A shot heard around the world. While this moment will never be forgotten it's often misinterpreted. A protest should be unifying whether it's a solitary act or not.
US athlete Tommie Smith set a World Record. Australia's Peter Norman finished, and the US's John Carlos took third. Often mistaken for a Black Power Salute, Tommie Smith said it was a Human Right's Salute. The less common know fact is that Peter Norman agreed to wear the "Olympic Project for Human Rights" patch in support of the protest. The three athletes actually discussed this before the demonstration, so there was a kind of Ad Hoc organization to it.
Call me crazy, but I think sometimes getting the right image is important to the point I want to make. I've spent hours or days looking for the image that will express my thoughts or help me get my message across.
I think this is just one of those images.
Now days I'm really confused, but I understand. So, Colin Kaepernick took a knee to protest the treatment of Afro-Americans. I don't think it was the right thing to do, but it was done. I'm not saying he doesn't have the right protest, that's what this country was built on from it's very beginning. I just think he could have done it a better way.
So for all the idiots that are about to chime in, please reread the last paragraph. I think there are appropriate ways to protest. IE like in the 1968 Olympics, they wore a patch, held their heads low to show disapproval and raised their fist high to show pride, among other things in protest. Yes they were barred from the rest of the Olympics, but we all know unpopular speech or actions i often disapproved of.
Why was this appropriate?
Well they competed on the world theater and proved to be the best in that event, the collaborated with each other before taking action and because of their accomplishments they earned the right to make an acceptance speech of a sort. Yes they pissed people off and took a lot of flack for their display, but winning had put them front stage and given them the opportunity to give their message and it was done in unison.
So Colin took a knee during the National Anthem, first I don't agree with that, it belittles everyone that every fought or served this country. Does he have the right to do that, yes. So he was blacklisted from the NFL. He made a statement and he paid the price and actually I'm glad to see that his statement didn't go unnoticed.
With that said I do understand or new POTUS Trump's point of view in the sense that the venue used for the protest was inappropriate. If you have never fought in a war or served be very careful how you protest and what your protest means to others. As I have said does he have the right to protest in such a fashion, yes, but it's a slap in the face to all service members current or ex. And what gives that statement so much weight is the first thing people did was find Ex-Service Members to validate his actions.
Yes people have fought and died for our rights to express our freedoms in a variety of ways. So there should have been some thought into his form of protest. Now before you start going crazy about things, ask yourself; What would you do if the KKK decided to have a rally at an all black school?
Inappropriate!!!
So we went from his protest to boycotting the NFL until a team picked him up as a player. Yes I was very upset at this also, it childish beyond belief, he acted and there was a reaction. Just as they were barred from competing in the rest of the 1968 Olympics he was barred from the NFL. His protest upset people and just as he has the right to protest the owners have the right not to hire him.
I'm glad to see that some are keeping things in prospective, that would be the rest of the players taking up the mantle of Colin and actually protesting a cause.
Colin what you did was great, but stop your bitching and deal with the consequences of your actions.
