I Don't Agree With It...But I Understand

Before you tell Kaepernick to "go back to Africa" or jump headlong to his defense there are a few things you should consider. (Photo: thecollegetailgate.com)

After Jim Harbaugh was forced out of the organization in 2014, Kaepernick found himself on an island.  If you watched 49ers football after he earned the starting QB job, Harbaugh seemed to be his biggest, if not only fan.  With the only buffer between him and his teammates gone, the 2015 season was predictably disastrous.  The 49ers have been trying to trade him, per his request, all off-season.

What does any of this have to do with his refusal to stand?

Everything.  Since Chip Kelly became the coach, Kaepernick's days in a San Francisco uniform have been numbered despite what's been said publicly.  Blaine Gabbert, a QB who's skills are a better fit for head coach Chip Kelly's offense, is rumored to have the inside track on the starting job.  Reports out of San Francisco labeled the former star as problematic in the locker room, behaving as if he was already on the way out and not really involved in the team's game plan.  So what do you do if you're a football player who can't play football?  The obvious answer is "be a professional and do what they pay you to do."  I've watched football long enough, however, to know its a mental grind to prepare every week for 16 weeks as if you're going to play and then hold a clipboard on game day.  It's very easy to lose focus, especially when your new head coach has been accused by multiple former players of being a racist.

Chip Kelly and Riley Cooper (Photo: phillyinfluencer.com)

When he was the Eagles head coach/general manager, Chip Kelly refused to discipline Riley Cooper for being caught on camera at a Kenny Chesney concert saying that he would "fight every nigger here." In fact, he was re-signed to a 5 year $22.5 million deal that was grossly disproportionate to his talent level.  Instead, Chip traded away the Eagles best and most outspoken black players during the the following 3 off seasons.  In 2015, long time Eagle and star running back LeSean McCoy said Kelly "got rid of all the good black players" after he was traded to Buffalo. Brandon Boykin, the Eagles' starting cornerback, said after he was traded to Pittsburgh, "[he] is uncomfortable around grown men of our culture."  In 2013 star wide reciever DeSean Jackson pointed out that he was released after his best season for the team.  Sports media blasted the move and the Eagles tried to justify it by launching a smear campaign to tie him to gang activity in his old  California hometown rather than anything football related.  Wide reciever Jeremy Maclin had his best statistical season after Jackson's release but Kelly didn't keep him either, refusing to match a reasonable offer sheet from the Kansas City Chiefs that would have kept him in Philly.  Even a former Eagles assistant coach and player Tra Thomas couldn't help but point out how many players felt there was a "hint of racism" in Kelly's locker room even if they didn't say it publicly.

It's not so far fetched to think that a man who feels as isolated as Kaepernick, who's star has fallen so far, who has seemingly lost his purpose, could see the hiring of Kelly as the final straw.  I'm not suggesting that football players can't be fully engaged in their jobs and care about social issues.  What I am saying is that when you have a burning desire to win, as I assume most NFL players have, and your primary vehicle for achieving that sense of victory is taken from you, no one seems to be in your corner, and your new boss is a man who's known for have issues with black men, it's not far fetched that Kaepernick could suddenly change his focus.

Why do you doubt his sincerity?

I don't.  At least I don't doubt that he believes he's being sincere.  I just wonder if his professional life was in order, would he be saying anything?  It doesn't make his statements and his assessment of our current climate any less true.  But would he be saying anything if his job was secure?  An article on Businessinsider.com notes that Kaepernick's social media postings were pretty typical for a young athlete until last October, when they turned decidedly more pro-black.  That's about a month before his poor play got him benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert.  Trayvon Martin, Rekiya Boyd, Ramarley Graham, and Kenneth Chamberlain were all killed when he was still basking in the glow of a Super Bowl run in 2012 not saying a word.  LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul have all taken stances vocally denouncing police brutality and all are not only in still the prime of their careers/influence, they're doing it while still respecting our country's traditions.  This is something I can't have selective memory about as if his not standing is the only way to bring attention to an issue that's getting more attention than ever before.  No, he's not the first athlete to do it and probably won't be the last.  I can say, however, that Kaepernick's stunt, whether he intended to or not, is drawing more attention to himself rather than the cause.

So you agree that he should leave if he doesn't like the opportunities he's been given in America, right?

