Colin Kaepernick became a lightning-rod political/pop culture figure several months back when he decided that he was no longer going to stand for the national anthem. Colin is a San Francisco 49er, and during the first few 49ers games, he simply sat down for the anthem. Then when he was facing widespread criticism, he began to “take a knee.” His protest was mainly about racial justice and police violence, and he spoke eloquently about his lack of desire to acknowledge a flag that stood for so much violence against the bodies of people of color. Colin earned a lot of goodwill in liberal/progressive circles. Then last week, I learned that Kaepernick did not vote in the presidential election. And all of that goodwill just fell to the ground. After last night’s 49ers game, Kaepernick defended his right to sit out the election. He sounds like a moron.
The football postgame news conference is not designed for political debate, so there was no give-and-take Sunday when Colin Kaepernick defended his decision to not vote in Tuesday’s election. About half the eligible American voters also snubbed the ballot box, but Kaepernick, after all, is the leader of a movement he hopes will inspire changes in our current system. His decision to not vote brought heavy criticism — from this writer, from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and from many others. At the end of his brief postgame newser, I asked Kaepernick, “The criticism from you saying you weren’t going to vote — do you have a reaction to that?”
Kaepernick, true to his new persona as a man who no longer ducks questions, said, “You know, I think it would be hypocritical of me to vote. I said from the beginning I was against oppression, I was against the system of oppression. I’m not going to show support for that system. And to me, the oppressor isn’t going to allow you to vote your way out of your oppression.”
Kaepernick was then asked, “With the man who was elected president, do you feel any more urgency for your cause?”
He said, “I think everybody should feel urgency, to make sure we’re doing the right thing, building, you know, things the right way, in order to be able to protect ourselves from the things that may come from this.”
Under his sport coat, Kaepernick wore a black T-shirt with a quote attributed to Malcom X in large lettering, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
Yeah… no. I realize that some people are idealists and if the system isn’t perfect now, they don’t want to participate in it. That, to me, is arrogant and naïve. Kaepernick isn’t alone – tens of millions of eligible Americans didn’t even bother to vote. They didn’t even bother participating in the most basic, the most fundamental way to enact change in our society. The right to vote is soaked in blood in America, and it is flat-out immoral (in my mind) to NOT participate. And to do so while whining about how the system is one of oppression… well, how the f—k do you think things are supposed to change? By sitting on the sidelines (LITERALLY) and bitching about it?
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
Well that’s just plain stupid. Eff you, Kaepernick.
Came here to tell Kaepernick to go f#ck himself
I think everyone should exercise their right to vote but there are still many people who think that their vote doesn’t make a difference.
I’ve had a few people say to me why vote when all it boils down to is the electoral votes. They believe that Hillary could have won every state but if she lost the electoral votes, which she did, she still wouldn’t have won.
What? If she won every state, she would win every electoral vote. The only two states that could keep her from getting every electoral vote, Nebraska and Maine as they do not follow the winner-take-all rule. You can win the popular vote looking at the entire country and still not get enough electoral votes though.
To them I say, how do you expect to put pressure on the government to change the electoral college system if we don’t speak loudly with our popular vote? I live in Texas, but you can be damned sure I vote every chance I get!
@ Lindsay I tried to explain it in similar terms but they didn’t get it or they just didn’t buy it. I used President Obama as an example. He won so many states as oppose to his two Republican competitors, therefore he had to win the electoral votes, if he didn’t then we would know that the system was rigged.
Donald won more states, even blue states that we might as well call red states now. If Hillary had won PA, Michigan, Ohio and Fla we might not be here today.
People can be infuriating. Some are so sure in their completely wrong and easily disproven beliefs, which of course they bend over backwards to share with everyone. Someone on Facebook asked “Is there a disadvantage to voting early?” as a genuine question. The first reply she got, minutes later mind you, was “Of course there is! It just like voting absentee, your vote doesn’t count.” Yep, all those millions of dollars spent on setting up sites, training employees, and people who are working back to back to back day with absurdly long hours and dealing with the public, which can test your patience even in the most ideal setting much less during a contentious election, is all for fun.
Not to mention all of the electoral college experts coming out of the woodwork when things don’t go their way. Suddenly they develop passionate feelings about the electoral college, care about their pet cause SO deeply, just to promptly drop it way before Inauguration Day.
With the way election results are done I can sympathize somewhat with feeling as if your vote doesn’t matter. When they call state and elections it is almost always before every vote has been counted. The “With 76% reporting X… so X wins” if you look at the just the surface of it I can see why people would get discouraged and feel their individual vote doesn’t matter. They are still wrong, however that makes at least some sense.
When I vote it is me making the statement that I want a particular person as my president. Voting this term, for so many people, felt dishonest because they wanted neither so they chose not to vote.
The people who run buy their way to that position. The only reason they are on the list is the same reason some seemingly undeserved actors are on the list for an Oscar while better ones are not. Budget and money spent.
The system, for this reason, is not truly democratic. Participation feels futile and I genuinely believe that even if half a million more voters showed up to elect Hillary, I still believe Trump would’ve found enough money to be where he is now. Even if this is NOT true, the system is broken because so many people dont believe in it anymore.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
+1000
Great quote Shambles. If only more people would listen to leaders like Desmond Tutu the world would be a better place.
Thanks for that quote Shambles
Fantastic quote, thanks Shambles.
This quote, Shambles.
+10000000000000000000000
Yea this is really dumb. The only way for things to change is if you vote and actually follow things through with action. Just like all those people wearing safety pins. I think it’s a great idea but people need to do much more than wear a safety pin. It takes getting out there and creating change. There are some countries who do not even get a say in their elective representatives, it seems that the American people take that privilege for granted.
Yes they do. I get so SO angry when people – especially women – don’t vote. Your ancestors died for this right. They fought for this right to have a tiny tiny say in how things are decided. It’s not much but so many people in this world don’t even have that. So yeah. If you don’t vote, you don’t deserve to live in a democracy. Move and give that right to the people who want it.
Australia has mandatory voting and a 98% voter turnout rate. Go ahead and ruin your ballot, write in a candidate, make a protest, but if you want to drive on the roads and go to the schools and drink the water, you gotta participate.
Such a thirsty tabloid w**re right? Didnt he used to be a football player? His team sucks and he should probably spend some time practicing….dont care about his politics-he’s too thirsty for any camera. Period.
He plays for the san francisco 49ers. He got a ton of media coverage for kneeling during the National Anthem in protest of police brutality against POC. He annoys me because he didn’t say anything about BLM until it became socially acceptable. As far as I know, he doesn’t donate anything to causes that support BLM. He had a platform to encourage people to vote and have their say, and instead he said both candidates are evil and voting is pointless. Does he think Trump gives a flying f#ck about POC or criminal justice reform? If you’re going to use your platform to discuss important issues, you should have to be informed and educated on those issues.
Melly,
Actually, he has been doing a lot of social programs for youths in his community. He is doing more than just kneeling. He is putting his time and money behind his causes. Actually, he just started a camp. He has proven to be informed on lots of issues.
