Bennett is asking athletes to promote social change

[monkey]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/17183057/michael-bennett-seattle-seahawks-calls-nfl-players-promote-social-change

Is it just me, or does anyone else find themselves wondering why is it so important that football players speak out on social issues? Seriously, what makes football players experts on anything other than football?
Just like any other celebrity who thinks they need to tell the world how they feel about things, personally I don’t care!

Michael Bennett is a (apparently) very cool, funny guy, one who is promoting good eating habits, which is certainly a good thing, and something he actually DOES have something of a special insight into as an athlete, but when he gets into political issues, I actually wish he’d just stop.
The media of course, loves it, but I just find myself asking, why is promoting social change, necessarily a "good thing"?
What are we changing from, and to what are we changing?
Why is it automatically just assumed that we need change, and what makes Michael Bennett any more qualified to talk about it, and to decide that we need it than anyone else, including any other John/Jill Q. Public?

While I for one am all for any celebrity exercising their right to do so, I don’t think it’s particularly important for celebrities to "speak up". Few if any of them are any more qualified to talk about the subject matter than I am. Most of the Hollywood stars I’ve heard speak on subject matters they feel are important, are factually wrong about many of those topics, and are actually doing a DISSERVICE to this country by convincing people of untruths.

[burrrton]

Thank you.

No, NFL guys and movie stars, you don't have a microphone because we think you have something informed to say- you have a microphone because you can tackle people and nothing more.

So shut the fck fup about things about which others know way more than you. You're not informed just because you're famous.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Planet Earth

[curmudgeon]

+1,000,000,000.....

[burrrton]

To add a bit more:

This is the thing I find the most irritating about the recent iteration of Bennett:

No, Michael, you don't need to be "involved" in these things. It's not your forte. It's not why anybody gives a sh*t about you.

"WE HAVE A VOICE SO WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO USE IT!"

Er, no, Mike, you don't. Whether I agree or disagree with you, this is *not* why people pay attention to you, and your involvement in such things will only hurt the league that grants you such a voice.

Note that this is why you'll also be soon told to shut the fck up by the league that granted you such a wide voice.

Take their advice. Please.

[Hawktawk]

I have to disagree.

Mike Bennett is a very intelligent, thoughtful and well spoken man. I have no problem with him using the platform he has earned by being an outstanding athlete to share his views with the outsize audience a pro athlete draws. I don't agree with many of Bennett's views BTW but right on wit yo bad self Bennett. Its the first amendment thing.....

[burrrton]

Mike Bennett is a very intelligent, thoughtful and well spoken man.

No disagreement.

But the reason he has the "platform" he does has nothing to do with his intelligence, thoughtfulness, or how well-spoken he is. That's the issue.

This attitude that they have some imaginary "obligation" to regurgitate whatever crosses their uninformed minds because they're lucky enough to have a mic in their mouth is ridiculous. He's not saying "We know more than most!"- he's saying "REPORTERS ARE PUTTING MICs IN OUR MOUTHS!"

It makes them look stupid, especially when they pipe up on stuff they're reacting to emotionally (see: "TEH BLAKK LIVES MATTAR"). *groan*

[FolkCrusader]

I agree and disagree. On one hand I have never bought in to the fact that once someone becomes famous their entire life is open to reporting. Yet that is the case. An entire industry has built up around knowing what celebrities are doing, wearing, and saying. They have to deal with this whether they like it or not. Get pulled over, it will be on TMZ or PFT. Get in a fight with your spouse, everyone knows that too. People say hey its an exchange for making all those millions, you are now a public figure. We are all happy to consume that news.

Yet when the same person chooses to use the fact that people want to consume news about them to say something that is important to them all the haters come out. If you don't agree with them, don't agree. Don't want to read about them, don't read about them. They have the same right to their opinions we all do. The only difference is they have been given a platform that can reach millions. On a good day most of us are lucky to be heard by dozens. Some of them use that platform to sell pizza, beer, or shoes. Michael is saying they should be using that platform to promote social change. I don't know if he is right or wrong, but I know he isn't trying to edit my facebook posts either.