Please.  Delving into the hypocrisy of that statement would be longer than a grad school dissertation. There is nothing black people have in the United States that hasn't been paid for in blood.  Statements like that come from the same mindset that thinks black folks should be thanking America for "saving" us from Africa via the slave trade.  If you think that, then you should be thanking us for the Tuskeegee Airmen, Dr. Charles Drew, Fredrick Douglass, George Washington Carver, and all the money and power you've enjoyed from centuries of our forced labor.  He's American.  He has the same right to free speech and protest that these guys do...

It's his birthright as much as it is yours.  His play and hard work earned his spot on the team just like his play is costing it.  Gratitude has nothing to do with it.


Why don't they just cut him?


I'll let Yahoo! Sports Charles Robinson explain...

So the 49ers have financial protection to keep Kaepernick. But there is also some financial incentive to release him. What couldn’t be foreseen in all this contract planning was the protest twist, which adds another element of drama to the equation. While the 49ers have stated their support for Kaepernick’s stance, there is an underlying reality that exists for virtually every NFL team (aside from maybe the Dallas Cowboys). Most front offices and coaching staffs attempt to practice drama-avoidance when it comes to a team’s makeup. While exceptions happen for exceptional players, backups are rarely afforded significant breaks. And right now, Kaepernick is a seemingly fading backup who has lingering physical issues and future salaries that don’t match his contributions. Teams rarely go out of their way to accommodate players like that.This is where the 49ers run into a mess of converging issues. While Kaepernick’s football state and future salaries would suggest a departure is the wisest choice, there is now an optics problem. While the team would surely suggest cutting Kaepernick is a football-only decision, there will be no shortage of skeptics who suggest the move is related to his protest or social views. It also doesn’t help that Kelly suffered criticism from NFL players in the past, over such roster decisions as the retention of Philadelphia Eagles wideout Riley Cooper (after he used a racial epithet) and the jettisoning of LeSean McCoy, who condemned Kelly’s relationship with black players. -- Charles Robinson 8/29/16 Yahoo! Sports "How big are the consequences for the 49ers if they cut Colin Kaepernick?"

In a nutshell, it would look really really bad if they cut him now.

So what's your point?

My point is that I've seen what real sports activism looks like.  Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James are consistent not only with their time but with their money and their words.  They haven't only done it when its convenient or have anything to gain.

The difference between a moment and a movement is sacrifice.

Was Kaepernick's act brave?  Does he have the right to do it?  Is his argument true?  Absolutely on all three counts, but the idea that he's simply woken up to the struggles his people ignores the larger context of his life right now.  He's soon to be a man without a job and that was before he "took a stand."  If that's what he wants to do with the next phase of his life and he's choosing now to set that up, more power to him.  I'm just not ready to jump on the bandwagon until I see some consistency and I know his motives are clear.  The messenger matters as much as the message and I think we need a better spokesman.

Agree/Disagree?  Think I'm full of it?  Sound off the the comment section below!  Don't forget to like share and subscribe if you want to see more posts like this.  

...Til Next Week!

Do You Really Want to Be Famous?

I think most of us associate fame with riches as if they're inextricably linked but Joe Frazier died broke and I bet no one reading this can name the CEO of Coca Cola without Google.  (Muhtar Kent, 1.6m in 2015) There are ways to the promised land without putting yourself in the public eye. This is why I have so much respect for my creative people. Singers, actors, comedians, writers, poets, artists (music and illustrative), dancers and people coming up with new ways to entertain us in ways they haven't quite categorized yet. There is nothing braver than standing in front of the world and saying "this is what I can do. Judge me." Being paid for being your authentic self is something most of us place firmly in the "LOL that'll NEVER happen" category but the ones that survive the experience, feel a euphoria that few can relate to.  That success, however, comes with a cost. Sometimes you sell your privacy, your dignity, and the very right to be respected as a human being because you're a public figure.  Some people think they own you and there's hell to pay if you disagree. The type of personal hell Leslie Jones is experiencing right now. Her public shaming has taken a vicious turn that goes well beyond racism, well beyond sexism, and well beyond sanity.  What's happening to her should be reserved for rapists, pedophiles, thieves, murderers, and corrupt politicians.  Her crime?  She got paid to make a movie you didn't like.  

