For someone who claims to have suffered for taking the knee, Colin Kaepernick is doing pretty well for himself and has now secured his own Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream flavor. Can we all stop pretending he’s some kind of victim?
Colin Kaepernick has not played football professionally since 2016. During this time, the media has constantly tried to portray the man who was first to ‘take a knee’ as a martyr.
The narrative is that he is a victim of a league that fears his stance against racism and police brutality. Never mind that NFL players continue to take the knee to this day. Or the fact that Kaepernick failed to take his tryouts seriously when he was given an opportunity to get back into the NFL.
Since his exit from gridiron, Kaepernick has become a fixture in popular culture whether we want him there or not. His sponsorship deal with Nike has earned him millions of dollars, and he holds such influence with the company that he managed to persuade it to pull a sneaker design based on an old version of the American flag.
The suggestion, of course, was that it was racist, because Kaepernick’s knowledge of history is comparable to his knowledge of being a starter for a football team. It’s something he probably knew at one point, but has long since forgotten due to lack of application.
And now he has been given his own flavor by Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, the appallingly named Change The Whirled. If that’s not unappetising enough, it comes with the sickening tagline “Sweet justice! Dig into the flavor inspired by Colin Kaerpernick’s activism for a more just world,” and is, predictably, vegan.
So if you want something with no substance that leaves a taste of cardboard in your mouth, this will fit the bill nicely. It should certainly prove easier to swallow than this wealthy individual’s justification for the venture. According to Kaepernick, “My hope is that this partnership will amplify calls to defund and abolish the police and to invest in futures that can make us safer, healthier and truly free.”
All joking aside, there’s something that needs to be called out here. How exactly is Colin Kaepernick still a victim of anything?
Thinking back through my years of watching sports, I have never seen a player who is so far removed from his prime getting a vast amount of media attention, endorsements and tributes for doing, well, nothing.
For all the talk of racism, am I just to assume that the biracial Kaepernick is tapping into some sort of latent white privilege to fail upward? Of course not, because the concept of racial privilege is idiotic. But I digress.
The fact of the matter is that Kaepernick is not a victim of anything, and it’s silly to portray him as such. If he was any more worshipped by the left-leaning media, they would sing hymns to him on a Sunday.
Also on rt.com Is ANYONE actually surprised that rioting comrades Antifa & BLM are seeking a divorce as racial tensions come to the fore?But he says all of the right things that people on the political left like, and as such he’s going to be celebrated. Just look at how the tiresomely woke Ben & Jerry’s also gave socialist Bernie Sanders his own ice cream flavor despite losing two bids at the presidency. Resourcefulness and opportunism have kept Kaepernick’s bank account brimming, which isn’t usually the case for victims. Heck, if that is suffering then where do I sign up?
Kaepernick is not a victim. He is not a saint. He is not an example of anything, aside from how a little good press goes a long way in certain circles. Victims don’t get Nike sponsorships. Victims don’t get Ben & Jerry’s flavors. And that’s the real message you should bear in mind the next time you see Kaepernick spouting off in the media, playing the martyr card.
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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.