While I think it’s dumb, since he could have written in a candidate and would still have been a participant in the process, our right to vote is just that – a right. It’s not a mandate. We don’t live in a country where we are forced to vote. A right is something you get whether you choose to use it or not. He may be a big dummy but it is his right not to exercise it if he so chooses. In case you’re curious, here are countries where voting is mandatory. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/22-countries-voting-mandatory/
That’s the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I am disgusted the non voters.
I don’t like the fact that he didn’t vote. Too many black people have died so he could vote. No woke black person should ever stay home. Period. But we shouldn’t then belittle what he’s doing by not standing for the anthem. Which I’m sure the right-wing media is doing.
And I can sorta see his point. Why stand for the anthem or anything else to do with this government when it’s so harmful to minorities? Voting and standing seems to make one complicit. As I say I don’t agree with him, but I can sorta see his point. If I scrunch up my eyes a bit.
If I only had a brain.
😀 thanks for the much needed laugh.
LOL. Yes.
LOL perfect Nancy!
I still cannot believe that 47% of the eligible voters (people that could legally vote) didn’t. Basically half didn’t vote. WTH.
It’s so odd to me that there are countries in which people can choose not to vote. Here in Argentina, everyone over 18 has the obligation to do so (and if you’re between 16 and 18 you can do it if you want), otherwise they must pay a fine.
I thought I was the only one! It’s COMPULSORY to vote in my country and voting day is a national holiday so there’s no excuse for you not to get your butt off the couch to go vote. I guess it’s cos USA is too huge with too many citizens that it’s impossible to make it compulsory for all to vote?
I don’t think it’s a matter of size. It may have to do with the democracy becoming a true democracy in stages … expanding the electorate bit by bit, often after conflict, beyond the first set of while male property owners. The white power establishment is still trying to deny Black Americans the vote, and making it compulsory would bring them fully into the system.
To me that actually makes more sense then giving people the option of not voting. With the exception of people who don’t vote because their religion doesn’t allow them to, I don’t really get why our country doesn’t require it’s eligible adult citizens to vote. Maybe there’s a worry that people who just vote because it’s a legal requirement might make a bad decision.
But the issue with making people vote is most of them would just go in and click on a name that looks good and call it a day. I mean yes we have that issue to some extent now- as in uneducated voters, but I would expect that if you are voting by choice you have also educated yourself on the choice you will make. Forcing people is a bad idea all around.
I think you’re not giving people enough credit Tify. I’m an Aussie. We have compulsory voting, and we’re not any smarter than you guys … but everyone knows who they’ll be voting for. They don’t just randomly pick a name that looks good.
Here’s a quote from one of our more eccentric politicians back in 2013, when someone else was suggesting we get rid of Australia’s compulsory voting system. It’s long, but I want to quote the whole thing because it’s disturbingly prophetic:
“I think compulsory voting in Australia is important. I mean let’s have a reality pill here. If voting wasn’t compulsory a lot of people just wouldn’t bother voting. At times, you can only get half the people in America to vote. Now in Australia I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up with you know 30 or 40 per cent of the people turning up to vote and I don’t know whether that would be a good outcome.
The next thing is you’d have a rise of the capacity of parties on the far right, all of a sudden you know, you’d have a White Australia policy and things like that coming back into the fore and on the far left we’ll have a carbon tax on breathing and we’ll have people saying that you, know, that basically all development is evil.
Both these sides would proliferate because people who are motivated in that way are motivated enough to turn up but the vast majority in the middle would be worried about getting the kids to their cricket or doing the shopping or have other things to do around the yard and they probably wouldn’t turn up to vote…
What I like about the Australian democracy is that when you vote you have to make sure you don’t startle the troops. If you startle the troops you will not get voted in.
In America you have startle them quite a bit to get them out to vote. You have to change your message around completely. It has to be a message that works more to the fringes because you’re more motivated about getting people out of bed to vote rather than knowing that they have to vote because it is compulsory so don’t say anything too perverse.
Now I don’t particularly want to change away from that system but I’d have to acknowledge that if we do change away from that system it is more likely the conservative side that will be the beneficiary of it as well as the Greens.”
The guy who said all that? Barnaby Joyce, right wing (conservative) politician (best known internationally for threatening to put down Johnny Depp’s dogs). Even our nutbag right-wing politicians are smart enough to want to avoid raising the far right. But the American Republicans … they’ve been courting them. It started with the Tea Party and has led to Trump. And your electoral system is the main reason why the Republicans started down this slippery slope in the first place.
Really interesting point from Barnaby Joyce. Although the extreme messaging is also caused by the primary system.
@Lucrezia:
That quote…so prescient.
Very good point about the primaries Wren. They’re incredibly divisive. And I suspect that THAT is one reason Americans cling so strongly to their party affiliation (compared to Australia). For all the Republicans repudiating the garbage coming out of Trump’s mouth, 90%+ still held their nose and voted for him. The primaries sort of train you to do that – to argue bitterly among yourselves but then drop all the previous complaints and vote for the winner of the primaries (just because they have the right label). With a different system, more of the moderate conservatives might have taken a stronger stand against Trump’s rhetoric.
No No, that would be too much like right. Instead here in America we have politicians and political groups coming up with new and disgusting ways to keep people from voting. There are even towns where a person can go and challenge your right to vote and you actually have to come in and defend it.
The new i.d. laws are specifically designed to stop poor/minority voters from being able to vote.
In Alabama, they made a requirement for a state issued id to be able to vote, and then they closed all of the DMV(where you go to get the id) offices in the minority districts. Because racism is a way of life here, but don’t ever call them racists.
It’s crazy!
An old childhood friend, who lives in Maryland, posted that she was confused, surprised and disgusted that she didn’t need to show an ID to vote. Oh the comments were just grand, they said things like “Yeah it’s allegedly so poor people don’t feel targeted, which is sick” or “yes it makes me so upset, anyone could go vote” or “oh it’s to help the poor and minorities, but we know they vote D so we all suffer” “I have to show my ID at my child’s school, to buy a car, to buy a gun, to make a payment etc, those pale in comparison to something as important as voting, it’s sick” and lots of comments of how if you knew someone’s name, address and date of birth you could go vote for them. You can bet who they were all vocal about supporting -_-
I don’t know if making it mandatory would be feasible here in the US, but it sure would help if people viewed it as not only an obligation but a *privilege.*
All I can do is take my kids with me to vote and teach them this is something important that we do and a responsibility they need to take seriously.
I don’t understand how anyone sat this one out.
ETA: Does anyone do an analysis of the non-voters? I know that the *voters* will be broken down and studied and reported on by not only state but race, income level, job status, etc., (just like I think there is an undue amount of attention paid to “Undecideds” up until the week before the election!) but I would like to know more about the millions of people who thought it was cool to just skip this one.
“If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice”, apathy allowed for trump to win.
+1
Yes-exactly. What a moron.
Exactly. Colin you’re a de facto Trump supporter now.
Indeed!
Agree. There is no perfect system, the purist position that some people ( Bernie bros, etc) take is worrisome in its own way bc it indicates a type of intolerant apathy that will not serve anyone. It’s tantamount to a societal temper tantrum. You have to be part of the change you want to see and voting is a right that should not be taken for granted.