Personally I feel I always need to be willing to listen, but it takes more than being good at football to convince me of something.

[FolkCrusader]

It makes them look stupid, especially when they pipe up on stuff they're reacting to emotionally (see: "TEH BLAKK LIVES MATTAR"). *groan*

And you think a comment like this makes you look smart?

[RiverDog]

Personally I do agree that athletes, movie stars, et al, that acquire their microphone or platform by something wholly different than the topic at hand should refrain from commenting about such issues. But that's just me. Michael Bennett can do or say whatever he wants. It's a free country, and who am I to tell him he can't voice his opinion?

If you are looking for a cross to bear, the sleaze ball reporters that are always looking for a story to report are the ones that you should be mad at as they are the ones that enabled him.

[c_hawkbob]

I have to disagree.

Mike Bennett is a very intelligent, thoughtful and well spoken man. I have no problem with him using the platform he has earned by being an outstanding athlete to share his views with the outsize audience a pro athlete draws. I don't agree with many of Bennett's views BTW but right on wit yo bad self Bennett. Its the first amendment thing.....

I agree.

Additionally the NFL has interjected itself in a big way in social consciousness issues that play well to the general population with "Breast Cancer Awareness October" and "Salute to Service November", I'm interested to see if they are willing to take on a more divisive issue like this and if so how they handle it.

Bennett called out Cam Newton specifically as a prominent black NFL star that is just "sitting back taking the money" without speaking out on such issues ... Florio this morning on the drive to work was trying to bend that into an implicit indictment of Russell (who he says has a better contract than Cam) as falling into the same 'privileged but silent" category and tried to tie that into the "Wilson is not black enough" theme of a couple years back.

Don't get me wrong, Florio's a dick and I decidedly do NOT agree with him (on this as well as most issues), but it's still a perception that is (especially now) out there.

[HumanCockroach]

Absolutely, it isn't like he's as well informed or intelligent as the media personnel that make their livings ( incredibly privileged and wealthy livings) regurgitating whatever inaccurate, half truth or outright lies happens to fit their propaganda side of the aisle ,that their personal network happens to lean towards....

Get over yourselves. Bennett has as much right, information, and intelligence ( not to mention INTEGRITY) as 95% of the "television journalists" currently deluding the media with their take on the world's issues, racial tensions, class disparity etc... If nothing else, at least he's LIVED through some of those issues first hand something I seriously doubt a majority of the others have.

Many on this board have no issues expressing their views, beliefs, and positions on the same things Bennett's talking about, and it certainly isn't all that surprising to me, that some of the most vocal in that regard feel that while they are intelligent enough to do so, Bennett isn't because "he's a football player"... Same ol' same ol'... Certain people's opinions "matter" and they are the only ones in their world's that do...

[kalibane]

This is mainly through the prism of the whole black lives matter thing right? Well here is why Michael Bennett wants athletes to be involved in affecting social change.

Black people have been complaining about mistreatment by the Police for over 100 years and it's just ignored. Working "through the system" hasn't worked because society writ large simply refuses to believe and/or deal with the issue. You see officers with a laundry list of complaints filed against them and they have no discipline on their records. When famous people call attention to things it forces the issue into the national conversation. Ali is always the best example. You could go back in time 40 years and you would be that same guy telling Ali to shut up and box. He is retrospectively considered the most loved athlete in perhaps the history of the world though mainly because he didn't shut up.

You don't need any kind of advanced training or resume to speak out against police misconduct in the black community. Because we almost all have a story of being mistreated by police with absolutely no provocation. I know I nearly had my entire future ruined. And Bennett's wealth and celebrity don't protect his kids from this treatment. Not to mention when someone who is a supposed "expert" is talking about these things you just turn around and call them race hustlers.

Of course that brings us back to the fact that certain people refuse to believe this is an issue or blame black people or create a false equivalency between police violence and black on black violence. Even as someone you have interacted with for over 10 years is sitting here telling you things like how despite the fact that I grew up in an affluent suburb if something weird was going on (maybe an attempted but unsuccessful break in) calling the police was a debate because when you're black an encounter with police can easily go sideways even if you are the one calling them for help.

