Failing College Demands Ridiculous Apology from Nike
23.5% of Truett – McConnell University graduates finish within six years.[i] The rest – don’t finish at all. Truett – McConnell has an excessively high transfer rate and an excessively low graduation rate for four-year bachelor’s degree. In 2013, the traditional graduation rate for the small christian college was only 13%. That means 87% of the young minds that enter the institution are not successful. Time Magazine called the school a drop out factory.[ii]
You would think with graduation rates like that – this small private school in rural Georgia would have stopped wearing Nikes a long time ago to focus on education. But alas, the president of this private institution made an announcement that they would discontinue their relationship with Nike. Sounds like good news for the parents who shell out $27,000 in tuition and fees per year. That extra space in the book store could be used for the books necessary to graduate on time.
In his Facebook post announcing his decision to stop Nike sales on campus, President Canor made it clear he knew that Colin Kaepernick’s protest was an effort to speak out against excessive force by law enforcement. Rather than focus on a point we can all agree on — i.e. bad cops make good cops look bad, the president of this small university decided to jump on the Trump bandwagon of division.
The great American writer James Baldwin said it best, “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” How can one wear a #MAGA hat, which infers America is not great now, yet be upset with Colin Kaepernick for kneeling because he does not believe America has reached it’s greatness for all citizens yet? Why is it #MAGA and self-proclaimed deplorables get to determine which parts of America can be criticized and where such criticism is allowed.
Let us not forget, for months the President has been complaining about the Mueller investigation claiming they have gone too far. Hello —- that is law enforcement using their power and exhibiting more force than necessary according to President Trump. Except when an excessive amount of force is used against common citizens someone may end up dead.
Hopefully, when Americans who have tried to ignore the issue of excessive force get tired of boycotting the NFL, Nike, and Kaepernick they will finally be willing to talk about one of the last brutal vestiges of our history. There is no running from it. You are only delaying the inevitable. Think about it. If people are dying from unlawful use of force do you think people are just going to shrug their shoulders and forget about it?
Let’s spend less time talking how one chooses to bring attention to the issue of excessive force and come together to create real solutions to the issue itself. However, protest is the right of the Truett McConnell University president as it is the right of Colin Kaepernick. I won’t dare tell someone how and when they should protest as that is the exact opposite of the point of a protest. But I am all too happy to point out the inherent hypocrisy in their protest.
I have a word or two for anyone preparing to complain about respect for the veterans and the flag …. WE KNOW! We all know that you know this issue has nothing to do with the flag. We all know that you know the idea to kneel was suggested by a veteran. We all know that you know in America, kneeling has always been the ultimate sign of respect. I am sure at Truett McConnell University they kneel for prayer in church. I’m sure at Truett McConnell University if one of their players, who no longer wear Nike, gets hurt while playing a sport the entire team kneels. We know that this anger at Colin, Nike, and the NFL are all manufactured outrage to avoid addressing an uncomfortable topic. WE KNOW!
We know that you know ….
Some of us will keep bringing up this issue whether you burn your toes off or not. We will continue to fight for Kenneth Chamberlin Sr. the retired Marine who was shot in his home by White Plains police in 2011.[iii] We will continue to kneel for James Erik Washington, the Navy veteran shot by Portland law enforcement in June of this year.[iv] [v] [vi] [vii] [viii] [ix] Because if it is truly about respecting veterans then let’s respect ALL veterans as they are dying at the hands of excessive force as well.
Some of us will continue to annoy you with kneeling, fist in the air, and nonstop talking about this issue in support of those GREAT cops whose jobs are made harder because of those few bad cops out there. Someone reading this is going to say, “why not focus on crime in Chicago?” The answer is simple, for the same reason the president of Truett McConnell is not focusing on his graduation rate instead of his team apparel.
P.S. If you are discussing Nike, burning Ford Trucks, or otherwise outwardly boycotting anything else that supports Colin YOU ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE KNEELING WAS INTENDED TO MAKE YOU DO! You are keeping the discussion alive long enough for those of us who care to pressure our local governments into fixing this longstanding issue. Each time one of you complain about Nike you give someone like me the chance to remind you this is about excessive force.
Kneel with me people and say out loud the names of the veterans who died at the hands of law enforcement – let us stop dividing and rather combine our concerns for them. John Wrana, Richard Black, Anthony Hill, Elliot Williams, Jason Erik Washington, Arminder Singh Shergill …. and many more not included.