It’s his right not to vote. But for one who is protesting against racial injustice, then he needed to vote and vote for anyone who was not Trump.
I find his “protest” of racial injustice to be incredibly shallow and self serving.
No kidding! Seriously, so many countries, who will not let people vote, their citizens are oppressed. Does he not know that?
Eh, I’m over him. He’s a mediocre football player (this coming from a 9er fan who can no longer support the current regime) who really now is a distraction from the game. I’d worry more about my game play because Colin they are going to cut you when the season ends.
sooooooo f*cking disappointing, I cant with the non Voting adults
I feel you QQ! There were also things to vote on besides the president too! Local ballot initiatives for example, which is what most non voters don’t realize. Which is why every branch of government is Republican controlled now.
Stupid people are everywhere. Sigh. There are people who have fought and died for this right for a reason. This is not about perfection it’s about the right to have your voice heard.
Your duty to vote is your right. I can’t stand people who want to moan and complain but can’t even do the bare minimum of voting. Women and POC had to fight to have their voices matter, and these entitle pieces of human excrement can’t take their heads out of their asses long enough to appreciate it. My mom is handicap and is in near constant pain from her MS, but that didn’t deter her from voting and looking like a boss while doing it.
This guy…
I said it before and I’ll say it again. He did it for attention. He’s not a genuine article. He’s a phony. Does he realize that by voting in his local elections he could have voted for people that could actually make a change in his local law enforcement? Idiot.
You hit the nail on the head, this guy likes the spotlight. He’s not playing so he’s going to get attention some how, he got it, but instead to many of us, he just made a fool of himself. He should have lied and said he voted for HRC! lol.
EXACTLY.
God, this is frustrating. The people who chose to sit it out, either out of laziness or the inability to make a decision, are the ones who handed this to Trump, but also to leaving the status quo wherever they live. It is sickening.
Yup. The amazing power of previous sports figures’ protests was usually the one-offness of it.
This goof just showed he doesn’t care. Good god, I am so mad at the people who abstained from voting!
Yep, you’re exactly right. He could have voted in the down-ballot races if he was too disgusted to vote for president. Even there, there were two well-known third-party candidates running for president. Kaepernick lost what little credibility he might have had when he chose not to vote.
Interestingly, about 40 NFL players have joined his protest during the season. With 32 teams and 53 players per team, that is about 2.3% of NFL players. It hasn’t been nearly as popular a protest as the media has made it seem.
Thank you! I found Kap’s whole protest to be a way to get publicity and not out of a genuine need to address any serious issues (LeBron James, in comparison, comes across as sincere and well informed in his protests).
To then not vote? Is he totally clueless about how hard Black Americans worked to secure the right to vote? Someone should make him read John Lewis’s March …
Normally, I would agree. Withholding one’s vote can be a legitimate form of protest.
However, this year, screw him. Really.
There are black people (whom he claims to care about) who are going to quantitatively have their lives made worse by a Trump presidency. Clinton was a deeply flawed candidate, to be sure, but she represented the best chances for black Americans (and they did vote Clinton, in overwhelming numbers, more than any other race). If he genuinely cared about black people, he’d have voted for Clinton.
Can you explain how withholding one’s vote can be a legitimate form of protest? Please give me a real world example where it applies in the U.S. I’ve heard people say this. My own family members have done the not-vote protest. I don’t agree with this type of non-action, and I don’t see how it has ever resulted in anything other than someone’s non-vote not counting at all.
“Withholding one’s vote can be a legitimate form of protest.”
It would be in another voting system; there’s no message in not voting here. It just reads as more apathy.
I didn’t vote in California’s Recall Campaign several years ago – I was an idealistic young pup and viewed it as an overreach of governmental power. Still do, but …
… Now being a few years older, I wish I had voted. By not voting, I effectively silenced my voice.
Screw him. Not voting is what makes him a hypocrite. I totally supported his kneeling protest and defended him to people who called it unpatriotic. That’s over, Not exercising your right to vote is a completely other thing. He’s protesting and complaining about the unfairness of the system, but then doesn’t do his part to have a say in changing that system? That kind of apathy is really infuriating.
If this is the reason you are no longer supporting him, then you never really supported him or his message at all.
That isn’t true at all.I’m not going to go around slagging the guy, but not voting is showing tremendous apathy on his part and IS hypocritical considering what he claimed he was protesting, Especially this election year. I honestly believed he was sincere in wanting to draw attention to the oppressive system in his protests and was looking for change. By not voting, he contributed to allowing things to get worse than they already are. There is a racist, misogynist lunatic, who has hired a White Nationalist to assist him with policy, sitting as President Elect. If you don’t vote when there is no legal or physical reason impeding you, your protest rings hollow.
I am not 100% sure what slagging is, but if it means trashing him then you did.
You called him a hypocrite, which sounds like an insult to me.
No, he did not contribute to it because Hilary won California by 62%. We do not live in a one person one vote country so your argument is silly. I wish we did live in that country, though.
He, myself, and a lot of other people are fully aware of who is going to be in the oval office in the coming weeks. We were aware of it when we were protesting for Trayvon, Rekia, Loreal and too many others. What I have to ask is where were you and the other people during the midterms in both of President Obama’s terms? Where was the voting outrage then? Where was this outrage when the voting rights act was gutted and the Repubs were actively going after black areas and other vulnerable groups across the red states. We could have helped Obama a while ago to prevent this if people turned out to vote then, but now everyone is up in arms about this? Why? Genuine question.
Trump is everything that you said he is and more. He is filling his cabinet with monsters who will hurt a lot of people. I also agree with everything you said about voting, but some of this outrage rings hollow to me. I have a feeling come 2018 most of the people voicing outrage now, will not be anywhere near a voting both when we need them.
@ Robin
Yes, it was.
@Aiobhan
He is a hypocrite. He says he stands for ending police violence and criminal justice reform. He couldn’t even be bothered to vote down ballot for people who support the issues he supposedly cares so much about. The fact that he called HRC evil was pretty stupid and counterproductive as well. She actually had a PLAN for criminal justice reform and improving community policing. Can you tell me of one civil rights battle anywhere in the world that was won with apathy? Just one. I’ll wait.
@Aiobhan, I’m not following your argument.
Deanne and Melly can’t
1) have supported him and his efforts before, but 2) change their minds and think he’s a hypocrite now that this new information has been revealed?
Because that’s exactly how I feel as well. He IS a hypocrite. In no way does that mean that I don’t agree with his original sentiments.
I agree with you that we got way too complacent, but don’t agree about what it means for 2018. This has been the kick in the a$s many people (myself included!) needed to never sit out a midterm election ever, ever again.
Oh STFU. Show support for the system??? Listen, that would mean only white men should vote. As if the system doesn’t disadvantage women and countless other minorities. What a luxury to say I won’t participate. I would’ve asked him what he does to change the system. Except boycott the anthem. Because while I respect him for that, it’s also a meaningless gesture unless you follow up with something else. Like voting. Or being active in politics.
