*Sigh* I really didn't want to make another commentary about this guy, and initially, I had no intentions to, but considering recent events and the reactions to it, I find myself creating yet another post on this subject. I love my people; I really do, but one thing that aggravates me about them aside from being credulous, is trying to enlighten them. You will be brow-beaten, criticized, second-guessed, debated, called a "hater" because you're not riding the wave of popular opinion, the list goes on. It's a frustrating, thankless job, but...someone has to do it.
Before I start, let me say this. I have to bite the bullet and say that in 2016, when Kaepernick started this protest and speaking out about the misfortune of blacks, to which he claimed was the reason why he started protesting, I initially sided with him because I thought he was honest. He suddenly ended his stance that year, conveniently when he was becoming a free agent in the off-season, and in a Rolling Stone article he stated (paraphrasing) that one of the reasons he ended his stance was because he didn't want to take away from the positive changes that it made.
The question is, what positive changes? The same sh*t has been going on while he was taking a knee and it continues today. That's when I realized that this dude is a fraud and a race hustler-- whose popularity was dwindling after that Super Bowl loss in 2013-- who used the plight of blacks to catapult himself back into the spotlight. If anyone has noticed, ever since he landed that million dollar book deal, and started gracing the covers of magazines again, you hardly hear from him.
Now, I side with neither Kaepernick or his fake, hard-on patriotic, self-serving, hypocritical detractors rather choosing to think for myself. One more side note: I don't have a problem with any of the players taking a knee per se, it's their intentions I question because I don't think it's about us with most of them. If that were the case, they could've made moves years ago, because this bullsh*t that we're dealing with from (mostly) whites and others is not new. However, at the same time, I like the mere fact that their kneeling pisses off most of these white folks. They're constantly disrespecting us and spitting in our faces, but want us to have this die-hard loyalty and respect for their sh*t. No. Hell no.
Now, getting to the subject at hand. Recently, Nike decided to further cash upon Kaepernick's social success, making him the face of their "Believe In Something" campaign. Most black folks saw this as a wonderful thing; I've seen posts on Facebook that read they will continue to support Nike, and collages with some of the young men and women who lost their lives to thugs with badges and uniforms, with an image of Kaepernick in the middle taking a knee, stating: This is why Kaepernick took a knee. No, that's what he wants you to think, and most of us feel for it hook, line, and sinker. I saw this as nothing more than an opportunity to increase sales, particularly after tugging on the emotional heart strings of black folks again. Guess what? Their mission was a success. Nike's sells increased 31% after making that move.
You have to understand how business works. Aside from sex, controversy sells as well. Kaepernick became a controversial figure after his stance, so it was a marketing strategy by Nike to increase their sells by using him as their face. It was never about you, people of color! Then, you have these hard-on, fake patriotic individuals in their feelings, burning their Nike merchandise. The problem with that idiocy is Nike still has your money, so they couldn't care less if you burn your shoes, boycott them, etc. The smart thing would've been to sell them and get a return on your investment. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Situations like this and more leads me to question what is it about-- unfortunately, a high percentage-- of my people that they can't or don't want to think, analyze, and examine matters past the surface, past the first level? Kaepernick doesn't care about you, and Nike sure as hell does not.
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