Maybe that makes you dislike Michael Bennett, because you don't want to hear about his politics. I'm sure he's more concerned about the well being of his family than whether you buy his jersey.

[kalibane]

And maybe that post makes you like me less. But I have to be honest, at this point I don't care. I'm tired of the rhetoric on the other side of this. These are people's lives being lost.

I have to worry about my daughter, my nieces and nephews not having an absolutely perfect demeanor if they are forced to deal with law enforcement lest they be physically mistreated, charged with a crime unjustly or even killed. I've seen incidents happen first hand with Bellevue Police, Tacoma Police, Cincinnati Police, DC Police and U.S. Customs in addition to all the video taped incidents that have popped up over the last 5 years or so and the 2nd hand accounts of friends and family who have no reason to lie to me.

I have no need for the respect of someone who continues to be flippant about this stuff and chooses to believe I'm just on the internet lying or exaggerating about this stuff just to for the sake of it.

[HumanCockroach]

And maybe that post makes you like me less. But I have to be honest, at this point I don't care. I'm tired of the rhetoric on the other side of this. These are people's lives being lost.

I have to worry about my daughter, my nieces and nephews not having an absolutely perfect demeanor if they are forced to deal with law enforcement lest they be physically mistreated, charged with a crime unjustly or even killed. I've seen incidents happen first hand with Bellevue Police, Tacoma Police, Cincinnati Police, DC Police and U.S. Customs in addition to all the video taped incidents that have popped up over the last 5 years or so and the 2nd hand accounts of friends and family who have no reason to lie to me.

I have no need for the respect of someone who continues to be flippant about this stuff and chooses to believe I'm just on the internet lying or exaggerating about this stuff just to for the sake of it.

Certainly hope you didn't misunderstand my post Bane, I was pointing out the hypocrisy of those that voice their opinions stringently on these issues, and then condemn another man ( one who actually lives through this garbage) for doing the same... Certainly wasn't defending their opinions..

[burrrton]

And you think a comment like this makes you look smart?

No- just informed, as in I realized the plural of "anecdote" isn't "data" and I pay attention to statistics- black people being shot by police is *not* the huge issue these stupid 'social justice' movements make it out to be.

Most police shootings are committed against 'white' people, and while blacks *do* end up getting shot disproportionate to their share of the population, it's almost completely in line with their share of the violent crime statistics.

Police brutality is something that needs to be addressed, bad cops do exist and should be dealt with harshly, and so on.

However, we need to quit pretending this is some unique and egregious problem only blacks have to deal with. That's as big a load of crap as "HANDS UP DON'T SHOOT", and it does real damage to kids growing up today telling them the police trying to protect their neighborhood are some kind of boogeyman.

[HumanCockroach]

I was saying ^^^^^^

Some people just have an exceedingly overdeveloped sense of worth. Refuse information that is readily available ( like while there are more white people shot, the percentages in relation to actual population is insanely out of whack.. Or the fact that a black teen is insanely more likely to be shot etc... The information is there, but it doesn't coincide with their narrative, so they either ignore it, claim it's liberal media, despite it being FBI and police data, or simply to refuse to acknowledge it)...

The arrogance, smugness and conceit in some people is beyond ridiculous...

[burrrton]

If you are looking for a cross to bear, the sleaze ball reporters that are always looking for a story to report are the ones that you should be mad at as they are the ones that enabled him.

Perhaps this is true.

[HumanCockroach]

And you think a comment like this makes you look smart?

Not worth it folk. This is what he does. Gets bored starts a political or even better in his world racial debate, talks down to people, insults them for actually being human, claims superiority and intelligence ( much like he's done here with Bennett) claims some sort of career success, blames everyone without the same as just lazy or uneducated then rides off until he's bored again...

[kalibane]

HC,

We were posting at the same time. I didn't even see yours.

[kalibane]

No- just informed, as in I realized the plural of "anecdote" isn't "data" and I pay attention to statistics- black people being shot by police is *not* the huge issue these stupid 'social justice' movements make it out to be.

It's not unique. It is egregious. And black people do suffer more. It's been proven time after time in study after study and cops in "training" are quicker to shoot black suspects.