+1
Unless you are a full-on anarchist, and I am assuming Kaepernick isn’t one of those and would still like to live in a United States of America as a sovereign country, then there is no excuse for not voting.
Ah to be a rich athlete. There sits privilege!
My exact thought Pandy.
And this is how the system of oppression is perpetuated (and how people like Trump are elected), when people – for whatever reason – stay on the sidelines and don’t participate. Him NOT voting is what is hypocritical. Even if Clinton were elected and didnt do a whole bunch during her term it would have allowed liberal supreme court appointees, and maybe even led to a more blue congress, and over time change could have happened. It doesn’t happen over night and it starts with having a government that supports those ideals. It’s going to take eons to recover from the damage trump and his “team” are going to cause, and he wasted the opportunity to encourage his supporters by example to be a part of the process. And as i always say, if you have the opportunity and ability to vote and you dont, I don’t want to hear you complaining.
Well get comfortable on your knees Kaepernick; with an attitude like that you’re going to stay there a long time. The “system” does not magically change to something else, it changes when it is infiltrated by those who know how to play the game and remake it. It’s not always pure or rewarding, and it becomes harder to be self-righteous. But that’s what it takes to get things done. Like so many, his supposed act of resistance and for change is empty platitude.
Nope. You just lost your right to protest.
I supported your kneeling protest… now, STFU and stand up!
…. I don’t get it. He kneels to protest what’s happening with the police shootings of black men and women but doesn’t vote, even if it’s just to prevent a white nationalist from getting the White House?
I’m one of these people that believes the vote should be respected, whatever the outcome. Donald won both the college vote and the popular vote and that must be respected. He may not be who I thought would be President, but millions of other people did. Why do celebrities and rioter think their vote is worth more than mine. One person, one vote. I love the fact I can vote, but I also love the face that people can decide not to vote. We live in a free country.
Donald did NOT win the popular vote.
He did. Check the current vote. He has more votes than Hilary. They thought Hilary had the popular vote, but Donald just edged her out.
Trump: 62,972,226 Clinton: 62,277,750
Sarah, where did you see those numbers? I’m still seeing Clinton ahead with 61 million and Trump with 60.4 million.
It depends on what news source you believe. As of yesterday CNN reports that Hillary did win the popular vote.
Trump: 60,371,193
Clinton: 61,039,676
http://www.cnn.com/election/results/president
clinton headshot photo
270 electoral votes to win
@Sarah L. The only site I found with your numbers is @ 70News.wordpress.com. All other sites (including SNOPES) give Hillary the popular vote. Also, all ballots have not been counted. 70News admits (as someone else has said) to getting their numbers from Twitter posts. And we all KNOW how accurate Twitter posts can be and NOT biased at all (sarcasm here if you can’t tell).
Sarah where are you getting your numbers, the big news sources are saying by the time all votes are counted Hillary will probably be ahead near 2 Million votes.
Sarah L – where did you get those figures? I did a quick search based on your figures and I saw that they were from: https://70news.wordpress.com/2016/11/12/final-election-2016-numbers-trump-won-both-popular-62-9-m-62-7-m-and-electoral-college-vote-306-232-hey-change-org-scrap-your-loony-petition-now/ – is that even a reliable site?
If you do a quick search on google, CNN, AP, etc have Clinton ahead of Trump:
Clinton: 61,039,676
Trump: 60,371,193
Sarah, where did you find that number? I checked 5 or 6 media sites and the only place I saw those numbers was a biased right-wing wordpress site who said he got his numbers from Twitter 2 days ago!?! None of the other media outlets who have reported numbers in the past 24 hours are reporting this gap – domestic or international.
@Sarah. I think that you need to provide your source for those numbers. I googled what you provided and could only find “spam comment posts” on random sites. Donald Trump has not won the popular vote (Clinton: 61,039,676 Trum: 60,371,193). It’s unfortunate when people don’t invest the time to discern credible news from fake news.
Sdaly, not taking the time to discern credible news from fake news has been epidemic in this country over the past several years.
I thought he was ass to begin with because I don’t believe you should protest on your employer’s dime, he brought controversy to the team and the playing field. All of that is wrong to me.
I support his advocacy position, just not on the clock. On his own time he could align with so many groups, public activities and use his celebrity status to make his,point off the field.
But now add in the fact he couldn’t be bothered to vote at all. Forget the knee…..take a seat…..take all the seats…..
Wow. Watch some legitimate news.
Yet your candidate “Donald” refused to say at the debate that HE would also respect the vote…?
I believed in his right to protest the anthem, but I now I have a lot of disdain for him if he keeps protesting. He took a knee on the one act (voting) that would have made a difference.
It’s his right. I don’t agree with it, but it’s his right. My ultra-conservative father (with whom I disagree) would argue that if won’t stand for the flag, then he doesn’t get to vote. There are many black people who did not “show” for Hilary, partially because they view her as part of the problem of systemic racism rather than outright racism. And I doubt that had Bernie won the nomination, that they would have shown for him too. Not voting is nearly the same as voting third party to me.
@Sassback,
Your last sentence is interesting. It is a perspective I hadn’t heard before as to why there were so many non-voters.
It’s problematic for sure that so many people feel that way and I have no idea what the solution is, but it is, at least, some sort of “explanation” besides outright apathy.
He had my support for not standing for the national anthem, but not this. Not voting is not going to solve anything. I’m kind of surprised that that many people didn’t vote this year- even people who had been apathetic in the past should have been afraid of a Trump presidency. Everyone in my immediate family who’s of age voted- even my Dad, who said he didn’t bother during the Bush/Gore election. But then again, maybe some people were a little too confident that someone as awful as Trump would not be president and were apathetic. This is disappointing. How is he not kicking himself now that Trump won?
Congratulations, idiot. Your protest non-vote helped ensure four years of an oppressive regime in the White House. Enjoy it, and kiss the rest of your civil liberties goodbye.
To me, it was hypocrisy for him not to vote. How else can you change what is happening?
He is whining about oppression. Really? What are you doing? What have we all on this site been doing? Terrible choice of words here.
Listen, I get that a lot of people are still upset over this. My bitterness towards model minorities and white people is getting to the boiling point. But getting angry at him when he lives in a solid blue state and with the electoral college as it is is dumb as hell and a waste of time. Stop getting distracted from the real problem: Trump, Pence, Steve Bannon, the electoral college, racists and racists enablers. Help figure out how we can get more people out to vote.
This sort of scapegoating is getting ridiculous, pathetic, and old real quick. He has in a way been putting his neck out on the line and sticking to his protest for a while now and I commend him for that; he is genuine. Do you know what charities he supports in his spare time or other causes he is involved in? Has anyone asked him or tried to engage him in anyway?
After days of reading this site and others, I feel like the black female version of Dave Chappelle from the SNL skit. Why are you all now just waking up?
I 100% agree. How can you not vote? Not have a basic understanding of what is happening in your government?
How can anyone not see that it is a privilege to have the right to vote?
About THE HALF of Voters did not vote!
The ONLY TRUE SIGN of Democracy the people have.!