[i] https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/truett-mcconnell-college/academic-life/graduation-and-retention/
[ii] http://time.com/money/2891693/dropout-factories-diploma-mills/
[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Kenneth_Chamberlain_Sr.
[iv] http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-john-wrana-textbook-police-force-case-kass-0111-20150111-column.html
[v] https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/08/03/vietnam-vet-killed-by-police-may-not-have-heard-orders-to-drop-his-gun-chief-says/
[vi] https://www.myajc.com/news/crime–law/will-judge-drop-charges-against-dekalb-cop-who-killed-naked-veteran/ZcqxdTsII8ebDX4TgxoikK/
[vii] https://www.thedailybeast.com/cops-taunted-black-veteran-as-he-died
[viii] https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/07/03/navy-veteran-killed-campus-police-had-concealed-gun-permit.html
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LaDawn LBJ Jones
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I agree with your article. Truett McConnell university is run by the Georgia Baptist Convention and is a very conservative institution.
Killings of individuals by cops has steadily increased in the last ten years. Wikipedia has killings by cops listed and 2009 had 73. So far 2018 has 356. Bad training? Prevalence of guns making cops more fearful? More lethal firearms carried by cops? More meth heads on the street? I do not know.
161 cops were killed in the line of duty in 2010. 73 so far as of June 2018. 133 were killed in 2017. So cop killings are staying fairly steady.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_police_officers_killed_in_the_line_of_duty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_the_United_States
Isnt the murder rate a far larger problem than just for cops?
What are the stats of black on black crime? Minority on minority crime? White on white crime? What are the stats on illegal alien crimes? Aren’t all killings bad? Or just the ones that gin up votes and the most hatred? A way to pass the buck.
Does anyone want to argue race relations and opportunities for everyone are not light years better year after year? Of course one party does not want that to improve. They lose votes if it does.
You cant even say the N word today without being attacked, ridiculed or thrown out of office. I am not advocating using that word at all. It is hateful. The point is it should not be part of everyday language and it is not.
To go around calling everyone you disagree with a racist or worse is hateful if not worse isn’t it? Wasn’t that what Obama was doing the other day? Its deplorable isn’t it? Why did he break tradition and not keep his trap shut like every other ex- president? Because the libs deserve to get hammered at the polls this November and he is throwing them a live vest.
“You cant even say the N word today without being attacked, ridiculed or thrown out of office.”
Granted your whole post is what-about-ism and verbal diarrhea, it was nice to see you really let your true self shine through in that one sentence. Your faux qualifier after the sentence didn’t really take away from the meat of what you’re trying to say. So just keep on keepin on man.
” what-about-ism”.
Meaning pointing out Lib Hypocrisy. Like Holy Water to Dracula!! Watching yall recoil is hysterical!
And regarding the “N” word, why is it that Blacks can use that word multiple time in a sentence when addressing each other? Is it not a slur when they use it? Help me out…
@Noway2016 I’m so glad you asked that question. Best explanation is given by American writer Ta-Nehisi Coates check out his video at the link. But in case you don’t want to dedicate 4 min of you life to watch – here is the summary. The question you SHOULD be asking is “why do white people have difficulty expressing basic, human, cultural agreements to black people in America?” The agreement here being – not using, not being able to use, and not wanting to use the N word.
In American culture there are tons of off limit words. You don’t call a woman a B word. You don’t say the F word in front of a priest or reverend. Although there is not an “official law” prohibiting such -we just do it out of decency and respect as people. Why sir, is that a difficult concept to understand? Why do some white people not want to extend a very basic act of decency for black people that we do to other parts of American society.
LMAO!! Great non-answer LaDawn!! Simple Question, really! Why can black folks use it with abandon ? The word is abhorrent! Try again…
OK, Noway, first, it’s clear that you asked the question disingenuously— that you weren’t really looking for an answer, but only have your own “right” answer in mind.
In that case, don’t insult anyone by pretending you even care.
Second- LaDawn provided a perfectly good answer. Did you watch the video? Because it also provides answers.
Third, if you had watched the video, the answer LaDawn is endorsing is that Africans-Americans can use it because it is embedded in the context of their community relationships.