Furthermore, they don't even have good statistics on police shootings because they don't really track them or report them like they should. The Washington Post and the Guardian have better statistics on police shootings than the FBI by their own admission. But here you are in all your arrogance telling black people all across the country, educated and uneducated, wealthy and poor that their experiences fit the same narrative but it's all a figment of their imagination because you have a jumble of cobbled together and woefully incomplete stats that you took from some website's talking points.

[NorthHawk]

To get back to the point of athletes using their soapbox to pontificate about social or other issues, it's because they have a taller soapbox than most people.
Along with free speech as noted above, many people in the public eye believe they have a duty to try to make things better and by pointing out problems or bringing awareness to those problems they can affect some degree of change. Sometimes that's small change, and sometimes it's a large change, but the goal is to make society better as a result and I commend them for at least trying to start the conversation which must precede any real change.

[Hawk Sista]

A person with fame, and hence access to a mic, can say what they want. Michael has some experience and some followers and is choosing to talk about BLM to America. No problem. I personally find it sad that people in here think they already KNOW the answers and are not willing to evolve and learn from anyone. Being a black male with life experiences that are directly related to societal questions with enough fame to get him heard makes him, IMHO, uniquely qualified to discuss such things. It's funny (really more sad than funny) that so many people think Bennett and others don't have knowledge on the subject. He's been a black man his whole life and he has something to say about his experiences. But, if you already know the stats from watching Fox News, by all means...don't listen.

Don't let your personal position on the subject lead you down the dangerous path of telling another American to STFU. It smacks of hypocrisy and rigidity.

[burrrton]

To get back to the point of athletes using their soapbox to pontificate about social or other issues, it's because they have a taller soapbox than most people.

Sure, but when they're being interviewed at training camp, that soapbox isn't there because of their keen insight on social issues. I'd say the same thing about my real estate agent- I'm only listening to the guy because of his judgement of the housing market (etc), not because I'm curious about his feelings on the top marginal tax rate (or whatever)- and I'd also say the same thing if the athlete was promoting one of my pet issues.

Your point about free speech is a fair one- I guess I'd feel differently if he wasn't specifically being interviewed about football, but instead was at, say, a campaign rally or something. It just feels too much like my crazy uncle deciding the holiday BBQ is a great time to harangue everyone about Hillary or Trump.

[burrrton]

Don't let your personal position on the subject lead you down the dangerous path of telling another American to STFU.

"STFU" is too strong and I shouldn't have phrased it that way.

That said, as I said above, it's more the setting than the subject itself. I'd probably just roll my eyes at him if he was at a BLM march and got a mic shoved in his face (and to be fair, he's spoken on this and other things often enough that his commentary probably was appropriate, in my eyes, at times), but if you're being interviewed for and about football, I'd like to be spared his thoughts on unrelated issues.

[edit]

But, if you already know the stats from watching Fox News, by all means...don't listen.

LOL. I can't remember the last time I turned the channel to Fox News other than accidentally, but don't let that stop you from ad hom arguments if it makes you feel better, Sis.

[NorthHawk]

Sure, but when they're being interviewed at training camp, that soapbox isn't there because of their keen insight on social issues. I'd say the same thing about my real estate agent- I'm only listening to the guy because of his judgement of the housing market (etc), not because I'm curious about his feelings on the top marginal tax rate (or whatever)- and I'd also say the same thing if the athlete was promoting one of my pet issues.

Your point about free speech is a fair one- I guess I'd feel differently if he wasn't specifically being interviewed about football, but instead was at, say, a campaign rally or something. It just feels too much like my crazy uncle deciding the holiday BBQ is a great time to harangue everyone about Hillary or Trump.

There's never a real good time to bring up uncomfortable situations, and during a polarizing election it might be worse, but being interviewed is the best time for a player to get attention for what he or she wants to say. They won't have a larger audience than the first few days of the beginning of the season.

I get that it's disappointing in that we view sports as an escape from the daily drudging of problems we are bombarded with, but some of these issues are really important.