He choose to ignore it, not a good sign of Opposition.
A Fine for non Voters would be a good idea, Lucy.
My parents always taught me that voting was a sacred responsibility. For CK to not vote just proves how shallow his “protest” really was. I can appreciate a symbolic protest, as long as it goes hand in hand with actual effort to change the world around you. You don’t get to complain about the system and then not vote!! My god..if a woman had spent the months prior to the election complaining about the patriarchy and its rampant misogyny, then sat out the election, she would get dragged endlessly!! I hope he gets called out hard for this
He is pathetic. Yeah, poor oppressed millionaire jock. He at least could have voted for Congress, local reps, referendums. So much more than the President rests on our votes as citizens. Wonder how he would feel if he was told since you didn’t vote this time, you can’t next time.
47% of the population did not vote in this election. I wonder how many of those are whining this week.
Colin is a hero to many young boys and girls. I understand he has his own private convictions and chooses not to stand during the National Anthem. What he has shown these young people is that their voice doesn’t count. What a shame.
He didn’t vote because he reallly doesn’t feel oppressed . He did it for attention . He’s a rich athlete who has the world at his feet.
yep
I wholeheartedly disagree. Since I know Kaepernick will get torn apart, I’ll take the time to type this out. This story lies at the intersection of race and government, both of which I care about.
Non-voters are as relevant to the election process as third party voters, Dems and GOP voters. Let’s break this down. Third parties: how do you think they emerge? On your timeline, when you think it’s convenient? And you, Democratic voters, have the right to set that timeline for everyone else? No. Third parties emerge gradually and they gain momentum over time. EVERY election is framed in existential terms. No voter owes a vote to one party in a two-party system simply to maintain that system. This is also how intraparty change is forced.
Non voters: they are both a referendum of the system and a measure of representation. When your no votes are high, people are disinterested, disgusted, or disenfranchised. Either way, I do not think it is good for two parties to capture the political engagement of the entire voting public.
I am a non-voter. I have no time for the manipulative games of politicians. However, this does not mean I make no contribution to American governance. Real governance happens behind closed doors where public policy is made: where an infinite number of political compromises are struck; where sea changes in policy advance incrementally with often tiny gains over time; and where no one is interested in grand ideologies or magical thinking. That is a space where I can operate, and I have spent more time learning about government and contributing to public policymaking than any one of you ever will in a lifetime of voting.
Remember, Alexis de Tocqueville wasn’t impressed with elections. He admired the New England towns where the townspeople were actively engaged in policymaking. This is what breeds moderation and an understanding of how government works. Elections, voting–this is showmanship.
I completely understand why Kaepernick didn’t vote. This is the system that has ALWAYS oppressed black Americans. Clinton says “be open-minded.” Obama meets with “law and order” Trump. The system is designed to self-perpetuate. Black Americans changed the system before they even obtained the right to vote and they did it with protest. I completely support civil rights protest–preferably nonviolent direct action, to use the strategy of MLK Jr. Yet riots, too, are deserved because that is the appropriate referendum of the system. But nobody owes the system a vote. Voting is a right, but that’s the thing about rights: we choose when to exercise them.
You make valid points ….you explain your rationale well…..
But few on this site are going to rush to your side of the discussion in agreement. This site is passionate about the election, largely democratic, but the centrists and republicans are also passionate about voting,
I am not in agreement with not voting. I support your freedom of expression, I accept your freedom to choose not to vote, but I can’t find support or muster much defense for it.
And I support 3rd party growth, You can always choose a 3rd party candidate, write a name in, or otherwise participate in voting.
Yes there are other things to do to influence…..I applaud and thank you for your involvement,,, .yet doing those and voting is what maximizes your impact.
You left an important piece of democracy on the table with your uncast vote, My opinion.
What does it matter if other commenters will or won’t agree?
Voting is a right in America, not a mandate.
And it’s all a matter of perspective, really. The winning candidate and their supporters never bat an eyelash at the non-voters.
If you don’t vote for the Democratic or Republican candidate, you’re basically not voting anyway.
Why does others disagreeing matter? Arguably it doesn’t really , but my intent with that comment was to be respectful to GeenieWeenie who was going to be in a lonely position and give him/her forewarning of same, It was probably an unneeded act but it was one of kindness …..it wasn’t a sinister comment or act and I am surprised it irritated you.
Voting 3rd party is still voting. It’s exercising your right, it’s supporting a platform you may well strongly align with. If you want change from the 2 party system — start where you are and do what you can.
I get you disagree with both my comments …..but that doesn’t matter, right?😊
I don’t mind being in a lonely position and I don’t mind if others have differing opinions. What will always blow me away is when consensus bias is so strong, it appears that no other alternative has ever dawned on people. I dislike a lack of imagination, so that’s what I’m bringing to the comments.
If it makes a difference to you, my vote would have been blue in a state that will never be anything but blue. So frankly, no, it wouldn’t have had any effect on my impact. I would reconsider voting if I lived in a swing state but I would weigh that against my deep dislike for American political discourse.
How do you get behind these closed doors where the real governance happens? That might be worth discussing.
I know how Kaepernick got himself into his charmed circle but I would love to know how you got into yours.
Also, I am confused by this statement: “Black Americans changed the system before they even obtained the right to vote and they did it with protest.” I am unfamiliar with the protests of Black Americans and changes to the system that occurred before the 15th Amendment. I would like to learn more.
Through my major….then a professor in one of my classes….just networking, really.
You get hired by the federal government–one of the executive agencies. This can be direct or indirect. I’ve been paid by an executive agency, but hired by a smaller agency or ad hoc created by Congress. I don’t get behind closed doors. I just help formulate the policy that does. I research, analyze and make prescriptions. But there are many ways. There are area specialists for policy (both academic and professional), there are policy watchers in the press–there are people who publicly and privately consult on policy for the sole purpose of improving it. That’s public service.
The 15th amendment systemic change. But MLK was in the White House talking to LBJ, cultivating the political support for change (there and elsewhere), well before that. He created a protest movement that demonstrated the injustice of the system; he did not vote to change the system as he could not. I would argue the former is generally far more important than the latter.
@Suze, see my comment below.
Worked in DC, a non-voter doesn’t matter to them. Not one iota, there are a lot of jokes, brief discussions about how to get you to vote but then non-voters are dismissed like their take out lunches. You are null to them. So ahead gloat about people you have never met, “contributing to public policy making than any one of you ever will in a lifetime of voting” keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. ..but at the end of the day someone else is making a choice for you and guess its OK if like people making decisions for you. In your statement you are trying to justify it, OK but don’t brag about how you have effected government more than any of us, when a some of us on here have actually worked in DC/political circles, writing policy and still VOTED
If you worked in DC, you’d understand the difference between a political appointee and a civil servant. The two are not the same. Politics is not policymaking.
I’m not bragging. I’m saying that a career in public policymaking requires exponentially more effort than an act of voting. I didn’t just get hired into public policymaking either. I worked for free, on top of my full-time job, to get into it. This is something I pursued in my 20s because I cared about good policy, and because I didn’t feel that casting a blue vote in an overwhelmingly blue state was somehow equivalent to having an understanding of government or actively helping change a system of governance that I perceive as unjust. That’s my take on it; YMMV. Alternatively, I strongly support people who protest and other political activists.
