Episode 11 – More Surprised by Response to Kaepernick than Action Itself

Mark Geise Show – Mark Geise

As we have all heard by now, Kaepernick has refused to stand for the national anthem throughout the preseason to protest what he believes is mistreatment of people of color in the United States. He believes the flag stands for this mistreatment, and he will continue to sit until he sees “significant progress” made toward improving treatment of people of color. Specifically, he believes we have an epidemic of black people “dying in the streets” at the hands of police. First of all, I believe that Kaepernick’s focus is misguided and too narrow. Yes, police killings are an issue, but the statistics do not show them to be an isolated issue among people of color. The real issue, in my opinion, is that we have placed too much power to regulate our every moves in the government’s hands. Police are the arm of the state that enforce this over-regulation, so it is inevitable that excessive violence is used to preserve that power and crush dissent. Police are placed in the unenviable position of enforcing unjust laws, while frustrated people often see the police as the symbol of their oppression. Further, our adventurous foreign policy abroad and unjust wars have resulted in further expansion of the police state at home, making matters worse. I could have sympathized far more with Kaepernick if he had approached this issue with some nuance, but he has not.

I am more surprised by the response to Kaepernick’s actions than I am by the actions themselves. The flag means different things to different people. Those that believe it symbolizes the troops that have fought for the country have every right to believe that. However, others do not need to interpret things the same way that you do. To another group, the flag may represent our unjust wars abroad and the actions of those government officials that led us into those wars. To yet another group, the flag may represent domestic overreaches by the government. You have the right to be offended, but just because you are offended does not mean that action needs to be taken to silence someone. I prefer that we simply debate what Kaepernick actually said more intensely than whether or not he unfairly disrespected a symbol.

P.S. Why haven’t more people discussed Kaepernick’s Fidel Castro shirt?

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Suggested Readings/Referenced Articles:

“Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem” – NFL.com
“5 Statistics You Need To Know About Cops Killing Blacks” – Daily Wire
“The Mass Incarceration Problem in America” – Vice
“The Tyranny Of 9/11: The Building Blocks Of The American Police State From A-Z” – ZeroHedge
Book: “Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance” by Noam Chomsky
Book: “Constitutional Chaos: What Happens When the Government Breaks its Own Laws” by Andrew Napolitano