted in discrimination? Not a funny irony... a sad irony...
Here we have a mixed race individual who grew up with a white family, was well taken care of as a child, got a full ride to college, and makes millions of dollars, who is telling us that he feels oppressed.
This is not a fair characterization. He didn't claim that it was about himself. Here's what he actually said:
"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 told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
You claim that your reaction was to "try to understand Kaep's perspective" but you pretty clearly didn't.
with both. Couldn't agree more!
to opt out of his SF contract
I had no idea how much people hated Kaep until I witnessed a (white) guy/student I know at Michigan almost get kicked out of Michigan Stadium for kneeling during the anthem in front of an usher (vet). It took multiple students (and if memory serves, another usher) a good deal of time pointing out that (while they disagreed with the student's viewpoint) he was also just making a non-verbal, non-violent statement in a public place that didn't appear to violate any stadium codes. The usher was in absolute tears by the end of this and relented.* It served as a remind that Ann Arbor is a bubble because I lack almost any friends who cared about the protest in a negative manner.
I once got kicked out in the mid / late 90s for throwing marshmellows... problem is I was 10 and visiting my sister on parents weekend and they wouldn't even let me tell my sister and she didn't notice until those around her pointed it out...
Vets don't have a monopoloy on patriotism, or the flag, or the national anthem, or any other symbol of our country. Those symbols are owned by all of us. Kap's protest was meant to call attention to injustice in AMERICA, and by targetting a symbol of America he was speaking to all Americans, not just those in the military.
You could have said the same thing about every other battle for rights in the past. You are a woman and you don't like that you can't vote prior to women's suffrage? Leave. You don't like a 12-16 hour work day with no overtime pay 100 years ago? Leave. You think slavery should be illegal? Leave. It's a good thing that people chose to stay and fight for their beliefs.
What an unconstructive attitude.
If your pipes burst, would you let your house flood because it's perfect the way it is?
There's nothing unpatriotic about striving for improvement.
1 - not voting could be a form of a protest vote as well; tells the party if their numbers decrease in your area they are not selecting the candidate that suites your needs
2 - in many areas, especially in the south, voting historically let to a lot of trouble such as death threats, or districts having unfavorable locations, horus etc, all to discourage minority voting. Obviously this wasn't the case of Kaep; just know that a lot of people can't vote for reasons well beyond their control
You can't be serious.
Kaep kneels...disrespectful
M players stand...perfectly fine.
WD you're missing the whole fucking point. It's not how they went about it, it's about what they were trying to say or bring awareness towards. But you're caught up on someone kneeling or standing?! GTFO.
You can disagree with their cause or their message 100%...absolutely. You can think it was disrespectful to protest during the Anthem. Fine.
But if you draw the line and kneeling versus standing...I'm sorry, you've missed the whole thing. You're caught up on that? What about the cause? THAT is where people form an opinion.
And it's not like he was throwing up birds at the flag. Question...during your tailgates, does everyone stand when the Anthem is played for every game? If so, cool...but next time look around you and see if others are doing it because I guarantee they are not. They're grilling and drinking their beer and having a good time. So if you're going to get all offended by the ACTION of kneeling versus standings...go all in, every tailgate, every bar, every single person needs to be standing during the National Anthem of the United States.
Why? Because you're caught up on the action. Screw the actual cause, we're talking about the action. (Iverson voice)
Well said