The purpose of my comment is to point out that it is smug to sit here and congratulate yourself for voting, and to look down your nose at Kaepernick. Your vote perpetuates the existing two-party system. Good for you if that’s your prerogative. It isn’t everyone’s, and you aren’t morally superior for doing so. Many people think and do otherwise.
@GreenieWeenie
I read your response with interest. Something you wrote about MLK caught me eye, You said he COULDNT vote.
Is that accurate? Can you cite a source for that to help me understand where that came from? That is unknown to me, I looked for myself ..and came up empty
I did find several sources that said he never committed to a party nor endorsed a president. His son said the following which does indeed imply that he could (and potentially DID) vote.
“……his on, Martin Luther King III, said: “It is disingenuous to imply that my father was a Republican. He never endorsed any presidential candidate, and there is certainly no evidence that he ever even voted for a Republican.”
Sounds like his son believed that he could and did vote (democratic if read literally). Can you provide any additional insight that refutes that?
GreenieWeenie,
I admire that you made public service your life’s work, but I do not think it is a fair comparison. Not everyone can do what you do, but everyone CAN vote. It is disingenuous to me- apples & oranges.
@Bonbons, there were many barriers preventing black Americans from reaching the polls. Even if MLK Jr managed to make it there, as a group, black Americans could not.
@Lorelai, I agree. Not everyone can do what I do (although I do think that everyone should be involved in public service and casting a vote is not an act of public service). All I’m saying is that the act of voting shouldn’t be held up as somehow the only valid path of political action or measure of civic engagement. I see organized civil rights protest as a far more effective tool for systemic change than voting. I think Kaepernick has made a real, albeit small, contribution to raising the profile of civil rights discourse in the public arena.
I worry that this focus on who votes what is a distraction from the real tools for change. I find it profoundly disturbing when memes start circulating social media degrading protestors or questioning the purpose of protest (or worse, mocking riots. Riots are a symptom of the disease–not the cause!). Organized political resistance IS democracy in action.
@Suze, sorry, my last comment mentioning the 15th amendment cut out some words. Direct disenfranchisement lasted in the south from 1880-1965. This is not arcane knowledge and widely available. Google literacy tests, white primaries, violence and fraud in this context, to name a few measures. Or see following: http://www.umich.edu/~lawrace/disenfranchise1.htm
The 15th amendment was hardly an act of systemic transformation. It was an act of partisan political enterprise. Systemic transformation occurred with the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), which was won by black Americans engaging in nonviolent direction action led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.–the same Americans who were actively and directly disenfranchised by racist states (Google white primaries!!!!!!!).
This is why the VRA is often described as “securing” the rights laid out in the 14th and 15th amendments. You’ll recall that the Declaration of Independence also notes that all men are created equal and in possession of inalienable rights–yet these rights were hardly secured for all men (to say nothing of women) in America, were they? With the VRA, black Americans became a viable voting bloc and they were able to secure some systemic change as a result. This was not the case following the 15th Amendment.
@greenieweenie. Thanks for your response, I feel compelled though to remind all readers that MLK Jr fought to secure voting rights ….he did not eschew voting at all. He would be horrified at COlin K not voting when he clearly can and he would be equally horrified that nearly 5 million people who voted for Obama (many of whom are POC) did not vote at all in this presidential election. Using Dr King to defend a choice not to vote is just wrong.
Dr. Kings own words on voting: “Voting is the foundation stone for political action,” told civil rights demonstrators. “The basic elements so vital to Negro advancement can only be achieved by seeking redress from government at local, state and Federal levels. To do this the vote is essential.”
@Bonbons, yes, I agree. It was vitally important for black Americans to exercise
that right as soon as they could. It was important for them to solidify their status as a voting bloc. It was important for them to normalize black voters at the polls in order to preserve the tenuous advance they’d just made.
None of that negates my point. MLK was born in Georgia. That is a state that did everything it could to directly disenfranchise black voters. He did not vote to change the system. He could not rely on black votes to change the system. He changed it with protect. He secured the right to vote with protest. This is a historical fact.
We admire his philosophy of protest, not his politicking. He was not a politician and he did not solicit votes for political actors. He was only a political actor insomuch as he opposed the system. These are critical distinctions to make.
Totally behind this.
I chose to not vote for POTUS because I do not want to participate in the system. This is not naive or dumb of me–I would argue that it is naive for people to imagine their vote means they have a voice. Hundreds of millions of people don’t, even if they make it to the polls. It’s incredibly neoliberal exhausting to actually believe that if you fill out a ballot, things will change. I wish no one had voted. I am far from a supporter of the person who technically won. I am angry that we continue to enlist ourselves in a system that disenfranchises so many. It is also not our fault that he won–if you want to split hairs espousing some “every vote counts” rhetoric that every political campaign has instilled in you, go ahead. You are not going to convince me or my fellow abstainers that the way to “keep the peace” is to do the only thing wealthy white people want you to do. Do you think they actually care about you? Are you not tired of choosing the alleged “lesser of the evils”? By not voting, you give yourself a voice, regardless of whether or not that means you’re apathetic–and yes, this country needs to step up–or you did so as a political stance and refused to participate. That is a choice, it is valid, and it has meaning. And for the people who say I declined my vote, so that negatively affects you: it doesn’t. I was doing it for you, for me, for my family and friends. And if you think the POTUS has that much control over anything, you are wrong.
cheers!
No vote. No voice. Shut your mouth and play football.
That would make an excellent catchphrase!
^^Something I left out of my comment but meant to add to my lack of regard for elections: a vote is only a symbol of democracy, and a vote is only as good as the system that counts it. Voting can also be used to create the illusion of choice, freedom or liberty. It can be used to lull the public into thinking they’re performing some heroic civic duty and need not participate in public life until the next election comes along, and they’ll start yelling at their TVs again.
I hope you’re joking. If you’re a man, you might be not aware of your privilege.
If you’re a woman, you’re inexcusable. Because many women died to give you the opportunity, the ‘honour’ of voting. Not doing that is like spitting on their graves.
No joke.
If more voters of like-minded ideas were gathering all together, your vote would also mean a change and, yes, freedom. Unfortunately only the racists and white supremacists seem to gather together of late.
What you’re saying is really wrong. Sorry.
And Kaepernick is a privileged idiot.
Yeah the whole ‘I worked in public policy because of my major so I’m better than you voting peasants!’ tone really rubs me the wrong way.
Wow. Smh. Just lost a list of respect for him.
He’s an athlete so I’m not shocked that he isn’t very bright.
Colin, men like John Lewis and thousands of others fought, literally fought and suffered, for your right to vote. The hypocrisy is in you thinking you’re above them and “the system.” You can have a seat now. Please feel free to take all the chairs. The rest of us will stand for our rights and your right to make an arse of yourself.
