Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Kneeldown
When Colin Kaepernick did his first kneeldown, as I recall he said he was protesting the America that had decided it would be perfectly fine to have either a criminal or a blowhard as president. I think he did mention the social justice view of racist police activity, but that was pretty far down his list.
Since then a lot of people have jumped on the bandwagon. Most of them are young and impressionable, have never been anywhere or done anything, have never been taught or helped to learn about the way our American system is supposed to work.
I have to cut them a lot of slack because they are young and dumb. I'm not giving them a complete pass, but I remember being young and dumb and filled with certainty and self-centered righteousness about complex issues. I said and did a lot of dumb things.
Furthermore, when I was young and dumb the government and media and the educational system weren't openly fomenting race war.
I feel a lot of sympathy for these youngsters. They're being manipulated, being treated as objects to be used by the millions of people who live in this country but do not find fundamental human equality a self evident truth.
I strongly disagree with nearly everything these folks say they kneel for. They're wrong about institutionalized racism and brutality. It's not that there aren't racists aplenty in this country, but the poor dumb clucks of the klan are far outnumbered by sophisticated racists and bigots who will not behave in a civilized fashion.
In a very real sense, the kneelers are correct in that there is something horribly wrong with America, but they haven't yet realized that the real racists are the diseased souls of all color who seek to divide and conquer at any cost.
The kneeldown came to Nebraska last week. I don't approve, however, I have to respect the fundamental humanity of these young men, respect their right to speak and opine, and perhaps most importantly respect their right to be wrong. I cannot be an American if I do otherwise, and god knows I've got more experience at being wrong than these kids do. It's not easy. I feel strongly about the issue. But I have to take up the very hard task of being a principled American, or I am lost.
I very strongly endorse and approve of Mike Riley's leadership and guidance. If you're interested, his remarks on the subject begin at 7:53 in the first video, and at 10:58 in the second video.
#principledAmerica
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The backup quarterback (aka jackass), who was most likely about to be fired, has a right to be stupid. He does not have a right to require me to reward him for being stupid. And I will do my dammdest to ensure that does not happen. I will also not hold him up as somehow noble in his protest. Overpaid thugs are not noble. What has he done with his life, or his money, that has improved mankind? Providing a modern version of gladiator games in the ancient Roman coliseums does not fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteYes, he has the right. I have the right to turn my back and ignore him.
I cited Kaepernick, who the post really isn't about, because I was surprised he was able to detect how insane trump vs clinton is. Actually pretty good headwork considering his background and likely experience set.
Delete+1 for juvat.
DeleteOddly enough, though my initial reaction to Kaepernick's action was visceral and negative, I now have mixed feelings about the whole thing. I'm still not sure where I stand on this. I can't really form an intelligent opinion as I am not black. Something a black colleague of mine said the other day really gave me pause, made me realize that his perspective of what's happening in this country is far different than mine. And it ain't good.
ReplyDeleteAin't good on steroids. My reaction was much the same, but it (my reaction) really made me feel bad. Why was I so pissed at the guy? All I had to go on was the media accounts. I had to dig a little bit to find his post game quote, which was considerably different than what "everybody knows." Turns out that I'm in complete agreement with him regarding clump and trillary. I don't personally like his method of protest, but of course I wouldn't because the National Anthem is very meaningful to me. And if I'm a real American and not just a faker, I have to respect him as a human being endowed with natural rights. Period dot on that.
DeleteI don't know the guy, but given what's been written about his background and the Orwellian Newspeak era we live in, I have a hard time imagining him ever thinking about or being introduced to American principles.
Of course I was quite irritated when I saw the kids on "my" team emulating the protest. And that made me feel bad too. I really, really, really like what Riley had to say, how he and the team handled that situation.
It's kind of funny in a way that so many people claim to hate political correctness and social justice -- and rightly in my opinion -- but squeal like a stuck pig when they "feel" they've been insulted or, as the kids say, "dissed."
I have to say that I think it's unhealthy to think about racism as a black/white thing because that is a gateway to we/they. We're all human, we're all unique individuals, we all have different experiences. Nearly everyone in this country will vigorously nod their heads and say "yeah-yeah-yeah" when "all men created equal" comes up. But explore that with them for 60 seconds and there are few indeed who don't throw yabbuts and exceptions in there.
The life or death battleground of national survival isn't in DC or in any statehouse or council chamber. It's in the minds and hearts of individuals.