IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF COLIN KAEPERNICK NEWS we've been bombarded with "what he did "and "what he said", predictably not so much, "what he actually said."This is not to defend Kaepernick but I think mass media has a golden opportunity to, as they always say, "begin a conversation."
So much of radio and TV has been about the event as opposed to a serious discussion about race relations, law enforcement, America, 21st Century, etc. I realize it's a pipedream but why not discuss all of this in a town-hall forum-like setting?--I recall Ted Koppel had many of these during his tenure at ABC News and "Nightline" --it was not your usual archaic PBS-style presentation, no it was really informative and dare I say, refreshing and entertaining.
By and large Americans are not doofuses --I think they would react positively to some sort of programming like this; why the hell not? We've been programmed to act like idiots because we've been force-fed a lot of garbage by the idiot people who run the news business; it's not just TV, it runs the entire media spectrum from radio; of course the Internet and Cable TV too.
Listen to the quislings on AM radio in this market (and beyond) who couldn't have a serious conversation about the Kaepernick affair if their life depended on it. They have to rely on phony sound drops because they can't talk authentic for a change. They assume the audience is just as stupid and silly as they are; the worst are the sports-talk shows who suddenly have to veer off from their banality of AM radio minutiae and deal with real-life news events like the Caepernick issue. Too bad they're almost comically lost in space.
TV News is good at getting the initial sound bites and reaction with MOS interviews but after that, it's all downhill from there. Wouldn't it be great if the anchors had a split-screen with opposing viewpoints? For example, Dr. Harry Edwards and a retired military figure. Five minutes of that beats another useless weather update but that's just me. I'd rather watch a Book Notes on CSPAN 3 than an old "Law and Order" rerun. Everyone has different tastes.
Even if you can't stand Kaepernick and think his actions were disingenuous and unpatriotic he did get his message out; it's a message America has been dealing with for over three years and running now; law enforcement mistreatment of and misconduct directed at mostly unarmed African-American and minority youth. This is not to take sides and this forum is not an arbiter of who's right and wrong. Leave that to the participators and their affiliates.
This forum advocates our mass media and how they can take a massive topic; a singular American issue that has become ingrained into our daily lives what with incidents like Ferguson, Baton Rouge, Minnesota, and Dallas and Orlando in the mix. Add international and domestic terrorism and we have quite a lot on our plate.
Colin Kaepernick may have indirectly done all of us a favor by putting it all out there. You may deride his tactics and question his motives but he's got a nation talking about a whole bunch of very serious issues that have nothing to do with Pokémon and millenials taking selfies.
It's time our mass media got off their rear ends and offered something more substantive than the usual drivel.
The American people deserve no less.
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Notice how no one is really talking about BLM. It's all about Kap and whether what he did was right or wrong. If he really cared about BLM or any "lives" for that matter, he would go to Louisiana and help those poor folks who lost their houses. He would donate money to the families who lost loved one because of violence. If he really wanted to get the message out... He would have showed up to Freddie Grey's or Michael Brown's funerals. That would have been something positive and it would have gotten plenty of press. Instead, he wants to do something negative and piss off the majority of the country. Nothing good is coming out of this. Hey Kap, do something good. Those same oppressed people you talk of are the same ones wearing $200 jerseys with your name on the back that you get 25% of. These same oppressed people are the same ones keeping you from being oppressed. Colin's pity party continues. Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteYou do realize Kaepernick sends more money to the US military and services to help those losing their homes in Louisiana than Trump, and most likely you, do.
DeleteCouldn't have said it better myself.
DeleteKap hasn't sent a dime. Show me one article that he has helped out at all.
DeleteWho are you to tell him what he should have or should not have done? Focus on the message not the messenger.
DeleteYeah....he's sending money to the military. Yep, He's bank rolling the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. That's freakin' hilarious. Krapernick cares about one person and that's him.
DeleteTrue, Kaepernick has paid more personal income taxes the last couple years than Trump.
Delete"You do realize Kaepernick sends more money to the US military and services to help those losing their homes in Louisiana than Trump, and most likely you, do."
DeleteIt's only because he has to. That's a lot different than wanting to.
He doesn't HAVE to do anything, 4:10. It's a personal choice. Kind of like choosing to sit for the anthem. Isn't that what America's supposed to be about? The freedom to choose?
DeleteTaxes are a choice?
Delete@3:53
DeleteIn the U.S., taxes appear to be a choice for both corporations and people. Some choose to pay them, others not.
3:53 LOL!
DeleteSometimes it is the messenger and not the message.
ReplyDeleteKudos to Ray Woodsen--KNBR for conducting a good call in show re the Kaepernick situation (KPFA morning host referenced it and amazed that it happened on commercial radio.) I agree with you, for a few days Kaepernick has an important issue talked about--more important than who the 3rd string center is for the 49ers who or the A's traded today.
ReplyDeleteThe only one talking about "an important issue" is Colin. No one cares about his "important issue". Seriously. Kap is a joke and he's a self centered, angry person because he knows his days of being a professional athlete are OVER! He is trying to screw over the 49ers. Either way the 49ers are going to look bad. If the 49ers cut him, they will be branded as racist. If they keep him, they lose tons of fans. Kap is mental. A bratty manipulator. This is not a roll model in any way.
DeleteRich, you like others feel that the military has to get involved "get a retired military figure" to debate Dr.Edwards?
ReplyDeleteKaepernick was referring to our country tolerating police violence against blacks. No?