I disagree but I get his point. He’s clearly team “the whole damn system is guilty” and feels you can’t really dismantle the corruption from the inside. It’s just too much of a multi-headed blood thirsty beast for that? Ok. I get that pov. I’m just not that cynical.
Personally, I feel like you need to exercise your right to vote even if it boils down to choosing one slightly less odious candidate over another, which happens alot in local elections where I’m from. It can make a difference.
yeah… he lost me on this one. sitting out elections, especially such critical ones like this, doesn’t somehow make you superior to them. he wants change? he’s gonna have to be a little more involved than just “taking the knee” and bitching to the cameras.
Infuriating. Fact is he probably won’t be affected by what Trump does to this country because he will have his money and fame to seek shelter. What about the rest of us??! To all those who complain/complained and did nothing, go to hell and STFU.
Blaming everyone but themselves for their own failure – hooboy. The democratic party really needs reform if it is going to survive.
I’m with folks like Jonthan Pie and Mark Blyth
https://youtu.be/GLG9g7BcjKs
As far as I’m concerned, this totally negates what he was trying to do by kneeling and anything he’s said that I thought made a valid point. For a person talking about wanting change, he openly, and stupidly, admits he opted to sit out on the one thing that would’ve helped him create change. To me, he’s a rebel without a cause now.
As a black woman this enrages me. Just 50 years ago voters were being lynched and beaten trying to claim their rights to vote and this lazy mofo….ugh.
He basically made his kneeling a moot point. Way to ruin a movement asshole!
This! Well said!
I’m a black woman, who studies her history, and I recognize that our ancestors died for us to have the right to vote. They died because no matter what we deserve to have the same equal rights of any American. However, we also have the right to not exercise that if we so choose for our own reasons. There are several in the Black Right’s movement who acknowledge that voting for either side is not beneficial for us. That does not make them idiots or make their physical actions towards helping the black community moot. You cannot erase the good will provided to the community from action because he made another separate choice. Kap is creating camps for disenfranchised communities, he is recreating the after-school meal programs of the Black Panther party for poor communities, he is donating millions to help the black community. None of those things are now moot because of his choice not to vote.
What Black man in his right mind would vote for a woman who called young black men “super-predators”? Many of us conscious Black folks refused to vote for Hillary Clinton. I am a mother raising a young Black man, he is eight-years-old. No way was she getting my vote. How hard I will have to fight to keep my Black child out of the pipeline, the BIG BUSINESS of private prisons that currently enslave our men and boys. Bill and Hillary Clinton supported crime bills that criminalized with severe penalties BLACKNESS. Please don’t think that if someone chose to target you, pursue you, create laws to ensare you, that they wouldn’t catch you!!!! I withheld my vote from both candidates to PROTEST. Our protests affected the outcome and in the future Democrats will put forth a candidate that actually believes in equal rights instead of pandering. See quote from HuffingtonPost:
In 1996, Hillary made comments about certain kids that were super-predators without conscience or empathy that need to be brought “to heel.” You can watch the video. The problem is that although Columbine occurred, the term was never used in reference to white criminals. It was only used to refer to black urban kids and to justify “three strikes.” These policies were an extension of former President George H.W. Bush’s “zero tolerance.” Police in schools to bring our children “to heel” has simply lead to our children being assaulted and increasing the “school to prison” pipeline.
Therefore, Hillary’s comment holds more significance than simply referring to gang members. It was used to justify mass incarceration for many crack addicts and small dose marijuana users, not dealers. The focus was not rehabilitation of the addicts, but punitive punishment. Prisons are big business in the United States and people business is good! Mandatory minimums and longer sentences makes for huge profits. Have we forgotten about the judges that took bribes from private prisons to send juveniles away? Ironically, now that heroin has taken a foothold in white suburbia, those harsh sentencing guidelines are being struck down in favor of rehabilitation over prison. What about black and Latino addicted youth that were incarcerated? Well, they had to be brought to heel.
Nina,
I seriously do not know if your comments were in reference to mine because I did not mention Hilary as I felt it had nothing to do with the ongoing argument. He chose not to vote for neither. In zero way did I even mention Hillary. I do not even know why you ignore all the points I mentioned to even bring her name up.
However, as a side conversation: Hillary is problematic besides her superpredator comment which most def did reference “urban” code name black youths. At a time her husband signed a crime law that saw the increase of incarcerations for young black males triple. Truth of the matter is that my generation of Black people do not like nor trust Bill Clinton’s type of Democratic governance. His presidency did not age well. Through that extension, several people in my generation of Black people did not like Hillary’s connection to big Corporation, her sketchy friendships and other behavior and actions.
Regardless, that is not a part of this argument concerning Kap. The point is he examined both sides and decided that neither were choices he wanted to support. If you supported Hillary that’s great, but not everyone else is obligated to do so.
Colin is holding true to the ideals of his protest by not voting; he’s choosing to not participate in a system that he views as corrupt on both sides. This has been done by other Black leaders who’ve historically protested against political and social injustice (Dr. King, Malcolm X). Colin knows his vote is valuable and that it must be earned. He’s not “dumb” and knows exactly what he’s doing.
I think it’s incredibly arrogant to assume that one is obligated to vote for a lesser candidate even if their beliefs don’t align with that candidate. Too many assume that one’s casted ballot is a given; party candidates should expect to earn someone’s vote, not simply assume it’s theirs for the taking. No one is owed your vote.
Both Republicans and Democrats have carried this entitled attitude for far too long, and the public is beginning to “wake up” and realize there are more options to make their voices heard, affect social change and move beyond an antiquated two-party system that systematically ignores the concerns of its members. Not voting is an option, just as voting for third-party candidates is another.
I voted for HRC but will soon change my party affiliation to Independent before the next election. The Democrats no longer represent my interests. I’m still bothered by the way Bernie Sanders was shut out as a viable candidate since a sizable portion of Dem voters wanted his nomination (myself included), so that’s why I’m making the jump.
I hope this move forces Dems to re-examine their strategies for future elections because they’ve certainly lost my support with their entitled attitudes.
STFU, Kaepernick! You kneel in protest of racism then did nothing to stop a misogynist from becoming POTUS!
Here’s Stephen A. Smith of ESPN, ripping Kaepernick a new one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V40y33a_bBI
Please stop this, there were racists before Trump and there will be racists after him. Trump being elected only proves that the racism that people think is over exaggerated by POC is alive and well. That is not Colin Kaepernick’s fault.
I am no Trump fan but he did not feel strongly enough about Hillary IT IS HIS RIGHT TO NOT VOTE. Why are people who exercise their right to not vote being punished because America has a racist history which is also very prevalent in politics. No one has benefited less from politics and elections than black people yet they turn up each and every time to vote Democrat. Whose fault is that??
There were other candidates than Hillary, other races, and other issues on the ballot. But he apparently doesn’t have to care about any of that.
Yeah, it’s his right, but don’t kneel down and turn yourself into some kind of social justice warrior who swears to never stand for another national anthem until change occurs and then be dumb enough to sit out on the one thing that might bring about change. He put himself in this position, it isn’t something unfair that is being heaped upon him. He dropped the ball. This was half-assed.
