I agree with everything KAP has said.
He is speaking for Black Americans who do not have a voice nor, the platform that kap is on.
America has came a long way but racsim is still alive and well.
America was founded on it period.
As young Black man I know we have opportunity but at the end of the day
African Americans Are Still Treated as Second-Class Citizens By the Law.
From the comments I have read I am ashamed to be a pats fan with you guys.
You all can debate about what he did but he was right this is how every African american feels.
You tell us to go back leave America, If you have taken are history made us slaves for over 300 years were do we go? We do not not were we come from just like Arian foster said
". Am I from the Congo? Am I from Kenya? Am I from the Ivory Coast?"
I hope the Pats have a great season but please do not comment on the lives of blacks in this land.
This is truly hard I love America but to my own country my people are nothing.
When I say "leave " it's in the same context as if I were to tell a teammate to leave because he quit trying to win the game.
Maybe the difference is that I consider you and I as brothers on the same team fighting for the same thing.
To give you a bit of my family's history my father left his house with nothing but a few thousand beatings from his abusive father. His family was so poor he and his brother dropped out school early to work on farms so that they could afford to eat. He joined the military without a HS degree. When he retired after 30 years of service he had a masters degree in business.
When I left my father's house he gave me nothing and told me I had to earn anything I wanted. What he did give me was a stable environment which included good schools, food, more than one set of clothes and discipline without the ass beatings. I too joined the military and my brother went on to law school. We are both grateful He gave us better than what he had. This is one of the opportunities both black and white young men still have and I served with many who took it.
That said I know and have seen racism. I've been in a courtroom as a character witness for a black man who was wrongfully accused of assault. Many testified on his behalf and he was thankfully acquitted. Btw, there are just as many incidents in which a black guy helped a white guy out. It goes both ways. So it isn't a case of a white guy saving a black guy rather a brother helping a brother.
I also hate seeing young men (both white and black) killed after committing minor crimes and sometimes for nothing at all.
Ironically BLM is focused on improving black lives but the results will improve all lives which was the case with MLK.
Although I recognize racism exist I don't think it's the main root of our problems. I think our problems rooted to some kind of systematic oppression. Is it the welfare system? White welfare neighborhoods see similar issues as black welfare neighborhoods although black neighborhoods suffer higher consequences. White on white crime, fatherless children, teenage pregnancy and drug issues are all there but we seem to only recognize the black side of things. Admittedly I do not have all the answers.
Growing up in military schools overseas I know first hand that when given an equal platform we achieve similar success. For example the valedictorian could have been anyone of any race. When living in military housing we were "segregated " by our father's rank rather than race so we as kids grew up living together and playing together. It was common to have black and white friends playing at each other's house. When going off base into an English pub or something we were all called "Bloody Yanks".
That said I doubt I would have been able to clear the hurdles these kids face today in our low income neighborhoods. I wish we could change that. Key word being we.
I think our problems are more due to a battle of the Haves and the Have Nots rather than black and white.
I don't consider the Haves as a bunch of racists. I do think they will spend their money to live in higher income neighborhoods with better schools ensuring their kids will have a better opportunity than they had just as my father did.
So what's the solution?
It is not sitting on a bench during the national anthem and it is not blaming whitey or any other divisive BS.
The reason my father was able to escape poverty and give my brother and I a better platform was because we live in a country that affords us the opportunity through hard work and maybe some luck to do so. We have the freedoms and rights that a vast majority of the people on this planet do not have. Because of the ideals this country was founded upon we can continue to improve and correct the wrongs but it has to be done together.
Serving in the military was an honor. I was serving a country which allowed my family escape poverty through hard work. My children now have the opportunity to achieve better than I because of the opportunities I had.
I was not fooled into serving for some elitist purpose. I know the politicians have run out of control and are politicizing **** for fraudulent purposes but the one thing we have going for us is that the Have Nots outnumber the Haves. Our voice or our votes count so we will always have the power to change things. We just have to stop the finger pointing and work together.
The Flag means a lot to me and anyone who disrespects it can leave. It doesn't belong to the politicians it belongs to you and me.
Let an immigrant come here from a country that gave him little opportunity to take their place because they may better appreciate and respect what the flag represents.
With all my heart I will consider you or anyone who works to better this country a brother. I also believe the successes we see here has a ripple effect globally.
Anyways I will never respect a flag burner or a Kappydink. Their actions divide rather than unify. At best he did it out of ignorance and at worst he did it to blame Them. Who's Them? If he thinks it's Mr Whitey then he can go F himself. If he thinks it's the "system" then he is protesting our banner that my father used to beat the "system".
Anyways those are my thoughts.