Police, Military, Law Enforcement...I suggested a military figure in a general sense ... that Sheriff from Milwaukee who is right-wing could be someone.
DeleteSo far,KNBR has only had people like Brent Jones- a die hard Republican from Brentwood.
ReplyDeleteYou tell me why 10-1 cant find Harry Edwards or any black activist to enlighten over somebody like Jones..long an ex 49er of modest stardom to analyze? I mean he married a black woman..why the dragging his feet?
Both Radnich and Kreuger -who have made national headlines for being offensive- have yet to say what they learned from their experiences.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they didn't learn.
For more than a year, starting with Ferguson, Mo., there has been a constant drumbeat of "racetalk" both on television and on the radio. I would ask Mr. Kaepernick what he would have done if he encountered Mario Woods stabbing someone and then heading for him, refusing to drop the knife.....sit down? Doesn't Mr. Kaepernick depend on SFPD to protect his golden rear end in many situations? Perhaps, since he is so disgusted by American policing, he could refuse that protection and hire some folks for the job he feels are more qualified.. I suggest his new security details be composed of extremely well-educated cosmetologists....you know the ones he alleges are better trained than cops..What could go wrong?
ReplyDeletePerfect.
DeleteI wonder when Kraeperpick will discuss the important issue of black on black crime in places like Chicago, Detroit, Oakland, and so many other places. Will he discuss the negative effects of idolizing "street" life as depicted in rap and hip/hop lyrics? Will he urge fathers to live with their children and mothers of their children in a positive and nurturing manner?
Hmmm...
"dr. Edwards....It's always so pretentious when Ph'ds...affect the "doctor" monniker.
ReplyDeleteDoctor Savage, Doctor Bill, Doctor Strange, Jesus H. Christ...it's all in a name.
DeleteLast night, I was thinking why they didn't bring in Edwards since he's been affiliated with the Niners for so long and was one of the architects of the Black Power movement. Just as I was thinking that, they brought on John Carlos, who was with Kaepernick. Today at lunch, I saw an interview with former SI writer, Rick Reilly, who did a long interview with Kaepernick some years back. He made a good point that no one is talking about how to end police violence towards black men, but only what Kaepernick did. I think the truth is somewhere in between both men's opinion.
ReplyDeleteKap's protest will have a half-life of maybe two days. Something else will come up in the news, and everybody will forget about it.
ReplyDeleteHis protest would have been meaningful after Ferguson when the 49ers were doing well, and he was the toast of the town. He'll be cut in a week, and nobody will remember this.
(Wish one of the beat writers had asked Kap: Hey, why didn't you do this right after Ferguson? Why now?)
Because it's the accumulation of young black men getting killed by cops, not just one high-profile case. I wish you'd asked someone to pre-edit your post so it wouldn't be so dumb.
Deleteso teammates laughing with ''kap'' in locker room as reported. so now, thanks to ''kap'', we can now be a ''stand up guy'' ...by sitting down!!
ReplyDeleteThey won't be laughing in the locker room in San Diego after the game. San Diego will speak for America on Thursday night. Many have left from San Diego to go to war and many have not come home!
DeleteIt's tough to expect people to be sympathetic with your cause when you offend them. By not standing for the national anthem, he Kaepernick offended the very people he needs to be convincing.
ReplyDeleteQBs are supposed to be leaders. This guy knows nothing about how to get people to follow him, which is one of the reasons he's not a leader on the team.
This is all true: KRON at 6pm Started off showing a video of 4 African Americans attacking a taxi driver. They then showed a video of an African American attacking a white woman- punching her to the ground for no reason in S.F.,then they also showed a tape of an Elderly man who had a home invasion robbery by two teens in Oakland.
ReplyDeleteAfter that? They did the Kap protest against the police.
It all was so..not subtle.-lol.
Pero is not a liberal I take it?
Here's what veterans on twitter think about Kap. Most but not all are Black. This is dedicated to whoever said there is no racism in the military over on the other thread.
ReplyDelete#VeteransForKaepernick
So it's Kaepernick who started a national discussion on race? Huh? Like out of nowhere?
ReplyDeleteHave people been living under a rock for the last two years?
Who gives a shit about what Radnich or any other media asshole says or thinks?
ReplyDeleteWhat everyone seems to be losing sight of is that the 49ers is a sports franchise. Its entire raison d'etre is to make money.
Money is the only thing that will determine if Kaep will stay or go. Not "patriotism" or "honor" or "disrespect". The 49ers don't give a rat's ass about Kaep's personal opinions.
First order of business: will the 49ers spend less money keeping him as #2 (or #3) QB, given his obviously declining skills? He stays. Or will they spend less money by cutting him? He goes.
Second order of business: will the 49ers lose money (advertising contracts, etc.) because of the media tempest-in-a-teapot shitstorm re: his not standing up for the Anthem? Yes - he goes. No - he stays.
Third order of business: will the 49ers lose fan or veteran support either way? (Trick question - the 49ers don't care about the fans or the veterans. Only money.)
Wake up and smell the coffee, everybody.
Sackorpicks per game completion average for 2015 was a paultry (13)...that is completed passes folks For the last three seasons he has done nothing but back slide,decline which led to his eventual benching. The real people who are being oppressed here are those who have been bled dry to pay this underachieving self centered affluent q.b.'s salery. He's been done for a while now.....ive moved past him,hes no longer newsworthy or current as far as football goes. If he wants to be a politician when he grows up...go for it.
ReplyDelete