Colin Kaepernick did not care to vote for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s presidential election, so he did what nearly half of the registered voters in the United States decided to do — stayed home.
The difference, at least according to many, is that Kaepernick has created a responsibility for himself to vote because of his very public protest of the national anthem and openness in discussing social issues. So why didn’t he go to the polls?
“I’ve been very disconnected from the systematic oppression as a whole,” Kaepernick said Wednesday, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. “So, for me, it’s another face that’s going to be the face of that system of oppression. And to me, it didn’t really matter who went in there. The system still remains intact that oppresses people of color.”
Plenty of people refused to choose between Trump and Clinton, but what about the U.S. Senate race. What about other questions on the ballot? Is Kaepernick so disgusted with the system that he can’t even be bothered with exercising his right to have a say?
No one has unloaded on Kaepernick harder than Stephen A. Smith (video here), but there are many people — even those who appreciate the attention he has called to important issues — who are disappointed Kaepernick ignored the voting process.
