The reason for Colin Kaepernick kneeling was to address the police brutality against African American. Although he protested for a good cause, I think there are other ways to address this issue. Kneeling during the national anthem definitely gets everyone’s attention, but it also creates controversy that he disrespect the veterans of the nation. Now he is not signed by any NFL teams. He should address it using his social media because he is an influential figure. He could address his concern at the beginning of a press conference or an interview. If doing it once is not enough to call everyone’s attention, do it multiple times will raise awareness of the issue.
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I think this goes back to the question of if just posting on Instagram/facebook will create as much of an effect to the public as this action. I definitely agree with you that it is inappropriate to disrespect the veterans of the nation and in our discussion, it is also not appropriate to do personal things during a professional setting. I think the suggestion of form of protest is powerful because if it was effective, he wouldn’t have to bear through this much trouble to make his “voice” heard.
I think posting on Instagram/Facebook will create as much of an effect on the public. He has a large number of followers. Content on social media spread so quickly. This can easily go viral without the kneeling.
Addressing this issue outside the professional interview can solve the conflict of personal and professional. It will take more time to arrange it without having severe ramifications.
I also attended this discussion. As you mentioned, there were definitely other ways for Kaepernick to express his views on police brutality. Many consider his kneel during the anthem to be inappropriate and disrespectful to veterans and people who currently serve in the American military. At the same time, I think that Kaepernick knew what he was doing and intentionally protested during a live NFL game. Although he could have used social media or a press conference to address the issue like you said, he would not have created such a stir in the American media. He knew that hundreds of thousands of people were watching him at that exact moment, and he took advantage of the opportunity to make a big statement. Keeling during the national anthem was the most controversial and thus the most effective method for Kaepernick to get his point across.