Vick’s and Lewis’ own muddled pasts with the law—like lying about running a dogfighting ring (Vick) and pleading guiltyto obstruction of justice in a case involving the killing of two people (Lewis)—make them curious options to trumpet their respectable instructions to a man who has never been in trouble with the law.
But their murky pasts don’t disqualify them from embracing the respectable mores that have earned the respect of white NFL elites determined to punish Kaepernick for his activism.
In effect, Lewis and Vick have become a reformed version of respectability designed to keep black men like Kaepernick in their place.
To be clear, being respectable is not about “cooning.” Instead, it’s a well-meaning survival tactic, even if it often risks subjugating our humanity for white approval. When Vick advised Kaepernick to cut his hair (a statement he quickly walked back), I believe he was looking out for the player’s best interests. And Lewis’ Facebook video post Tuesday afternoon advising him to stay quiet about his off-the-field social justice work came from a place of sincere concern.
Just play football.
Get a roster spot.
You’ve done your part.
Don’t talk about that race stuff too much.
This is very typical, well-meaning, respectable advice that some black people have lived by for generations in hopes of not making white folks angry. Of course, detractors on social media have raked Lewis and Vick over the coals, calling the men Uncle Toms. Such responses are understandable but fail to flesh out the complex realities of how black people elect to survive in a country that wages a violent, nonstop campaign against our well-being. The chasm between Kaepernick and the respectable black men calling for him to recalibrate his approach stems from two very divergent outlooks.
Kaepernick is indicting white supremacy. Vick and Lewis are simply trying to survive in it. The two approaches will never reconcile; nor should they.
http://www.theroot.com/respectable-..._source=theroot_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
But their murky pasts don’t disqualify them from embracing the respectable mores that have earned the respect of white NFL elites determined to punish Kaepernick for his activism.
In effect, Lewis and Vick have become a reformed version of respectability designed to keep black men like Kaepernick in their place.
To be clear, being respectable is not about “cooning.” Instead, it’s a well-meaning survival tactic, even if it often risks subjugating our humanity for white approval. When Vick advised Kaepernick to cut his hair (a statement he quickly walked back), I believe he was looking out for the player’s best interests. And Lewis’ Facebook video post Tuesday afternoon advising him to stay quiet about his off-the-field social justice work came from a place of sincere concern.
Just play football.
Get a roster spot.
You’ve done your part.
Don’t talk about that race stuff too much.
This is very typical, well-meaning, respectable advice that some black people have lived by for generations in hopes of not making white folks angry. Of course, detractors on social media have raked Lewis and Vick over the coals, calling the men Uncle Toms. Such responses are understandable but fail to flesh out the complex realities of how black people elect to survive in a country that wages a violent, nonstop campaign against our well-being. The chasm between Kaepernick and the respectable black men calling for him to recalibrate his approach stems from two very divergent outlooks.
Kaepernick is indicting white supremacy. Vick and Lewis are simply trying to survive in it. The two approaches will never reconcile; nor should they.
http://www.theroot.com/respectable-..._source=theroot_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