The idea you can tell people how to react to their own experiences is something I'm all too familiar with. (Photo: Dailymail.co.uk)

Side note, the art of knowing when to shut the fuck up has been lost in this country so I cordially invite you, who think you have the right to hide behind a keyboard and be evil to someone you never met, to attend a refresher course, here, at the Wanderer's Voice.  Where discretion isn't just a multi-syllabic word you pull out of your ass to impress your friends, its an effective tool for knowing what you should do when trying to comment on something isn't in your lane.  

Lesson #1
Are you even old enough to remember the original Ghostbusters or its Bobby Brown themed sequel?  No? 

Then by all means...Shut the fuck up.

Lesson #2
If you are old enough to remember the movie and simply don't like what they've done with the reboot are you obligated by law or some other irresistible force to spend your money on the film?  No?

I refer you to the answer above.

Lesson #3
This is the really important one so pay attention.  If you think she deserves what is happening to her, and misogynoir (I learned a word today!) has nothing to do with it, do you feel that any other member of the cast should be subjected to the same treatment?  Have they been subjected to the same treatment?  No?

Then I invite you to re-read the answer to Lesson #1

Reinforcement is so important.


Now, ask yourself why hasn't Ryan Lochte hasn't been subjected to this level of abuse?  He created an international incident and legitimately embarrassed the country.  I've barely seen a meme.  

Ok a few memes.

Why hasn't Roger Ailes, former CEO of Fox News , who sexually harassed women on his staff for decades before his forced resignation, being treated to this level of shaming?  The man is literally a rapist.  Instead, he gets a cushy job with his fellow misogynist, Donald Trump instead of the proverbial burning at the social media (and likely criminal) stake that he deserves.

You don't like her movie? Don't see it. You don't like her style of comedy?  Don't watch it. I'm not a fan of hers for reasons that I'll discuss in another blog post but I'm perfectly ok with not calling her names or hoping to shame her for doing what's none of my (or anyone's) business behind closed doors.  Is this a price worth paying for fame? The idealist in me wants to pick up America and rattle it until the dregs who get off on this type of behavior fall into the Atlantic but I'm also a realist.  Leslie isn't the first and won't be the last because anonymity has brought ugliness and by extension the backlash to fame to an entirely new level.  As much as we'd all like to be rich, is it worth having to practically become public property to get there?  Some of us are a little more sensitive to that trade than others, especially when attacks like this tend to confirm our worst fears.  Sometimes, the price of fame can be too high.  

Like this post?  Hate this post?  Let me know in the comments below!

Please Like share and subscribe if you want to see more posts like this!

...Til next week!

Shark Tank, Jersey Style (#Fownderslive @ Red Bull Arena Newark, NJ)

Last night I had the privilege of attending a business workshop organized by Fownders, Newark. Fownders is a non-profit business incubator determined to make Newark a major hub of entrepreneurship.  Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the entire event since I have a day job but the business pitches I heard during their "shark tank"-like competition gave me a lot of hope that not only does Fownders have the right idea but there is a wealth of untapped talent in the Brick City.  Below I've listed a few of the companies that made their pitch last night.  I've limited it to the ones that really impressed me with their ingenuity and the compassion they displayed in choosing which problems they're working to solve.  For the full list, search #Fownderslive on Twitter.

1. BlastChat:  http://whatsblasting.com/

Jhamar Youngblood has a unique solution to those god awful group texts.

“I could go on Facebook or Twitter and post, ‘Who wants to play?’ but my friends don’t check their accounts all day, and they probably follow over 100 to 5,000 people,” the Dartmouth graduate student said. “So posts go missing—less than 10% of tweets or Facebook posts are seen by followers or friends—I couldn’t get in touch with my friends in real time.”

He also thought about texting, but that presented a similar problem of having to copy-and-paste the message.“I could text the same message 30 times. There had to be a more effective way to get in contact with all my friends in real time with one message,” he says.It was here that Youngblood got the idea for Blastchat, an iPhone application he says will make “mass communication as easy as possible.”Blastchat allows users to send a message to a group of contacts. Through the app, messages are delivered to other users, but though they are notified of the message and respond to it through the Blastchat app, the conversation with the individuals from the group actually takes place in the iPhone’s iMessage app. --Blackenterprise.com 5/26/2015, Blastchat Creator Jhamar Youngblood Stives to Simplfy Group Communication, Joel Lyons

2. SafeHalo: Unfortunately, they don't seem to have an online presence yet but the idea is simple, much needed, and brilliant.  In a nutshell, they're a "buddy on demand" service modeled after Uber.  It's meant to prevent sexual assault and robbery by allowing you to call for one of many "Halos" or volunteers to walk with you when you feel unsafe on your college campus until you reach your destination.  The Halos are vetted with a thorough background check and basic training in behavioral psychology (the pitchman's words not mine) so they can also see possible threats before they happen. Each Halo would also carry a device that would track their movements much like Uber tracks its vehicles, from a central computer. The company is designed as a stop-gap measure, providing a little more peace of mind without having to involve a uniformed officer.  People taking care of people before the police ever have to become involved.  This was my favorite idea of the night.