[Hawk Sista]

My comments were not directed at you. They are directed at people who don't want to hear what people have to say when they oppose them in general & the vitriol that comes when someone expresses an opinion. I pulled Fox outta my arse because of the subject matter.

[burrrton]

My comments were not directed at you. They are directed at people who don't want to hear what people have to say when they oppose them in general & the vitriol that comes when someone expresses an opinion. I pulled Fox outta my arse because of the subject matter.

Fair enough, Sis. Have a great day.

This should probably be moved to the OT forum- I'll quit posting and bumping it up. We've finally got football to talk about...

[c_hawkbob]

There was nothing ad hominem about what Sis said.

I'm glad she said it and I'm glad to see others voicing opinions that more closely resemble my own, I felt pretty "out on an island" when I said that I stood with both BLM and the Dallas PD shortly after the incident in Dallas.

[Hawktawk]

While i agree with Bennett's right to voice his opinion and with Kal and Sis's assertions that blacks have disproportionately suffered in this country I absolutely do not support an organization like BLM(nor does Richard Sherman).

It was founded on the hands up dont shoot Mike Brown lie and has cost Officers lives. Nothing based on a lie can reveal the truth.
One can be staunchly anti BLM, an urban terror organization IMO, and still favor improvements in the lives of blacks and police interaction with them.
Micheal Jordan recently donated 1 million each to a police organization and to NAACP as opposed to BLM . He had an excellent balanced statement as well.We need balance and reason in this country, not anarchy and lawlessness.

Something has to change. The streets are teeming with weapons. Subjects black white and otherwise and cops are dying. And yes this belongs in OT now.

[c_hawkbob]

To my mind that's like saying the Civil Rights movement or the Women's Rights movement was based upon a single incident.

I can't say I know everything about it but as I see it there is no single entity that is the BLM and hands out marching orders to it's constituents. In fact the BLM "agenda" recently circulated was released by a consortium of 60 different organizations that have chosen to affiliate themselves with the movement. And even that consortium may be a bit presumptuous is saying that they speak for the entire movement.

I see it as individuals that see the sign or the tee shirt and think "yeah, black rlives really do matter and it really is a shame that they can seem less valuable than others because such a large portion of them are poor or underprivileged.

It doesn't mean they matter more than anybody else's lives; some people see an implicit ONLY in front of the phrase, others see a TOO after the phrase.

Black lives matter, Blue lives matter, Red lives matter, White lives matter ... ALL lives matter, saying one group or other does is not saying others don't and I see it as a ridiculous argument to counter one group with another.

[FolkCrusader]

To my mind that's like saying the Civil Rights movement or the Women's Rights movement was based upon a single incident.

I can't say I know everything about it but as I see it there is no single entity that is the BLM and hands out marching orders to it's constituents. In fact the BLM "agenda" recently circulated was released by a consortium of 60 different organizations that have chosen to affiliate themselves with the movement. And even that consortium may be a bit presumptuous is saying that they speak for the entire movement.

I see it as individuals that see the sign or the tee shirt and think "yeah, black rlives really do matter and it really is a shame that they can seem less valuable than others because such a large portion of them are poor or underprivileged.

It doesn't mean they matter more than anybody else's lives; some people see an implicit ONLY in front of the phrase, others see a TOO after the phrase.

Black lives matter, Blue lives matter, Red lives matter, White lives matter ... ALL lives matter, saying one group or other does is not saying others don't and I see it as a ridiculous argument to counter one group with another.

I could not have stated this better. Thank you, Bob,

[kalibane]

Michael Brown is a straw man argument that people use to argue about BLM in order to not have to discuss the issue. BLM is about the justice system, the media and in some ways the country in general not recognizing the value in black lives. It's not about Mike Brown individually it's about the pattern. And what's worse is you aren't party of the "movement" but insist on telling people who are part of it or who support it what it's about.

They excuse the shootings of Tamir Rice and Jon Crawford while not given an opportunity to surrender despite the fact that they were carrying toy guns in a state where it is legal to carry openly. They focus not on the injustice or tragedy of Sandra Bland's death but rather the fact that she had an attitude. They claim Eric Garner would have been fine if he hadn't resisted an unjustified arrest despite the fact that an illegal choke hold was used and pretty much anyone is going to struggle as a physical reflex if they can't breathe. They turned Trayvon Martin into the "Criminal" when it was George Zimmerman (since proven to be an incredibly vile human being who continues to make a living off shooting Martin) who was literally stalking him and provoked a confrontation. It's a movement that is not specifically tied to any one individual.

