I can’t understand why you’re offended

This is a few days late, but I needed a few minutes to gather my thoughts because this one is a tad controversial.
So, we’re mad at Nike now. Ok, not me, but some people. From a purely logical standpoint, it just won’t work. One side hates Target, and the other side hates Walmart. Shop local, but don’t support anyone with whom you disagree. Unless you want to start making your own clothes and shoes and chicken sandwiches, we’ve got to learn to agree to disagree!
Which is part 1 of why I’m not even mad at Colin Kaepernik or Nike. Part 2 is freedom. I mean, c’mon! Isn’t that what we all stand for in the first place? The freedom to voice our opinions and disagree with the government and all that jazz? Ok, don’t shop at (insert store we are mad at here) if you don’t want to. You certainly have that right! (Aren’t you glad?) But seriously, aren’t you just wasting your time being angry and trying to force people to have your opinion? (This goes both ways people!) I think we had a war about this or something.
For Heaven’s sake! Nike didn’t say Colin had to be your hero or that no one else is as heroic as him! They didn’t even call him a hero. They said he sacrificed a lot for something he believed in. This is true. People are angry. That didn’t stop him from following his beliefs. They’re not your beliefs? Ok. Move on. “He was a terrible quarterback.” “He did something illegal.” Ok. Move on.
Finally, let’s address what he did do. He didn’t stand for the National Anthem on tv. We can argue that he was at work, and it wasn’t his platform to use, but that’s really beside the point. Who wouldn’t use a nationally televised event if they could?
He didn’t stand because he’s angry with the state of race relations in America. Me too. I thought we were in a much better place. That’s because i live in a nice place, where people are nice to each other. Also, I’m white. Nobody pulls me over because I don’t look like I belong in that neighborhood. (Well, not entirely true. A cop once did pull us over in the ghetto, about 1/2 mile from our former home to see if we were lost. But we weren’t even scared!) We don’t have to teach our son how to speak calmly and not make sudden movements if he is pulled over. I don’t get followed around stores, even if I have on cutoffs and my hair in a messy bun. (Everyday)
Don’t try to tell me this doesn’t happen. It doesn’t happen to you. I’ve been in the drive-thru at night when a black man with gold plated teeth walked up to my car. I had to remind myself that i wasn’t afraid. You know what he asked me for? Directions. I’ve checked myself when a person of color gets on the elevator to see if I clutch my purse. Do you? Why is this something i even have to think about? I’ve talked to parents. White parents of black children who worry that they don’t know how to protect their children. Black parents of white children who felt bad that they were relieved they wouldn’t have to. If you believe this doesn’t happen, you are kidding yourself. It doesn’t happen to you.
But still, he took a knee when he was supposed to stand. How can we stand by and let this happen? You’re right! We shouldn’t! We should examine ourselves and find out why the Klan is feeling comfortable coming out of the woodwork. We should ask how white nationalists made it into the positions of power that they hold. I don’t place the blame squarely on one group. In the game of tit for tat, we are all losers!
Colin Kaepernick took a knee (the position of prayer and humility btw) during the National Anthem, and he wasn’t the only one. We owe it to ourselves and our country to ask Why? instead of How dare you? Maybe you still don’t agree. Maybe you tear up when you hear The Star Spangled Banner. (me too!) But those soldiers who died, not for that flag, but for this country for over 200 years fought for our right to tell the government to go to hell. You know who taught me that? My grandpa, the General. My dad, the figurative bomb thrower. My mom, the school board member and feisty protector of grandchildren. My brother, the lt. Colonel. My brother, the anarchist. This is a really long list, because I have a lot of siblings.
If you want to know where I stand, it’s right here.