3. New Pearl: Also no online presence yet but the idea is to use a siri-like proprietary algorithm called Pearlo to help small businesses become more efficient without needing a high degree of technical knowledge like what's required for using IBM's Blue products.  Targeted at mom and pop shops rather than large firms, the idea is that you would describe your business process (employee hiring, payroll, taxes, transportation, etc, etc) to the program with a voice interface (English only for now) and it would determine not only if you're doing the process efficiently but suggest how it could be streamlined.  In theory, this would allow small business to focus on growth more quickly instead of wasting months or years on cleaning up inefficient practices.

4. Fitsy: Again, no online presence.  (Should have realized this was a theme considering most of these companies are still in the pre-launch stage.)  The founder of this company is a member of the famous MMA, Gym American Top Team.  He fell in love with the sport so much he decided to share his experience with everyone by allowing top trainers, not limited to MMA fighters thank god, to share their workout routines with their customers directly for a nominal fee.  No infomercials, No home gyms.  If you want to know how NFL Linebackers train for the season?  The app puts you in touch with an NFL Trainer who can sell you a step by step video on the regimen he gives his players.  Yoga?  Tai Chi?  Martial Arts? Crossfit?  All will eventually be found on the app when it launches.

5. T.R.A.C.E.R. by Momentum Mechanics: http://www.momentummechanicscorp.com/
A more developed firm presenting an idea that's meant to protect both law enforcement and civilian alike by providing real-time GPS driven data that would eliminate faulty eyewitness testimony in police-involved shootings.  Ironically, the creator, Adam (didn't catch his last name) was inspired by the events in Ferguson, Missouri surrounding the death of Mike Brown.  A major sticking point about the casee that was never cleared up was just how many times Brown was shot and when the shooting began. With T.R.A.C.E.R., as soon as an officer unholsters his weapon, the device implanted in the weapon would be begin transmitting data in real-time to a 911 center and not only give other officers his or her location and vitals but how many times the weapon had been discharged.  Backup could be sent within seconds without anyone radioing in.  Though he didn't mention it, an added benefit is that neither party has much time to create fiction that would line up with the facts.  A video option is also being considered when the product is finally rolled out.  Though the idea was presented as a tool for law enforcement safety, I think this could also expose a lot of dirty cops and make the streets safer for everyone.

6.  AriseAlarm: The $10k winner of the night.  Arise's premise is simple.  It's an app that acts as an alarm clock that you can't snooze until you retype a positive affirmation into the phone.  For example, say you're deep into the Word and a quick verse in the morning helps you really get motivated.  You set your alarm for @ 6:45am and instead of rolling over and hitting the snooze button, which sends most people into an even deeper sleep, the alarm will keep going until you type out, "Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."  Or if FDR was your hero, only "There is nothing to fear but fear itself," typed into Arise's screen will silence your phone.  Maybe I'm slow but the power of positive affirmation isn't something that resonates with me yet.  People swear by it, though, considering the overwhelmingly positive response to the pitch from the audience and obviously the judges.  Maybe they're on to something.

It was awesome being around so many creatives and so many business minded young Newarkers who aren't afraid to follow their dreams and think outside the box.  Thanks to Fownders, Newark for organizing the event and a special thank you to Sirius XM's Karen Hunter (Twitter: @KarenHunter, Facebook: www.facebook.com/karenhunter, instagram: Karenhuntershow) and her "Tech Tuesday" segment, without whom I would have never heard about of any of this.  Newark's future is bright and companies like Fownders are going to helping to keep the city in the spotlight.  Shine on!  Brick City Stand UP!


