dakshdar wrote:If people protested by demonstrating in a way that didn't draw attention to the fact they were protesting, did they even protest in the first place?
Kaepernick wasn't blind to the fact that doing what he was doing was going to raise many people's anger and draw attention. He also met with some of those people and had actual conversations about what he was doing and why he was doing it. He wasn't demonstrative or derogatory toward the anthem, he took a silent knee. He felt strongly enough about an issue that he demonstrated this on a national stage in a manner that he knew he'd draw negative attention for and was willing to do that in order to draw attention to what he was demonstrating for.
Besides the fact that prior to 2009, NFL players weren't even on the field during the National Anthem. Do we want to take bets on the fact that many players that were in the locker room while the anthem was being played were probably sitting down, not paying attention, or listening to something else on their own headphones? But because we couldn't see it, it makes it ok while this is not?
There were 35 players last year that performed some kind of demonstration during the anthem. Are we still talking about all of them? Clearly not. He's a scapegoat now and the easy pickings for people to hate on.
The third paragraph makes no sense... because I was in the bathroom and didn't even know it was going on and I didn't face the flag does that mean I protested? Of course guys were sitting down and listening to music, they were still in the locker room...
He's a scapegoat because he was first. If he was the 35th guy to do it, they'd be talking about someone else. It wasn't him. It was the act that people are hating on.
I can see both sides of the thing. Don't feel real strongly either way. But at the end of the day, the 32 NFL teams are out there to make money. That's what they started for. That's what they're there for. If a team thinks they will make less money because they sign him and have fallout and the added skills he brings don't outweigh the negative press, then that's their perogative. He has the right to do what he did. They have to the right to not sign him. It's a business. Plain and simple.