We live in a country where after Obama won North Carolina a political party did research and found that black people were less likely to have state IDs, More likely to vote on Sundays, more likely to use the first 7 days of early voting and more likely to make use of same day voter registration and proceeded to use their legislative majority to institute a new slate of laws that required state issued ID to vote, eliminated early voting, eliminated Sunday voting and eliminated same day registration. In a country where a county in Georgia issued subpoenas and sent deputies to force black voters to show up and prove their eligibility to vote.

And then people turn around and pretend that in country where this happens that laws are enforced equally and law enforcement officer treat people equally. And the justification they use is "but Michael Brown"... as if the Justice Department didn't also in that same investigation issue a scathing report about widespread systemic racism running rampant through the Ferguson Police Department.

And that is the point... the systematic racism in police enforcement, but you know why deal with that when you can point to one case where some of the reports might have been wrong?

[HumanCockroach]

To my mind that's like saying the Civil Rights movement or the Women's Rights movement was based upon a single incident.

I can't say I know everything about it but as I see it there is no single entity that is the BLM and hands out marching orders to it's constituents. In fact the BLM "agenda" recently circulated was released by a consortium of 60 different organizations that have chosen to affiliate themselves with the movement. And even that consortium may be a bit presumptuous is saying that they speak for the entire movement.

I see it as individuals that see the sign or the tee shirt and think "yeah, black rlives really do matter and it really is a shame that they can seem less valuable than others because such a large portion of them are poor or underprivileged.

It doesn't mean they matter more than anybody else's lives; some people see an implicit ONLY in front of the phrase, others see a TOO after the phrase.

Black lives matter, Blue lives matter, Red lives matter, White lives matter ... ALL lives matter, saying one group or other does is not saying others don't and I see it as a ridiculous argument to counter one group with another.

Absolutely, perfect. Not sure when saying whatever life matters became no one else's does. Said the same on FB when Sherman made those statements.

[RiverDog]

Sorry to veer this thread away from the OP, but welcome back, Kal! Your absence was missed.

[RiverDog]

While I do agree that players, at least when being interviewed about football, should do what we are supposed to do in this forum, and that is stay on topic, I am not going to call on him to STFU as others have done. What should have happened is that the reporter should have said "sorry, Michael, but we're here to talk Seahawk football." IMO if Michael wants to speak out, then he can hold his own press conference. But I do defend Bennett's right to voice his opinion where ever and when ever there is someone that will listen.

As far as the topic at hand, I do agree with Kal in that it is not a subject that requires some type of special training or resume. And I do not have a problem with people calling attention to some of the facts involving recent events, and that includes peaceful demonstrations, of which some have turned out quite well, including blacks crossing the yellow barricade ribbons to shake hands with white cops. That's something you never saw during the 1960's, the decade in which I cut my teeth in. So it helps to keep things in perspective. The country is not going to hell in a hand basket.

I don't have a problem with what's being said on either side of the issue, rather I think it's time to turn the discussion towards root causes and solutions. I am not convinced that it is all about race, at least not in every case. Some of the police misconduct has involved black police officers, ie one of the cops that gave the Baltimore kid a "rough ride" was black and the black female cop in South Carolina that stood over a wounded black kid as one would stand over a hunted game, not thinking to render first aid as she almost assuredly had been trained to do.

So what's the reason why we've had so many incidents? Is it a lack of training? Are we not doing a good enough job of screening candidates? Are we not getting enough minority candidates to apply for police jobs? And is there something else besides protest and speak out that the black community can do to help, such as speaking out, as Charles Barkley did, about the crime rate of blacks vs. whites and Asians? (actually Barkley's comments were about black on black crime.) A lower crime rate means fewer contacts with police.

Football season can't come soon enough, can it?

[c_hawkbob]

The reporter asked him about his shirt, (and would have been remiss had he not), totally appropriate on both sides.

