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Colin Kaepernick's Ethos

Colin Kaepernick is a respected football player who played for the San Francisco 49ers until early 2017. He uses his fame and his appearances on national television to speak up for other people’s rights. Although he stated in the interview that he did not feel like he had ever been oppressed, he knew countless other people who had and wanted to show solidarity with them (2:50-3:10). As an African American man, he understands personally how racial profiling and police brutality can affect people’s lives. When he was in college, police drew guns at him and his roommate, two of the few black people in their neighborhood, because they thought they were doing something illegal even though they were only moving out of their house (8:40-9:00). His personal experiences highlight the fact that Kaepernick has a lot of credibility and knowledge about the issue of police violence and brutality.

By Ellie Pearson

Comments

  1. English101S Blog GroupOctober 6, 2017 at 1:27 PM

    This is a good analysis but the post seems a bit short. Also it seems like these would be appeals more to Kairos, as they draw on Caepenick's past experiences and his audience's preliminary knowledge of his African American background. It was insightful that you included how his profession gives him credibility, as many people look up to football players.

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  2. UnknownOctober 8, 2017 at 4:53 PM

    As an African American himself, Kaepernick is rather passionate about this problem regarding race and equality in America. He provides extensive examples of the issue including cases of police brutality, as well as situations where there just seems to be outright racism. Both his identity and knowledge gives him lots of credibility. I especially think that Kaepernick's own experience from college adds most heavily to his credibility and stance on this issue.

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  3. UnknownOctober 8, 2017 at 7:08 PM

    I would like to point out that even though Kaepernick is a person of color, I do not think he gets the typical unfair treatment due to his race. Kaepernick is a well-known athlete that played in the NFL. There is probably little chance that Kaepernick is out on the streets getting discriminated against because of his color. I think Kaepernick's main source of ethos would come from his friends who maybe are not as famous as him and face discrimination on a more real level and have expressed their frustration with him.

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