Free speech is a fantastic thing. So fantastic, in fact, that our founding fathers enshrined it in the First Amendment. It’s a political freedom that we can use as we see fit, but it doesn’t mean that everyone else has to listen. Freely choosing not to associate with someone who has deeply offended you is a fundamental principle of the free market.
Even if you don’t watch sports, you saw Colin Kaepernick sit during the National Anthem. Then, after speaking with a former Green Beret, he took a knee for national anthem instead. He got this moment in the limelight because he dishonored Americans, Americans who fought and died for his free speech.
He wanted to point out how racist America is. His father left his white mother while she was pregnant. Then, his mother then put him up for adoption where he was raised by two white people. Then he got the chance to make it to the NFL and get a $126 million contract.
The travesty of this. He’s a regular Martin Luther King, Jr., right? Wrong. Martin Luther King, Jr. never made that king of money, he never had that kind of opportunity, and he would never disrespect the military men and women like that. He may speak out against a war, but never against the warriors. Martin Luther King was a class act, Colin Kaepernick is a spoiled child.
He decided to sit for the National Anthem. Personally, I have major problems with someone making that kind of money and disrespecting those who fight to protect his rights for a $25,000 salary. But, like those American heroes, I accept that he did it. I believe in free speech, and even if I disagree with what he did, I support and defend his Constitutional right to say it.
Bleacher Report NFL writer, Mike Freeman, has voiced his concern over Kaepernicks questionable future. By Freeman’s estimate 70-80% of NFL teams won’t touch him because they “genuinely hate him and can’t stand what he did.” However, Mike this isn’t concerning. Sit back and watch, this is the free market.
Maybe the Americans are sick of ESPN, Hollywood, and Colin telling us how bad we are. Maybe they are tired of being patronized by snowflakes who are ignorant of real life.
Even still, Americans of the political right support your freedom to say what you want, but we cannot guarantee that others will want to be around you. They don’t want to associate with someone who is so disrespectful of the society that gave him so much, and that is their right.
Freedom of Association is a fundamental precondition of human interaction. If someone smells bad, we move away. If someone continually is vulgar, we tend to distance ourselves. If someone disrespect our country, we tend to stop supporting him. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Colin Kaepernick used his right to free speech in a way that offended and disgusted a huge chuck of our country. He insulted and offended our military members that are out there fighting to protect his freedom. Go figure, that General Managers don’t want to touch him. It’s the simple concept that people don’t get about free speech. You can say whatever you want, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences.
Now, I am no sports fan, but I would imagine someone picks up Kaepernick at a highly discounted price in the end. But it should serve as a lesson. You are free to say whatever you want, but people are free to choose to ignore you and move on.