Dear Aunt Bev.
There is so much talk about Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for San Francisco. Is his refusal to salute the flag an act of peace? Or defiance? Why didn’t the other black players join him? Amy
Dear Amy,
It is an act of protest. I believe he has stated that he cannot salute the flag while policemen who killed unarmed black men are not brought to justice and are still endangering people on the streets. Although I concur with his assessment of racial injustice, the main problem as I see it is that his act of protest does not have a desired effect on any working policemen. Therefore, police departments have no reason to take notice of his act; rather, it affects sports fans who respect the flag and automatically stand when the national anthem plays. It bothers a lot of people unrelated to the problem in any direct or even indirect way. Another problem is that he has not convinced any other players to join his act of protest; therefore the media focuses on him and him alone and the problem he is highlighting is lost. There are a number of ways his protest could be more effective, but all of them would incur more work on his part. One example might be to form a group of fellow players who would challenge the policemen assigned to the district with the highest crime rate in San Francisco to a game of basketball, and would use the community event to enhance police-youth relationships.
If you want to read more about this topic: Click here.
Here is another article about Colin Kaepernick from the Inquisitr: Click here.
No Comment