I.e. within that relationship, and within the right contexts, it won’t be considered abhorrent.
Of course, even within those community-based relationships, How things are said, and the individualized context, matter.
So stop pretending like you’re either ignorant or that you know best. And stop believing your own BS on matters you clearly know little about, and try listening once in a while.
Even if no other ex-Pres. had ever done so before, it could just be considered breaking new ground- someone who disrupts things to get things done, perhaps. Regardless, it certainly doesn’t justify such a disrespectful “Shut up and dribble” comment.
And, btw, DTM, this is not a politically-manufactured crisis. You want the issue to go away- be part of the solution. Or shut your trap, and let the adults handle it.
@DTM
Why do you not look on the web and find out the answers to your questions? Lazy?
“Does anyone want to argue race relations and opportunities for everyone are not light years better year after year? ”
.
Enormous progress yes, but much yet to be done. We happen to currently be in a one-step back phase, an argument better had with my dining room table.
Sez you…
Here is a response to the TPC video. https://chamblee54.wordpress.com/2017/11/12/about-that-ta-nehisi-coates-video/
I am tired of the kneeler controversy. Both sides are right. Police should not kill unarmed black people. The flag, and the national anthem should be respected. Just because you intend a gesture to mean something does not mean people are not going to be offended for different reasons.
But above all, I am tired of Nike. The controversy was quieting down, when Nike fired it up again. Nike is making an existing conflict worse to sell shoes.
@Chamblee54 I agree wholeheartedly that you cannot dictate how someone may receive your gesture. But I challenge anyone who takes offense at an issue like this which has captivated America since 2016 to check themselves by weighting the two issues and selecting which you think is more important to yourself and the country as a whole. Myself included. If you’re offended at kneeling (despite what kneeling means in EVERY OTHER CONTEXT OF AMERICA) the next question is … what about it is offensive? Then you ask why is the other person doing this offensive act? What do I think about the other persons issue in comparison to the thing that makes me offended? How do I value those two things? USED IN THE CASE OF KNEELING DURING ANTHEM VS. POLICE BRUTALITY- What is offensive about kneeling during the anthem – it appears the people kneeling are attempting to disrespect our service people. What do I think about excessive force by the police – do I agree it is a problem or not? If I do agree excessive force is a problem in America, how do I value a perceived level of disrespect by taking a knee vs. people dying due to excessive force?
In my view I can’t value the act of kneeling nearly as important as people dying unnecessarily by the hands of government actors. Unless you are one of those who doesn’t believe excessive force is a thing – I would hope you would rank excessive force higher too. Especially in light of the kneelers own words and actions on this issue. Nike may sell shoes but they kept an issue going so that you and I can have this discussion ….
The logic on this issue is astounding.
I don’t care if the jocks kneel.
All I say is that the people who want to see the flag respected have a valid point.
I have little patience for people who are quick to label the people, who are offended by the kneeling gesture, as racist.
I have read your response twice, and am having a tough time making sense of it.
If you read LaDawn’s initial response to you, it clearly allows that people may legitimately feel that standing during the anthem is somehow more respectful. I.e. She recognizes the legitimacy of your position.
She then asks you to recognize the legitimacy of hers. Then put those interests onto the scales of justice.
She listened and heard validity in your position. Did you listen and seek validity for hers?
I swear, if there are two things that could ruin this country it’s the lack of compassion/empathy, and the lack of reading comprehension.
I read her response twice. I could not make heads or tails of it.
My primary concern was the Ta-Nehisi Coates video. I have heard nothing more about my response to this video.
Smashing a tennis racket onto the court.
Okay @chamblee54 since your offended, can you please list ONE example of where kneeling in America is considered a sign of disrespect. I can’t think of any until someone decided to use it as a speaking point to avoid talking about excessive force.
We kneel in church
We kneel if someone is injured on the field
We kneel in America to show respect – in this case he did it to show respect AND bring attention to the issue of excessive force.
Please give me an example where kneeling is bad?
In the current context, many people feel that kneeling during the national anthem disrupts their ritual patriotism. These people feel that it is disrespectful to kneel in this case. They are entitled to their opinion.
Do you know of any officer involved shootings that have been prevented by the NFL protests?
