(06-07-2020, 04:01 PM)Sammy Wrote: (06-07-2020, 02:42 PM)americus 2.0 Wrote: I can honestly say I have heard nothing in the years between Kaep kneeling and George Floyds murder that was positive toward change or a national conversation that didn't include opinions. Opinions do nothing if not backed up by action.
Granted, I live in small town North Carolina, I do not live or die by the news, and I am not the targeted demographic for any foundations his protesting inspired, so I wouldn't know anything other than what the clickbait headlines (of stories I didn't read because sensationalism is not the way to get my attention) were proclaiming when it was still hot in the news cycle.
What makes anything Kaep tried to achieve different than what Floyd's death did achieve is everyone is listening now in ways they haven't before. I know I am. It's one thing to be a person not many of us can relate to, in this case an athlete who gets paid a butt ton of money to play a game and even more in product endorsements, protest in a way that made no sense to a majority of the country without context. It's quite another to watch a man die who was relatable because he was a regular person like the rest of us. And he didn't just die. He suffered and no one did a damn thing. I guarantee you Colin Kaepernick has never suffered as George Floyd did.
People of all walks of life were horrified by what we saw. Not just the black community, not just the minority communities, not just the poor(er) communities, but from ALL communities. The emotional response has been completely different than in times past when a black man was killed by a cop. Kaep had nothing to do with it. In fact, he probably wasn't even a thought in people's minds until the media brought him up. He's not as crucial to this horrific story as people like to think.
If I weren't already E-Married to Bchbunnie4 (I love that girl) I would "kneel", and propose. I probably suck at being able to articulate the way you just did. White does not equal racist. I wish we (white people) were given more credit, but chances are we will be vilified because of our skin color. As long as one white person is racist, we all will be racist. Horrible for all skin tones ... How do we convince each other we aren't an enemy?
In regards to Kaep, you're right in as far as it's really not an important part of the conversation compared to the Floyd murder. The events of the last few weeks have really changed the whole discussion about many things, more so than any other thing that's happened in my memory.
At the risk of sounding like one of those condescending liberal douchebags, I think both of you are good people who want the best for all people in your country. The fact that you're now asking a few questions about things can only be a good thing. Sammy, I understand why the whole thing makes you sad. Race is an absurb concept in itself, and I fully agree that the terms white and black are so patently ridiculous, they reflect just how stupid racism is. Like I said before, just keep being you. I wish you all the best (except when it comes to football).
