Protesting American Flag….Not the right way to Protest….

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Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49’ers exercised his right to freedom of speech in order to protest what is a very real issue in our country.  Unfortunately for Mr. Kaepernick what may have been something he had good intentions for, he really did more harm than good.  Instead of discussing the issues regarding police brutality, or a seeming unfairness in the way African Americans are treated versus whites, people are just angry about his disrespect of the American Flag.

Let’s face it, Colin Kaepernick has made millions of dollars to play the game of football.  By choosing to disrespect the American Flag, he has taken the focus and attention completely away from the very cause he was intending to support, and instead angered millions of people who might otherwise have been sympathetic to an open discussion of the issues he claims to be trying to protest.

The best way to bring open and honest dialogue to any issue, is usually not by offending, disrespecting, angering, or otherwise showing a complete disregard for the feelings, thoughts, and emotions of the very people you are hoping to bring awareness to.  Not to mention the millions of other Americans who for much less than the millions of dollars you are making, have risked their lives, been injured, and even died to provide the very freedom you are blatantly taking advantage of.  The greatest protesters throughout human history, managed to keep the discussion of their protest on the issues at hand.  They did not seek to cause more division with their protest, rather they managed to bring people together, often shining the light onto subjects in great need of discussion in our country.

It is too bad that Colin Kaepernick chose to take an action that was offensive to so many people, in so many ways.  His platform offered him a great opportunity to get people talking about the issues he is passionate about, instead, all he has done is cause another fight to break out, only this one causes disrespect to people making the ultimate sacrifice for all of us.  Leading to the only discussion anyone is having being about his negative action, rather than the issue he was trying to protest.

About the Author

W.J. Vincent II has spent the last 20 years of his life building businesses from start-up to success in fields as varied as Real Estate, Technology, and Environmental Health. In January 2012, Natalia, his wife of 13 years, tragically passed away, her body having given in to her short but dramatic three-month battle with a brain tumor. Her sudden passing left W.J. a widowed father of a 1-year old baby girl and 4-year old boy of his own, along with a 12-year old boy and 15-year old girl he had been helping his mother-in-law to raise due to her battle with multiple sclerosis. Faced with a challenge greater than any he had known, W.J. was able to find strength and inspiration from the Bible. There were many miracles and messages that saw him through the darkest moments of his life.