Malcolm X didn’t believe in voting, there are lots of wonderful Black Civil Rights leaders who did not believe in the process. That does not mean they dropped the ball. When are people going to stop trying to control everyone’s actions. The third party candidates really were jokes, the Republican candidate was a joke and the Democrat candidate was problematic. His social justice actions should not be disallowed because he excised the ultimate choice not to vote.
It’s not about that. It’s the fact that there were several state questions on the ballot in California that would directly impact black men and women. On of these was a proposition to outlaw the death penalty. Black lives don’t just matter when it suits your ego. Kaep clearly has a lot of growing up to do.
The first time my grandmother voted after she had been born under Jim Crow laws, my mom said she told her she cried the whole day. Before she went to vote and really lost her emotion afterwards. Her emotions overtook this hillbilly woman because she was able to vote and she talked about it for years. It was one of the top joys she experienced in her short life. She never missed an election after her first vote. People died and fought for the right to vote but what they really wanted was for their children and grandchild to have the right to vote. he would always call my mom on election day and remind her to vote. I never, ever miss an election. I think of my grandmother, her parents, their parents and still get emotional about it. My grandmother would be livid if her grand kids protested the vote she waited for most most of her life. Think he is very naive, arrogant and that man who thinks he is the smartest person in the room. He’s not, he is a fool in this situation.
I’ve been saying this about Kaepernick since he started his protest. He’s a hardcore BoBer who only accepts views and opinions that conform to his own.
I was supportive of Kapernick’so protest, but I can’t help but think it’s hypocritical to not vote and then complain about the system.
There are many ways to protest peacefully. Things may change from your protest.
But if you do not vote, you’re just that old adage; no action, talk only. If you vote, things could change. If they didn’t change, too bad, but you tried your best to vote for the best or the least worst. But if you don’t vote, nothing changes. Nothing.
I hate to go there and given any illusion of detracting from what he has done….but am I the only one who finds Kaep to be…I don’t know…fake Woke? It’s his life, it’s his journey, only he knows and it’s gross of me to question him but this man went 28 years without saying a damn thing. He is a multi-millionaire who has lived with privilege his entire life. He won’t vote yet he’ll keep taking those coins from the very people who oppress those he claims to be fighting for. How much have you invested back into the community, Kaep? How many marches have you attended saying that Black Lives Matter? Where has your arse been before this year?
So take this with a heavy grain of salt: A friend of a friend works for the Niners organization. Last fall – so before all of the protests – I heard about how much this person hated Kaep, how he was selfish, how he had no idea how to lead, how much the team hated him, how he seemed totally unable to function in a team atmosphere. The person said they’ve seen some real characters over the years but that Kaep was a unique form of locker room poison.
So knowing that, even though I think every person should have the right to speak up and that more needs to be said about the continued discrimination against the African-American community, I’ve never really supported his protest. It always seemed like a selfish way to get attention – the famous kid’s equivalent of posting an Instagram snap with a sad face after a tragedy.
I totally get that vibe from him and I say that as someone who doesn’t necessarily take issue with his initial protest. He’s a total Brad Pitt – changes everything about himself to make himself just like his significant other. I think his girlfriend has been a very positive influence in his life but she can only do so much – he’s still an idiot who doesn’t seem to want to put the work into understanding an issue or being open to discourse.
Agreed. Fake woke, self serving and spoiled.
Maybe because I was a poli-sci major, but people who don’t vote infuriate me. If you can’t be bothered to vote, I won’t hear you complain about how “I don’t like any of these candidates wah wah wah” Well maybe it’s because we get the candidates of those who bother to get involved!
And even if you really, truly thought that the candidates for President were so equally repulsive to you, there were a TON of other races on the same ballot, such as Representatives, Senators, state measures and oh yeah LAW ENFORCEMENT!
So great job, CK, you had a chance to make your voice heard and you decided to say NOTHING.
Exactly. The electoral college faults and election night coverage (especially on the west coast) can dampen the spark to vote for president. I get that. But there are so many other things on election ballots. Things that matter in your community. People that will make choices for your children and your everyday life. Educate yourself and VOTE in every single election. IT MATTERS.
I supported CK’s protest and agreed with him on the reasons behind it. I think him donating money to organizations that affect the black community and creating a camp for African American kids (which I don’t think a lot of ppl are aware of) to know their rights and learn our history is commendable. But I don’t agree with not voting. I understand what he’s getting at, but I don’t agree. One of the few ways to fix the wrongs in this country is to vote for people who will help make the changes needed through our laws. It’s disappointing.
As someone who voted and votes in every election, I’m not angry with him. We live in a democracy and that means accepting people’s choices even if we don’t agree with them. People have the right to vote Democrat, Republican, third party, or not at all. However dumb we may think it is, it is their right. Also, no political party has the right to votes. The party must convince people to vote for it based on the candidate and platform it puts forth in an election year. If a voter is dissatisfied with his or her party, he or she is not obligated to vote for that party in that year. We will root on Republicans who refuse to vote for a Republican, but we hate on Democrats who refuse to vote for a Democrat whom they find to be corrupt? That’s called hypocrisy. What I’m trying to get to is that we as a people need to put less blame on individual voters and more blame on the political parties themselves who have failed the voters.
I’m sorry but, I am angry, too many people suffered for all of us to have the right to vote to have people so casually discard it or accept others discarding it. Democracy is an ideal we aspire to achieve, we fall far short of the aspiration if we strangle it from neglect.
The worst part is the message he’s sending to the children in his camps as well as the kids who look up to him. I’m disappointed in him.
“I’m one of the 22 million black victims of the Democrats, one of the 22 million black victims of the Republicans, and one of the 22 million black victims of Americanism. And when I speak, I don’t speak as a Democrat, or a Republican. I speak as a victim of America’s so-called democracy. You and I have never seen democracy; all we’ve seen is hypocrisy. When we open our eyes today and look around America, we see America not through the eyes of someone who has enjoyed the fruits of Americanism, we see America through the eyes of someone who has been the victim of Americanism. We don’t see any American dream; we’ve experienced only the American nightmare. We haven’t benefited from America’s democracy; we’ve only suffered from America’s hypocrisy.” Malcolm X “From “Bullet or Ballot” speech from April 12, 1964.
Getting people to not participate is exactly what they want. I can understand not liking the candidates, and being disillusioned about injustices, but when you opt out like Colin and half the nation, you just let the people rigging the system in their favor to continue to rig the system against you. Not voting is akin to taking your toys and going home because the other children aren’t playing with you. Grow up, America, you’re well over 200, time to start acting like adults and stop celebrating ignorance and childishness.
I’d just like to say that his glasses have made me sing “The humpty dance is your chance to do the hump” because those frames are super dorky.
If you don’t vote, don’t complain. Smdh
This guy is an ass. There were 17 props on the ballot in CA (not counting however many were added in his city/county), and things like funding for schools, repealing the death penalty, the plastic bag ban, legalizing marijuana actually DO affect all of us, not just the “oppressor.” Or whatever BS he’s spouting.
So, he’s merely an attention seeking narcissist.