Colin Kaepernick protests to draw attention to the violence perpetrated by police officers against people of color, and how there needs to be accountability for police officers when such atrocities are committed.
Kaepernick said on why he was protesting “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. … There are bodies in the street and people are getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Since the 1950s and the 1960s, civil rights protesters have been using television, and how it can reach the large masses to their advantages. Back then, it encouraged dialogue as viewers could see how peaceful protesters were attacked by the police, and today it still encourages dialogue by forcing viewers to think about why they are so uncomfortable.
An athlete might choose to participate in this form …show more content…
Aside from them, any time or place is fair game. Because these protests are taking place at NFL games, they reach a much broader audience from an event that is traditionally meant to be devoid of “politics”, making it that much more impactful.
These protests are sparking so much attention now because many people from all walks of life are tuning in to see a game that is not intended to spark political discussion. Before, you have to want to see these protests on your television to actually see them, whereas now they are in one of the most basic forms of media consumed.
This form of collective action connects to past movements because both are demonstrations done by large groups of people that are broadcast of on extremely public platforms for the whole world to see. The biggest difference between them is that the current protests are happening on a platform that is not only composed of famous people, but was not intended to be so
Kaepernick said on why he was protesting “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. … There are bodies in the street and people are getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Since the 1950s and the 1960s, civil rights protesters have been using television, and how it can reach the large masses to their advantages. Back then, it encouraged dialogue as viewers could see how peaceful protesters were attacked by the police, and today it still encourages dialogue by forcing viewers to think about why they are so uncomfortable.
An athlete might choose to participate in this form …show more content…
Aside from them, any time or place is fair game. Because these protests are taking place at NFL games, they reach a much broader audience from an event that is traditionally meant to be devoid of “politics”, making it that much more impactful.
These protests are sparking so much attention now because many people from all walks of life are tuning in to see a game that is not intended to spark political discussion. Before, you have to want to see these protests on your television to actually see them, whereas now they are in one of the most basic forms of media consumed.
This form of collective action connects to past movements because both are demonstrations done by large groups of people that are broadcast of on extremely public platforms for the whole world to see. The biggest difference between them is that the current protests are happening on a platform that is not only composed of famous people, but was not intended to be so