It started when I checked Twitter, like I do more times than I should in a day.
“Colin Kaepernick answers questions about sitting down during national anthem,” I read on my phone.
I had no idea what the headline was talking about. Then I read some comments.
For a country that practically has Eric Cartman, the vulgar character from South Park, in the final two of the 2016 Presidential Election, it wasn’t that surprising to read about the situation and people’s reactions to it.
But it shouldn’t be any less troubling.
Twitter users, internet commenters and closet racists came out with pitchforks and torches, “How disrespectful!” they yelled. “Love it or leave it!” they tweeted.
The fact of the matter is that Colin Kaepernick is standing up for democracy.
Kaepernick is a savage muslim ingrate who deserves a severed spine, chair & bag for life #tot #pjnet #maga #lnyhbt https://t.co/sUrDuKLQBk
— Gen. Robert E Lee (@Suthen_boy) September 1, 2016
He publicly announced he was not against the troops, but for them–– and they were for him. A false rumor got started that Kaepernick was now a Muslim. They said he couldn’t win.
Well, he’s winning.
The common rhetoric after he sat was “Oh, this will never work! I agree with his right, but he’s wrong!”
It’s still a conversation a month later.
What does it say about us, as an American society, that some still can’t believe Barack Obama is American-born and not a Muslim as they many have claimed? What does it say that we associate anything anti-American with Islam?
@USATODAY @NAACP What? Rosa Parks was protesting Democrat segregation. Kaepernick is a Muslim protesting America. No comparison whatsoever.
— JJCaro (@JJMeadow222Lark) September 9, 2016
Players around the NFL followed suit, up to last Thursday’s season opener when linebacker Brandon Marshall took a knee during the anthem. He also left the game to be evaluated for a concussion.
So naturally, people tweeted inhumane things at him, wishing death upon he and his family, future injuries, and just about anything else you can imagine.
Marshall and Kaepernick are just standing up for what they believe in, on a national scale. Would you rather have a silent protest before a sporting event or another protest in the streets that leads to violence?
If you mourned the death of Muhammad Ali this summer, but criticize Kaepernick for his “un-American” beliefs, it doesn’t make you right. It makes you a hypocrite.
Disagree with Kaepernick's method? Fine. Disagree with what he saying? Fine. But just because he's making millions of dollars doesn't mean he has no right to have an opinion. It's the opposite in fact.
We have deemed, as a society, that NFL players are worth that much money. We’ve committed time and effort into the NFL.
So if you don’t think players should be making that much money, how’s that new NFL gear looking in your closet? How were the Browns tickets last year?
It’s important to emphasize, however, I’m not against troops. I’m not against police. I’m not against America. In fact, I love all of those people and things.
But I am against the vitriol and hatred that has come out in response to NFL players across the league. They’re proving us right.
Standing up for what you believe in is as American as just about any ideology out there. So theoretically, fans could spend their waking hours writing letters, sending tweets or talking about how “un-American” things have gotten.
Or you could be like Kaepernick and actually want things to get better.
