{"id":3999,"date":"2016-08-30T18:36:28","date_gmt":"2016-08-31T00:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/?p=3999"},"modified":"2022-02-28T15:18:36","modified_gmt":"2022-02-28T21:18:36","slug":"kaepernick-sitting-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/kaepernick-sitting-down\/","title":{"rendered":"colin kaepernick sits down to protest racist police brutality"},"content":{"rendered":"

san francisco 49ers<\/strong><\/span> quarterback<\/a> colin kaepernick<\/strong> has been trending since last friday.<\/p>\n

\"kaepernick's
the protest: can u find colin kaepernick in this picture?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

jason johnson<\/strong>‘s article<\/a> on root.com<\/strong> explains why.<\/p>\n

after what would be an otherwise<\/em> totally unremarkable<\/em> preseason football game between the san francisco 49ers<\/span> and the green bay packers<\/span>, some intrepid<\/em> cameraperson noticed that kaepernick did not stand for the national anthem.<\/h4>\n

otherwise<\/strong><\/em><\/a> means except for<\/em>. unremarkable<\/strong><\/em> means normal<\/em> or boring<\/em>. intrepid<\/strong><\/em> is fearless<\/em>, valiant<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"dodge<\/h6>\n
the dodge intrepid<\/span><\/em><\/h6>\n

kaepernick explained<\/p>\n

i am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. to me this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish<\/em> on my part to look the other way<\/em>. there are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave<\/em> and getting away with<\/em> murder.<\/h4>\n

get away with<\/strong> <\/em><\/a>means there are no penalties, consequences for\u00a0or even recognition of\u00a0an act<\/em>. in the past few years, in various u.s. communities, there have been\u00a0incidents in which\u00a0police have fatally shot\u00a0unarmed african-americans. some of the communities where this has happened have decided to give the officers responsible for the shooting\u00a0paid leave<\/strong> <\/em>(time away from work that is compensated) instead of\u00a0suspending them without pay or firing them. \u00a0selfish<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is\u00a0not paying attention to other people<\/em>.\u00a0look the other way<\/strong><\/em> means ignore<\/em>.<\/p>\n

fun elt practice\u00a0\":)\"\u00a0richyrocks english on youtube<\/a><\/h4>\n
\"kaepernick<\/h6>\n
kaepernick is speaking out against police brutality<\/em><\/h6>\n

johnson applauds kaepernick because<\/p>\n

most african-american athletes who speak out<\/em> today do it from behind a championship podium, and it\u2019s much harder for racists and conservative pundits<\/em> to throw shade at<\/em> someone whose championship rings are shining<\/em> so bright.<\/h4>\n

speak out<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>means voice an opinion publicly<\/em>. pundits<\/strong> <\/em>are experts<\/em> or authorities on some topic<\/em>. throw shade<\/strong><\/em> means criticize creatively<\/em>. shine<\/strong><\/em><\/a> means reflecting light<\/em>, bright<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"sunshine<\/h6>\n
when the sun shines<\/span> we call it\u00a0sunshine.<\/em><\/h6>\n

kaep led the 49ers to\u00a0the super bowl 4 seasons ago, but these days johnson explains that colin<\/p>\n

[has] got<\/a> nothing to fall back on<\/em>. he\u2019s not a champion; he\u2019s not the face of the nfl; heck<\/em>, he\u2019s not even a starter <\/em>on his own team. when the racist trolls<\/em> and the conservative pundits<\/em> come for him, he will have nothing to protect himself with.<\/h4>\n

fall back on<\/strong><\/em> means support<\/em>. \u00a0heck<\/strong><\/em><\/a> is a softer way to say hell<\/em><\/span>. it’s used for emphasis.\u00a0starter<\/strong><\/em> is used in sports to designate\u00a0players who start the game<\/em>. trolls<\/em><\/strong> in the internet sense are people who comment only with the intention of creating conflict or anger<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"grouchy<\/h6>\n
the grouchy old troll<\/span> from dora:\u00a0trolling<\/span>\u00a0since before it got big on the internet.<\/em><\/h6>\n

johnson emphasizes\u00a0the rough patch<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(difficult moment) kaepernick\u00a0is passing through professionally when he jokes that his<\/p>\n

nfl\u00a0career is hanging by a \u201csecond\u201d string<\/h4>\n

the humor is that hanging by a string<\/strong><\/em> means barely surviving<\/em> and second string<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0on a sports team are reserves or backups for th<\/em>e starters<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"hanging<\/h6>\n
hanging by a thread<\/span> or hanging by a string<\/span> or\u00a0holding on by a string<\/span>.\u00a0<\/em><\/h6>\n

the conclusion of the article reiterates johnson’s respect for colin kaepernick speaking out<\/em> while not being at the top of his game as a quarterback.<\/p>\n

not everyone, let alone<\/em> a professional athlete, is built for a life of civil activism, and there\u2019s no shame<\/em> in that. nevertheless<\/em> whenever professional athletes choose to take part in the larger movement for justice it\u2019s worth noting<\/em>, applauding<\/em> and supporting<\/em>. this is especially the case when an athlete is holding on to their career by a thread<\/em> and will have little to stand on professionally when the backlash<\/em> comes.<\/h4>\n

let alone<\/strong><\/em><\/a> means less<\/em>. shame<\/em><\/strong> is embarrassment<\/em> or disgrace<\/em>. nevertheless<\/em><\/strong> contrasts ideas, similar to but<\/em> or however<\/em>. it’s worth<\/em><\/strong> recommends<\/em> that people applaud, support or at least note kaepernick’s activist efforts. holding on by a thread<\/strong><\/em>, like hanging on by a string<\/em>, indicates a struggle<\/a><\/em>. backlash<\/strong><\/em> is a negative reaction<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"black<\/h6>\n
1968 mexico city olympics: another protest that drew serious backlash<\/span>.<\/em><\/h6>\n

sitting in protest rather than<\/a>\u00a0standing during the national anthem is a totally passive act. however, american athletes of all sports at all levels generally accept the ritual of standing as part of the game. more than a few nfl players and coaches have disagreed with kaep’s method and\/or motivation. they believe he disrespected the flag, the u.s. military, the united states or all three of them.<\/p>\n

but seeing\u00a0flags<\/a> and national anthems as sacred, vague representations of a country’s belief system ignores important problems and creates new ones. \u00a0it does not encourage<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(inspire, stimulate) people to think or listen to other perspectives<\/a>.\u00a0i definitely understand why\u00a0kaeperinick decided to do what he is doing and it clearly has been an effective way to attract attention.<\/p>\n

\"kaepernicking\"
will the definition of kaepernicking change this season?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

what do u think? does kaepernick’s protest deserve<\/a> respect? should he find a different way to express his discontent? \u00a0share your views under leave a reply<\/strong><\/p>\n