I always thought twitter commentary on serious, and complicated, societal issues were the absolute WORST. But I think we have an even lower form of opinion protest: socks.
To think that you can constructively address something as complex as racial tension in inner-city policing with your socks is completely idiotic. But that didn’t stop the dope who some in the media think is the modern Muhammad Ali.
So there was Colin Kaepernick at practice earlier in August, wearing socks with little cartoon police pigs on them. Awww, how cute, right? This guy…..
Ironic too, since we often call the NFL’s uniform spies the “sock police” I guess there is no strict sock rules in practice. Remember: the NFL did not allow the Dallas Cowboys to wear a helmet sticker supporting the police. They let this happen.
Ideally, NFL coaches would still have the power and confidence to walk up and down the stretch line, see Kaepernick’s juvenile footwear, and just say…. “Hey #7… what’s with the socks? Get of the field, and change into team socks. Now.” Even if they were Hello Kitty socks, I’d want my coach to do that.
The reality of policing and minority distrust, is way way way way more complicated than whatever Kaepernick’s feeble grasp of it is. In fact, it’s such a tangled ball of yarn – mistrust, racism, violence, fatherless households, pop culture, and more – that one feels despondent that it will ever get untangled.
To watch this video and read the story from the Chicago Tribute – ground zero for the worst of inner city violence – it’s easy to be despondent. I have no doubt many people in those neighborhoods have good reason to distrust police. But I also can’t imagine waking up and putting on a badge, knowing you had to go in there TRYING to help the law abiding, only to be taunted, mocked and abused.
Or shot.
If people really want to have a “conversation” about this subject, then you have to include a conversation about ALL of it. And rest assured, it can’t be reduced to cartoon characters on a pair of socks.