For more information or to partner with Fownders, please visit www.Fownders.com
follow them on Twitter (@Fownders) and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Fownders

Are You Not Entertained?: Just Thought You Should Know 8/5/16

Dear GOP,

You're getting exactly what you deserve.  8 years of petty criticisms of the President, made up threats about immigrants being evil incarnate, the god awful racism not so cleverly disguised as constitutional loyalty (looking at you Birthers), the crusade against education/intellectualism, and the need for your base to be afraid of everything (even their own shadows because they're black) has finally culminated in this absolute farce of a Presidential campaign.  For the first time in our history, we may end up with 3 major political parties in this country because I don't see how moderate Republicans can possibly reconcile their views with their Presidential nominee and his minions.

Trump supporters, I want you to take a good long look at your candidate.  I mean a real look.  Think about the reasons you support him.  It certainly isn't about policy, he hasn't presented one that wouldn't cost more money than it saves. It's not because of his business acumen.  It doesn't exist.  Ask Atlantic City, NJ.  It's not because he's not a criminal like "Crooked Hillary".  She's been cleared of every charge leveled at her by every single Republican-led tribunal/witch hunt the GOP can think of.  Trump, on the other hand, is still in the midst of multiple lawsuits involving possible fraud.  Oh, and he might be a child rapist.  Not kidding.  Is it his superior values?  The values that he thinks permits him to routinely insult anyone who disagrees with him?  Oh I know, "he tells it like it is!"  Except when he's talking about having met Vladimir Putin and then says that he didn't.  Or that he saw a video of Obama personally paying the Iranians and then he says he was mistaken.  Maybe he was straight shooting when he said he would build that wall around us and then admitted he wouldn't?  The #NeverTrump Republicans, who I respect, though I disagree with their vision, at least had the spine to stand up for their principles.  The rest of the party leadership simply fell in line behind this pompous, entitled, ignorant windbag and it may have not only cost them this election but their party's future.  Among voters younger than 30, Trump is polling 4th, behind Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party), and Jill Stein (Green Party).  Think about that.  The nominee for the 2nd biggest party in the country is polling behind 2 people most of the country has. never. heard. of.  The 18-year-olds who are voting for the first time this election are looking at your nominee as the representation of your party and would rather vote for 2 people who are almost guaranteed to lose. Most people stick with the first party they vote for and the upcoming landslide is probably going to render your party irrelevant for the next 50 years.  As much as I despise Trump and what the GOP has become, that isn't a good thing.

Look, the truth is that the core values of the GOP aren't that crazy.  It's founded in the idea that people can take care of themselves if the government should just get out of the way and let us work. Neighbor helping neighbor instead of depending on handouts from Washington.  And there are valid criticisms of our current system.  Money in politics is a problem.  Even Bernie Sanders agreed with Republicans on that.  NAFTA was a disaster for the American worker and there are many non-college educated people who need work.  But too many times those frustrations tend to be expressed as outright racism when the reality is the answers to your frustrations are a lot more complicated than "blame the non-whites"  Our issues can't be boiled down to a few angry tweets and an agenda that's stuck in the nostalgia of yesterday's America.  On a personal note, I'm part of the first generation of African Americans who full rights as a citizen are legally recognized by our government, these are the good old days for me!  The world has changed. You can thank your conservative news outlets for not telling you just how much and what you can do to keep up instead of feeding you a steady diet of things to hate and fear. If you've been eating up Fox News, The Blaze, and Breitbart for the better part of the last decade, all it's gotten you is a pseudo-intellectual who claims to be your voice but has never been anything but an elitist 1% his entire life.  He's never not  been rich so how can he possibly be your voice if he doesn't even speak your language? Trump is the literal embodiment of the ugliness that has infected the principles of the Republican Party.  I would wear out my knuckles on my keyboard if I listed the times he's proven that he's not just a bad candidate but a genuinely bad person.  It's ironic that it took him slandering a Gold Star Muslim family, a religion he's vowed to ban from our country, to get people to finally see it's him that doesn't represent American values.  His nomination is direct evidence that the Republican Party is broken.  So broken that they're willing to trot out a racist demagogue in the vague hopes that they can re-take the White House by appealing to the very worst American fears.  We've reached the point where the house they've built is no longer safe for any American to reside in.  The roof is leaking, the foundation is shot.  The lessons of 2012, which called for inclusion and moderation, have been outright rejected and the results have been predictably disastrous.  If the party leadership continues to ignore the evolution of our country, its only natural that America will eventually ignore them.  Completely.

...Til Next Week!

You can read more about the "Growth and Opportunity Project" that was supposed to transform the Republican Party into a more inclusive party here.