They say history repeats itself, but is it history if nothing has changed? In 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick shocked the American public when he took it upon himself to kneel to sing the national anthem at football games. His actions were intended to protest oppression and violence against African Americans and other minorities in the United States, which caused furor among both full supporters and non-supporters. Many Americans perceived his action of kneeling during the anthem as disrespectful to the country, the flag, and the women and men who serve our country. In reality, this perception of his actions deviates from his actual intentions, which were to bring attention to police brutality and racial injustice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Before Kaepernick took any action to protest, he spoke with U.S. Army veteran Nate Boyer, who encouraged him to kneel rather than sit on the bench because soldiers kneel when a fellow soldier falls to show respect. Kaepernick had simply knelt to show respect to those innocent individuals who were victims of police brutality. Our president, along with the majority of the American public, decided to turn the tables and say that Kaepernick was disrespecting our flag. Instead of delving deeper into social issues, public analysis rarely rises above the superficial level, a tragic norm of modern journalism. Because he stood up for what he believed in, Kaepernick lost his job and has been barred from the league since 2016. Recently, Kaepernick was featured in Nike's 30th anniversary ad campaign for their slogan Just Do It. The ad was a photo of his face with the caption “to believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything”. This is clearly a very positive and motivating message for Nike fans, but once again the American public seems to have ignored Kaepernick's direct message and written it off as something it is not. People recorded themselves cutting, burning, and destroying their Nike items due to the controversy over Nike's approval. This is textbook white supremacy, white America seeking to dominate society and devalue people and issues relating to races other than its own, especially African Americans. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get Custom Essay Overall, I believe that the controversy surrounding Kaepernick is only controversial because of white supremacy and white privilege. Privilege is invisible to those who possess it; White America does not know what it is like to live in a society where their race has been oppressed, violated, targeted and discriminated against for hundreds and hundreds of years. This problem has been developing since the founding of America. Yes, slavery and segregation were abolished, but not much else changed. The only way to make a change is for the media to stop brainwashing society with false, biased and overly exaggerated news. But this is probably unattainable, so people need to put their own opinions aside and try to understand other perspectives.