tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372649.post6948999359006357169..comments2023-07-04T11:48:15.633-04:00Comments on Positively Catherine Street: Kaepernick and the Art of Media ManipulationWilliam S. Repsherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00133278490771240664noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372649.post-68288801455427728722016-09-05T17:34:00.014-04:002016-09-05T17:34:00.014-04:00To me, the Kaepernick story isn't so much abou...To me, the Kaepernick story isn't so much about him, his ego, his immaturity, or the distraction he is creating for his football team (and ironically, as of now he's the second-string QB for the 49ers, which means he'll be doing a lot more sitting than he planned this season). The story for me is the obscene over-reaction of the media and the public, a reaction that is grotesquely out of proportion to the perceived offense. What has Kaepernick done to warrant this feeding frenzy? Did he beat up his girlfriend in view of a security camera? Did he carry a gun into a nightclub and shoot himself in the foot? Did he stand on an Olympic medal podium and raise his fist in a Black Power salute, the way some athletes did in 1968? Okay, the socks were bad form, but really, what has he done to deserve this level of attention? Even the President of the United States has been compelled to comment on Kaepernick's actions. More of his merchandise has been sold in the last week than in the previous eight months. (An editorial cartoon in some of today's papers depicts a couple having their Labor Day barbecue. The wife says to the husband: "Honey, the fire's dying. Throw another Kaepernick jersey on it.") Maybe the whole thing is just a shrewd marketing gimmick.<br /><br />It's as though some kind of collective insanity is running loose in the land, and this is the latest symptom. It's fed by the internet and the insatiable beast that is social media, but there's more to it than that. All you have to do is follow the presidential campaigns to see just how nuts the collective consciousness of this country is getting. How else do you explain the way a guy like Kaepernick, whose worst offense seems to be immaturity and an overactive ego fueled by sports stardom, is being vilified? I almost can't wait for Donald Trump's next idiotic tweet to take the heat off this ridiculous story.Andy S.noreply@blogger.com