The
United States of America – In the 1989 film, “Do the Right
Thing,” Spike Lee's 'Pino' (John Turturro) tries to selectively
apply the n-word to non-famous African Americans, epitomizing the
treatment of many minorities dating back to times when it was
considered acceptable to enslave and/or murder them. Since the
integration of sports leagues, the beloved pastimes of many Americans
have been dominated by minorities in general and African Americans in
particular. While this was very awkward for many fans, it became even
more awkward when these new celebrities began to become politically
vocal. Since Muhammad Ali's statements about Vietnam and Tommie Smith
and John Carlos' Black Power salute in the 1968 Olympics, sports have
become an awkward reminder that the racial politics of the Unites
States are still, to put it mildly, complicated.
So
when Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the National Anthem, it
gave voice to a number of patriots who have been verbally bashing
President Obama for the past eight years.
Todd
Fox, an area furniture reclamation technician, had this to say:
“He
makes how much every year, and he's got the nerve to say that this
country [sic] ain't been good to him and his? I won't hear it. They
should take away his uniform. He doesn't deserve to wear it.”
Kaepernick
claims that his refusal to stand is in response to the handling of a
number of high profile shootings of African American men by police
officers. While this does not violate any rules within the NFL, a
private corporation, many fans of the sport have been very upset
about what they see as a lack of patriotism toward a country that
historically enslaved and discriminated against African Americans on
a federal level.
As
one of Kaepernick's critics, Fox claims that the NFL is not the place
for a discussion about racism, shortly before sitting down to watch a
Washington Redskins game.
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