[HumanCockroach]

Yep ^^^^^^^^^^

Seems odd that no one says something similar about "sticking to football" when it's a "reporter" dressed up as a horse asking who has better looking women or how a players dog is doing come SB Sunday...

Then it's " it's your job to talk too these idiots" as soon as a player says something someone doesn't like, it's instantly "shut up and talk about just football"...

[burrrton]

As far as the topic at hand, I do agree with Kal in that it is not a subject that requires some type of special training or resume.

That's true, and that particular rant was phrased poorly. I'd just like to see a little acknowledgment of the actual statistics (police are not hunting black men, shootings are not up, blacks are not shot any more than criminal activity would predict, and so on), and maybe more specific recommendations- does he want the police to pay less attention to high-crime areas to reduce minority interactions? I doubt it.

There aren't a lot of easy answers to the issues that do exist, and hollering "SOCIAL CHANGE" like some 15yo on Reddit doesn't get anyone any closer to them.

Football season can't come soon enough, can it?

Nope.

[monkey]

Florio this morning on the drive to work was trying to bend that into an implicit indictment of Russell (who he says has a better contract than Cam) as falling into the same 'privileged but silent" category and tried to tie that into the "Wilson is not black enough" theme of a couple years back.

See, I hear this and it just enforces what I said in my OP.

Florio is right that, since Wilson is a black QB (whatever that even means anymore), in a way Bennett is implicitly calling him out. However, I very much doubt that thought ever even occurred to Bennett as he was making that statement about Cam, not because Wilson isn't "black enough", whatever the heck that means, but rather, because Wilson's so straight laced. Bennett wouldn't call out Wilson directly, because Bennett knows that Wilson would be unlikely to support any group that has been shown to use illegal activities, and or violence to promote their version of justice.

That's the problem with one player calling for other players to speak out on social change. Another player may not AGREE that we need the kind of social change Bennett is advocating, and might call for a radically different kind of change altogether.

I don't know where Wilson is politically, but I do know that he follows the Bible, and I do know that the Bible tells us that we are to obey those who are placed in power over us, (law enforcement, and such).

What if Russell Wilson, who is a Christian, decided to use his celebrity to speak out against abortion?
That's social change right? We have legalized abortion right now, and there are millions of people, including black athletes who are not in favor, and would love to see a change.
Does anyone actually believe that Bennett is calling for that?

So let's not get it twisted, call it what it really is.
It's a guy, who is really caught up with the politics of a movement which is at best, using a combination of legal and illegal civil protests, riots, and violence, in order to get what they believe is justice, and he's calling for other black athletes to use their status as athletes to not only join in themselves, but to encourage others to join in as well.

Furthermore, as an employee of the Seattle Seahawks, a team in the NFL, and therefore, a representative of both, he actually does NOT have the right to "say whatever he wants", as so many people have claimed he does. Not at an NFL sanctioned press conference!
I certainly cannot say whatever I want at my job! No one can. At least not without facing the consequences.
Contractually, if the NFL told him to shut up about Black Lives Matter, because the NFL didn't endorse their anti police stance, then either he would comply, or he could be subject to fines, suspensions, and even dismissal.

[kalibane]

Stop with the statistics. Statistics with no context mean nothing. You want some statistics? How about these?

White people and black peoples use drugs at s nearly identical rate. Black people are arrested for drugs at a much higher rate and receive harsher sentences. Black men are stopped/arrested for shoplifting at the highest rate per capita of any race/gender segment of the population but have one of the lowest rates of actually shoplifting. The population that has the highest rate of shoplifting is white women who are stopped or arrested at one of the lowest rates.

Your statistics about police violence and crime are not only deficient in terms of actually having reliable stats due to lack of good tracking but they are informed by a predisposed assumption that black people commit more crimes, which is based on stereotype. When you are constantly targeting one segment of the population and not giving as much attention to others, you are going to find more crime as a result of your focus.

It's like the NY stop and frisk. Your going to generate more crime statistics for black men if all you're doing is stopping and frisking black men. Your so called stats are juked by indirect bias if not intent.