San Francisco 49er's quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, has been the recipient of some not-so-great media attention. In case you've been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks, during the national anthem of a preseason NFL game last week, Kaepernick chose to remain seated rather than stand with the rest of the players and attendees. As you can imagine, he solicited quite a bit of retaliation from the public for this decision, being the target of comments such as he's a "disgrace to the men and women who lost their lives in war" to accusing him of "spitting on America." Kaepernick stated, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
             Kaepernick chose to use the platform and fan-base he has been given to bring attention to a crucial and relevant issue in our country that he feels strongly about and has a credible perspective of. Conduct that, I feel, is not only responsible, but admirable and a behavior we as a struggling society don't often see from people in his situation. The United States is witnessing a racist epidemic that is terrifying and even more concerning if not addressed. It would be beneficial to the dialogue for more people in the spotlight to offer their voice and help work toward a solution. However, this is where my admiration for Kaepernick's actions come to an end.
             Kaepernick's "statement" was based on the assumption that his standing for our nation's flag is equivalent to him supporting the oppression of people of color that America is struggling with, equivalent to validation of problematic instances that contribute to greater problems the country is in the process of working through. This great...