San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick did not stand for the playing of the national anthem before his team’s preseason game Friday against the Green Bay Packers.You won't have to go very far to find blog posts and other bits of raving-ass lunacy calling for Kaepernick to be deported or even shot. Because for those people, "freedom of speech and freedom of expression" are like the words that they mouth in church: Utterly meaningless outside of that context, words to be revered, but never followed.
After the game, he told NFL Media in an exclusive interview that he is "not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
"To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” he told NFL Media. "There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
Freedom of speech and expression covers the words, art and gestures that make people uncomfortable. If not, if there is only "approved" speech and conduct that others agree with, then there is no freedom.
And it is pretty ironic, is it not, that the same groups of people who have been railing about "academic safe spaces" and "trigger words" as being contrary to freedom of speech are now so ready to deny that same freedom to Kaepernick.
I do not agree with what Kaepernick did. But he has the right to not stand. Those calling for him to be sanctioned somehow are hypocrites, to say the least.
Indeed. He has every right to state his opinion...and demonstrate it in the manner he has.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with him ,but will stand up for his right to be as wrong as he chooses to be, as long as he harms no one by doing so.
Fans of the 49'rs have the right to boycott any game he plays as well.
Most people really don't understand what Free Speech entails.
I'm glad you do...
A major problem I have with these folks is that they carry around in their head an idea of what the Constitution is and what is states, and not what it actually is/does - and have never heard of the Federalist Papers. Same thing with how the Federal government works. They have a fantasy idea of how it operates (or doesn't), and then rely on that for their opinions of how things work. I imagine they all slept though government class when the three branches and separation of powers was explained, and used Cliff Notes to study before the pop quiz on the Constitution.
ReplyDeleteB, Right on! Free speech, in its purest form, is supposed to make people uncomfortable. It's supposed to challenge people to think and debate.
ReplyDeleteBut they'll still fill the seats at Candlestick Park (or whatever the hell they call it now).
The thing is these rw nutjobs don't see African AMERICANS as citizens...worthy of the full protections and rights of US citizenship!
ReplyDeleteIt is the foundational belief and idea behind the birther movement denying POTUS Obama's election and their objection to Black Lives Matter!
This is no different from the thinking in the 1960's that Dr MLK encountered and The Black Panthers in the 1970's
African AMERICANS are not to be granted full US citizenship in their worldview!
Gerald Parks: Forget the RWNJ thinking African Americans aren't American. They don't even think they're human. It's the old 3/5ths thing, just with a different spin. A 32 year old white dude is called a 'kid'. An African American of any age is a thug - no matter what their actual age is - 12, 18, or 48, and is shot on sight. If you're athletic and white, judges don't want to damage your future, no matter if the case is Rape or killing four people with a vehicle while "driving" (speeding) under the influence of alcohol and valium.
ReplyDeleteWELL, it's like this... he of course can express whatever his opinion is, however misguided ; does Black Lives Matter actually CARE about blacks killing blacks, or is that now just a cultural norm? IT IS true ALSO that ALL have a perfect right to express how they feel in response to his stated opinion as well. Is it not neat how that works?
ReplyDeleteNot to be hardass but....
ReplyDeleteFirst a football or baseball stadium is private property.
His job is a sports professional.
Second he is employed and his employer may have a code of conduct that he likely signed, for all that money.
With exception he is not free to go off an say things for fear of sanction, however the government is not the sanctioning body, his employers are. Pay attention to the difference.
He has the right on his time and his dollar.
Eck!
Some excellent stuff on how Conservatives feel entitled and required to cast the first stone:
ReplyDeletehttp://lancemannion.typepad.com/lance_mannion/2005/07/why_conservativ.html
and here:
http://www.shakesville.com/2005/07/scarred.html
Thingman....BLM not only do they care about the issue of Africa AMERICAN Citizens killing each other ...they ACTIVELY work within their communities to stop this madness!
ReplyDeleteYou don't KNOW this because 1) MSM doesn't cover it with the same vigor as they do the protest 2) YOU chose to be willfully ignorant of this fact. 3) YOU choose not to help or work with YOUR fellow Citizens!
Did you notice that the BLM protest have a large number of white AMERICANS participating? Young white Citizens who choose to be involved.
Marc ...you are spot on!
ReplyDeleteTHIS is not a new mindset but a continuation of a white supremacist ideology that is the foundation and source of American racism!
Eck, most stadiums have been built with public money and are usually owned by some sort of public entity. Beyond that, there's probably some cases out there that hold that even if they are private property, that they are quasi-public spaces and the owners cannot prohibit speech, other than very justifiable "time, manner and place" restrictions.
ReplyDeleteThe "code of conduct" argument may be a tough sell, for it is a content-based restriction, and courts hate that.
The stadium at Candlestick Point has been torn down. Being in San Francisco, there were issues about the dust created, what kind of water was being used to settle the dust, and such.
ReplyDeleteThe new stadium is in Santa Clara, is very pretty, and apparently makes one feel as if they are inside an advertisement.
As for Kaep; he can express himself as he likes, but he might want to be more accurate if he's going to all this trouble. Everyone is aware of what's going on, but not everyone considers every officer involved a murderer.
Didn't say he can't. Didn't say he should not. Never even got into should it be said.
ReplyDeleteDid say in effect there can be a cost for saying things and who
enforces that may likely NOT be the government.
I will state that when you speak out, there can be a cost. Also
how you do it can have a great effect positive or negative. There
is the potential for the society that is being addressed to react. They are free to turn their backs or shake ones hand. Should they turn their backs you have lost the part of the audience, maybe the important one.
just saying.
Eck!
ReplyDelete"Thingman....BLM not only do they care about the issue of Africa AMERICAN Citizens killing each other ...they ACTIVELY work within their communities to stop this madness!
You don't KNOW this because 1) MSM doesn't cover it with the same vigor as they do the protest 2) YOU chose to be willfully ignorant of this fact. 3) YOU choose not to help or work with YOUR fellow Citizens!
Did you notice that the BLM protest have a large number of white AMERICANS participating? Young white Citizens who choose to be involved."
Gerald:
Please, if you can find even one instance, show me an example of BLM doing anything about black on black murder. The BLM folks here are ignoring the fact that most Blacks are killed by other blacks...not whites and not cops. I think your wishes are overriding your reality.
I doubt you will find anything, but I wait for you to convince me I am wrong.