GOOD

Kaepernick Will Stand For The National Anthem Next Season

The quarterback knelt during the “Star-Spangled Banner” as a protest against racial oppression and police violence

 Jeremy Repanich
03.02.17

Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images

Two days after opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick is looking for a new team to sign with, and sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the quarterback will not continue his national anthem protest during the 2017 season.

Kaepernick didn’t stand for the pregame playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” throughout the entire 2016 season because he was “not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," he told Sam Wyche of NFL Media. "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."

The 29-year-old quarterback had originally said that he would continue kneeling during the national anthem until he felt the issues of racial oppression were sufficiently resolved. However, sources told ESPN that Kaepernick wanted turn the focus of his advocacy to the organizations he’s supporting instead of the protests.

In addition to kneeling every week, Kaepernick committed to donating $1 million plus his cut of his 2016 jersey sales to organizations committed to social justice. So far, he’s contributed to organizations including Mothers Against Police Brutality, Black Youth Project 100, Communities United for Police Reform, and Causa Justa/Just Cause.

Kaepernick’s protest is ending much the way it began: quietly. Despite the uproar it eventually garnered, his protest started with little fanfare. No one noticed he hadn’t stood for the anthem during the 49ers first two games of the 2016 preseason. But once approached by the media, he became an outspoken advocate for his causes, and others soon followed.

Multiple players across the league either kneeled or raised a fist in solidarity with Kaepernick. High school athletes took knees in unison before their games. Even women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe kneeled prior to a league match for her club team, the Seattle Reign.

Of course, Kaepernick—no stranger to backlash—will face another one now that he’s ended his protest.

Yet, not everyone has been so harsh on the embattled quarterback.

Sports

Greta Thunberg's Greatest Hits: 10 times the teen activist unflinchingly spoke truth to power

She sugarcoats nothing.

Screenshot via Sweden.se/Twitter (left) Wikimedia Commons (right)

Greta Thunberg has been dubbed the "Joan of Arc of climate change" for good reason. The 16-year-old activist embodies the courage and conviction of the unlikely underdog heroine, as well as the seemingly innate ability to lead a movement.

Thunberg has dedicated her young life to waking up the world to the climate crisis we face and cutting the crap that gets in the way of fixing it. Her speeches are a unique blend of calm rationality and no-holds-barred bluntness. She speaks truth to power, dispassionately and unflinchingly, and it is glorious.

Keep Reading Show less
climate crisis environment activism climate change greta thunberg
The Planet

The EPA announced it will begin to phase out animal testing

It will be cruelty-free by 2035.

Ottawa Humane Society / Flickr

The Trump Administration won't be remembered for being kind to animals.

In 2018, it launched a new effort to reinstate cruel hunting practices in Alaska that had been outlawed under Obama. Hunters will be able to shoot hibernating bear cubs, murder wolf and coyote cubs while in their dens, and use dogs to hunt black bears.

Efforts to end animal cruelty by the USDA have been curtailed as well. In 2016, under the Obama Administration, the USDA issued 4,944 animal welfare citations, in two years the numbers dropped to just 1,716.

Keep Reading Show less
enviornmental protection agency humane society andrew wheeler Humane Society PETA epa to end animal testing
Science

A 22-year-old missing person’s case was solved thanks to eagle-eyed neighbors and Google Earth

The disappearance of 40-year-old mortgage broker William Earl Moldt remained a mystery for 22 years because the technology used to find him hadn't been developed yet.

Moldt was reported missing on November 8, 1997. He had left a nightclub around 11 p.m. where he had been drinking. He wasn't known as a heavy drinker and witnesses at the bar said he didn't seem intoxicated when he left.

Keep Reading Show less
google earth missing person cold case
Communities

BIll Maher started a debate about fat-shaming and James Corden finished it beautifully

Who do you think is right?

via Real Time with Bill Maher / YouTube and The Late Late Show with James Corden / YouTube

A controversial editorial on America's obesity epidemic and healthcare by comedian Bill Maher on his HBO show "Real Time" inspired a thoughtful, and funny, response by James Cordon. It also made for a great debate about healthcare that Americans are avoiding.

At the end of the September 6th episode of "Real Time, " Maher turned to the camera for his usual editorial and discussed how obesity is a huge part of the healthcare debate that no one is having.

"At Next Thursday's debate, one of the candidates has to say, 'The problem with our healthcare system is Americans eat shit and too much of it.' All the candidates will mention their health plans but no one will bring up the key factor: the citizens don't lift a finger to help," Maher said sternly.

Keep Reading Show less
fat-shaming obesity and health care bosy positivity Bill Maher james corden bill maher fat-shaming
Politics

People with low emotional intelligence are more likely to vote Republican, new study claims

"The results of this study were univocal."

via Gage Skidmore

The common stereotypes about liberals and conservatives are that liberals are bleeding hearts and conservatives are cold-hearted.

It makes sense, conservatives want limited government and to cut social programs that help the more vulnerable members of society. Whereas liberals don't mind paying a few more dollars in taxes to help the unfortunate.

A recent study out of Belgium scientifically supports the notion that people who scored lower on emotional ability tests tend to have right-wing and racist views.

Keep Reading Show less
psychology of republicans trump supporters cold conservatives authoritarians authoritarianism Donald Trump psychology low emotional intelligence republicans
Politics