That’s a subjective question 54 – The idea is not to directly prevent but to draw attention to an issue in the hopes of people saying why does this occur, how come we are settling multi-dollar wrongful death suits with our tax money or how can we prevent this? How many departments now have officer cameras? Maybe some one who started thinking about this and talks to police personal might of asked – What does your department have for training? How does your department engage and educate the public. I was watching Live PD with my friend and her hubby – he was not aware that an officer can handcuff (detain) a person if they are alone or if they have cause, or you or your car might fit the description of a reported bank robber. He point blank said he would have freaked out if he was put in cuffs when he knew he didn’t do anything wrong, but now he knows.
Maybe Live PD saved some one from being in an Officer involved shooting by learning that. Or maybe it was because some one kneeled and another person asked questions and everyone got a better understanding – some education – on how to do better.
It’s also the dumbest question you could ask.
Because either you’re asking for proof for something that didn’t happen, or asking for proof why something that did happen was prevented. The former is a counterfactual hypothetical, the latter couldn’t be solved with an Einstein-Rosen bridge.
Instead, 54, just ask if the protests are productive- i.e. are they raising awareness? Even then, you’d have to calculate how intervening politics has effected the ability of the protest to raise awareness? E.g. what if the Pres. had supported the cause of the protests?
OMFG… I hear Trumpists’ heads exploding.
Here we get into the intention vs result dilemma.
My intent in posting was to link to a blog post. The post was a response to a preposterous video made by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
According to WordPress, nobody has looked at that post. Fair enough.
A short comment, expressing weariness about a manufactured controversy, gets a response. These responses display the same facebook logic that is a feature of such discussions.
Sooooo you’re miffed that no one went to your blog and instead commented on the post that brung em?…
“Oh so rappers can say it all the time, but when I use the word TWICE to the waiter they ask me to leave the Cheesecake Factory.” — Noway2016
First if all, those were not my words. Those were a made up quote by Drew. For what reason, I don’t know. He’s insinuating that I said that quote. It is a lie.
Blacks use the N word with troubling regularity. That was my point. I never said that word in Snivler’s Cheezecake example of anywhere else.
You say you don’t use that word. So why does it concern you that blacks sometimes use the word?
Because the word is repugnant when used by anyone. Or it should be. Give a listen to Will Smith in the “Reggie” scene in Bad Boys 2…. Nobody says a word.
Testy because you made up a fictitious quote supposedly said by me. All anyone has to see that you’re a slanderous liar is to scroll up a few lines and see for themselves. You’re a desperate man who can’t come to grips with 2016. So, it’s name calling to the extreme. You’re a piece of garbage, Drew and everyone who has read your posts here knows it. Even those on the other side can look for themselves and see that un this instance, you’re a deliberate liar. And no one is surprised.
It’s about boundaries and respecting them. My children can call me Mom but you may not. Understand?
I nominate Noway to be the adjudicator of what anyone else can say to anyone else. and whether they should then be offended or not.
Well, Noway like most conservatives is authoritarian.
Caroline, who called you mom? I don’t have time to read through all of these threads. That seems a bit to familiar in my opinion. Now Andrew seems to think me and NOWAY aint got 20 years left between us but at least he didn’t call me dad or Gramps!
For God’s sake, get over yourselves!!
Noway, you cannot talk sense to some people. As John Heywood said in 1546, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” That holds true today more than ever.
A bunch of angry white men violated the law by defiantly dumping some tea that didn’t belong to them into a harbor. This unlawful and unpatriotic act pissed off the King and started a war.
Right Gregs. It sounds like the lib’s are so pissed the we American taxpayers can actually keep a few more sheckles in our paychecks that they now want to steal that back from all of us! Amazing isnt it?
I would think the same Washington libs may drive us so batty that we may want to flee America and go back and take over England.
We fled across the ocean to get away from them once before, now they came over here, screw up America and may drive us back across the ocean to get away from them once again.
Isnt that what literally happened when liberals ran trillions of dollars overseas and millions of jobs because of their stupid policies? They fled to get away from their confiscation.
Heck Trump brought that back trillions of dollars stuck overseas and is creating millions of jobs here and somehow these numbnut socialists want that reversed? Help me please. Is anyone bright enough to explain such liberal idiocy to me?
One man’s patriot is another’s criminal traitor. It’s all about who writes the narrative. #boycotttombrady, #boycotttheteaparty!, #deportrobertkraft