Before I get into this, I need to make something clear.
I hate Colin Kaepernick.
Can't stand the guy.
He's overrated, overpaid, and under talented. Add all that into the fact that he plays for a team I hate as well makes him a big ol' turd sandwich in my view.
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| He's just asking to be punched in the face. |
I support Colin Kapernick's flag protest.
I don't agree with it. But I support it.
People have a really hard time today understanding what our country - and specifically, what our flag - stands for. The most important thing about the USA is our freedoms. It's so important that the word freedom is beaten to death by all politicians and self proclaimed patriots, so commonly used that I'm sure some folks reading this rolled their eyes when I first said freedom.
Of all of our freedoms, none are more important then our freedom of speech and expression. This enables us to say whatever we want. At all times. No matter what.
A major problem that has been happening in this country the last decade or so is the reaction to destroy people who are using this freedom to speak honestly about how they feel about something, and their feelings are against the majority. Whether it is someone being anti-gay marriage, pro-immigration, or whatever it is, they're immediatly lambasted for it, forced to apologize, and if you made those comments on social media, odds are you lose your job.
Look, I'm not supporting a lot of these messages. But we live in a country that was FOUNDED ON THE PRINCIPALS OF FREEDOM. Free Speech has GOT to be free. People need to be able to say what they want on topics no matter what. The first ammendment doesn't exist to protect speech you like, it exists to protect the speech you don't want to hear. Just because you disagree with something doesn't make it inherently bad or wrong. What Kaepernick is doing is EXACTLY what the flag is supposed to stand for. For freedom.
The freedom to make these comments or protests against the main stream should be celebrated. Most countries in the world don't celebrate free speech like the USA does. In many places all speech against a leader results in death. Can you imagine that in this country? All of the political channels would have new hosts every single week.
So when someone is exercising their right of free speech by making a statement that is important to them, don't hate them for it or call them unpatriotic because you disagree. Celebrate them. And if you don't like it? Engage them. Talk to them. Have a civil discourse of ideas. That was the idea put forth when this country was founded.
Tomorrow if Kaepernick sits, he is celebrating all that the flag stands for. If he stands because he is forced to, that is everything that the flag is supposed to protect him from. Yes, I understand the irony in that his protest of the flag is in fact celebrating what the flag stands for, but instead of sending him death threats, useless online petitions or whatever other form of message you choose, understand he is doing this for something he believes in, and try to educate yourself at least a little bit to understand why this is happening and why he feels and thinks this way.
I'll end with this video.
