A Presentation by ---------- Perspective, Protests and Prejudice: Colin Kaepernick and Racism in America A Presentation by ----------

Decontextualization What is Colin Kaepernick protesting? Why is there such controversy over his protest? Those who are calling his protests disrespectful may have lost sight of what he is protesting in the first place Can Kaepernick’s protests relate back to the Civil Rights Movement?

Knowledge Question To what extent does hindsight impact memory? History Memory To what extent does perspective impact emotion? Ethics The Arts Emotion Language

History and Memory From the perspective of the oppressors, there is no truly peaceful way to protest Supported by the criticism of MLK’s peaceful protests by white people in the 1960’s A counterclaim to this is a “disrespectful” method of protesting is inherently combative Many claim that kneeling during the National Anthem or before the flag is disrespectful to veterans and thus the protest is not peaceful but aggressive Protests that were not considered peaceful in the past now are due to hindsight and the protestors being put on the right side of history. Protests that are considered offensive by the oppressors thus will not be praised until the oppressors are put on the wrong side of history. Even if protests are offensive to some, the change they accomplish outweighs their limitations as shown throughout history. To what extent does hindsight impact memory?

Ethics and Emotion Perspective influences one’s ability to empathize Those who don’t understand the perspective of an oppressed person cannot empathize and thus become defensive rather than listening to their argument Oppressed groups with different experiences may understand each other due to a shared oppression The leaders of the 2017 Women’s March came from different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds but came together over a shared understanding of women’s oppression Perspective thus doesn’t fully hold people back from empathizing but may limit their ability to empathize to some extent based on their experiences. This however does not mean that empathizing is impossible and refusing to try is used by oppressors to continue the disenfranchisement of the oppressed. To what extent does perspective impact emotion?

The Arts and Language Profession limits what the public considers to be offensive Protesting through art as shown by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Give Peace a Chance” can be popular because artists are allowed to be political while football players are expected to shut up and play Spoken knowledge can give more context than actions Lennon’s song contained spoken language, making it harder to be misinterpreted than actions such as kneeling without words Some people may be criticized less for being political due to their profession, but the reason why protests through art, lyrics specifically, are more supported can be explained by language https://youtu.be/RkZC7sqImaM To what extent does perspective impact emotion?

Conclusion Perspective does impact someone’s ability to empathize but doesn’t entirely limit them from doing so. Additionally, whether or not someone understands is not what matters. Respecting others’ opinions and researching them is what is important. Research becomes especially important when protests come in the form of actions and not words because it is easy to misconstrue the intentions of someone without the language base of their argument Oppressors should also remember the cycle of oppressors not supporting those against them until those against them are placed on the right side of history. We must understand our history to know how to face the future with a more understanding outlook. This conclusion is flawed because I do not understand the perspective of a veteran and I thus may be overlooking their reaction to my RLS. To what extent does hindsight impact memory and to what extent does perspective impact emotion?

Connections Why Colin Kaepernick has been criticized for protesting police brutality can be explained by people having a non-black perspective and refusal to empathize due to racism. Those offended by his protest should consider further research into why he is protesting rather than focusing on actions alone This is because language leaves less opportunity for misinterpretation than actions My conclusion may be flawed because I do not understand the perspective of a veteran and did not experience MLK’s protests in the 1960’s These conclusions can connect to: The tearing down of Confederate statues Free the Nipple protest To what extent does hindsight impact memory and to what extent does perspective impact emotion?