Kaepernick Back in the News

​Yep. He's back in the news again. I'm not going to go off on a tangent about him, I have spoken about him before in video form. So I won't just repeat the same stuff over again. 

What I want to discuss is actually something I am noticing about the reactions to the ad from not only the people who disagree with him, but from the people who agree with him. 

As I stated in the video, I do not agree with the protests, but I recognize their right to do it. That can, in fact, be done. No, I don't believe any government entity should step in to stop the protests. Whether those protests continue or not is to be left up to the NFL only. I also don't think any tax payer dollars should be going towards building stadiums and all, but I digress. 

In return, the fans can support those protests or not in any way they see fit. If you support it, you can buy game tickets, gear, support advertisers, whatever. If you don't, college football exists. 

The same goes for Nike. They can have whoever they want as the face of their marketing campaign. And you can buy Nike or not. It was a strong marketing ploy, I can say that much. While their stocks have dropped, Nike is living rent free in everyone's heads. People have been talking about them for days. There are memes. There are so many memes. And all that advertising is free! The aim of marketing is to get name recognition, and that's being created for them. For those not in the know of the situation, Nike is now the first brand to come to mind because they have been getting it beaten into their heads for a while now. And you'd be shocked by how many people have no idea what's going on with Nike or even who Kaepernick is. 

While burning your gear may make you feel warm and fuzzy and might get people to visit your YouTube channel, it accomplishes nothing. You already paid for the gear... the only person you are hurting is yourself. Put USA flags over the logo and wear the gear. Just don't replace it with more Nike when the time comes. 

Now, for the people who wholeheartedly agree with Nike, Kaepernick, and the kneeling protests. 

As I stated, all these things are protected under our Constitution. Yes, they have the right to free speech. No the government should not get involved.

No, we aren't required to get behind it or keep our mouths shut because they have free speech rights.

So do we.

​That's the beauty of this country and our Constitution. Everyone has a right to free speech. All speech is protected. The 1st amendment doesn't protect the right to free speech, but...; it protects the right to free speech, period.

That means that people who don't agree with the protests or with Nike's spokesman choice have all the right in the country to voice their displeasure. They are allowed to stop supporting the NFL and Nike. They are allowed to make fun of Kaepernick. They are allowed to create memes until their screens explode. You may not like it, but too bad. It isn't only your rights that are protected, it is everyone's rights.

Obviously, you have a right to debate them, but debate in the USA died a long time ago. Once name calling begins, the debate is over, and that more often than not begins in the first sentence. I remember when I was in college the rule was that the first person to bring up Nazis lost the argument. Now Nazis are the entire argument, and it's still just as meaningless. But it has effectively killed discussion and debate in this country. 

Bottom line: the protesters have the right. Kaepernick has the right. Nike has the right. Those who approve of it all have the right. Those who disagree have the right. No matter how much either group hates it. No one is required to support anything or stay quiet about anything because of someone's rights... because that is a violation of their own rights. And no one's rights are more important than anyone else's. 

---