Mother of multimillionaire entertainer Beyoncé: Kaepernick ‘is truly brave’

Après Kaepernick, le déluge. A rich professional athlete whose playing career is in jeopardy (back in May there was scuttlebutt about the San Francisco 49ers demoting Colin Kaepernick to their third string quarterback) makes one last grasp for the spotlight by refusing to stand during the playing of the national anthem. Suddenly his antics are the topic du jour.

Two days after Kaepernick’s “statement,” the New York Giants made a statement of their own by standing shoulder-to-shoulder during the playing of the national anthem:

Pretty deliberate sideline for the Giants during the anthem tonight. All players and staff standing. pic.twitter.com/5iqUJp4eqQ

— tara sullivan (@Globe_Tara) August 27, 2016

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But Kaepernick has also had his defenders. Jon Schwarz of The Intercept “set the record straight” on the historical justification for Kaepernick’s protest that was lost even on Kaepernick:

Almost no one seems to be aware that even if the U.S. were a perfect country today, it would be bizarre to expect African-American players to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Why? Because it literally celebrates the murder of African-Americans.

And then there was the “moving post” (as Global Grind describes it) by Tina Knowles. Tina Knowles’s claim to fame is that her daughter, Beyoncé, is a fabulously wealthy entertainer.

Here is what Knowles, whose Instagram screen name is mstinalawson, had to say (grammar or lack thereof preserved).

The people that are so offended and apppalled [sic] by Mr. Kaebernick’s protest. I ‘d like to know if they are as outraged by all the senseless killing of minorities, all of the racial injustices in America, that people are okay with. We turn a blind eye to it and as long as it is not affecting us personally we avoid thinking , discussing , protesting , and doing a thing about it. Here is a man that is taking a non violent stand to bring attention to this horrible problem. He is not saying he does not love or respect his country or our flag,but the flag is supposed to be a symbol of freedom , equality, and justice for all !! Is that really what the flag stands for??? He is saying that it is hard to hear the song that says ” The land of the Free and the home of the brave.” Because it’s not true!!!!! He is truly being brave. Please support him for stepping out and taking a stand . Let’s not let them ostracize him let’s support him . Mr. Wade said it best “Enough is Enough” What will we do today to contribute to change no mater how small. ❤️

A photo posted by Tina Knowles (@mstinalawson) on Aug 29, 2016 at 9:42am PDT

If there is anything even remotely original in this post, I’d appreciate being enlightened. Most laughable of all is Knowles/lawson’s attempt at justifying her claim that Kaepernick “is truly being brave” (i.e, he is “stepping out and taking a stand” for what he believes in).

But if she believes this to be an act of true bravery, what does she perceive to be the risk? In countries that practice real oppression, citizens are hauled off to jail or worse for speaking their minds. If anything, the freedom Kaepernick has enjoyed in making a fool out of himself puts the lie to the entire argument that blacks are judged by a different, harsher set of criteria.