Man simply put Awesome. Glad that you bought Kap here Ben. And this is why Medias is such a great place. I was sure Kap would be here. It’s wrong what was done to him. a clear blackball when he was protesting for police brutality for black men. He’s a true hero. Thanks for being here Kap. And he was as good if not better than some of those Quarterbacks that got signed over him. Some teams were like basically we’ll sign any black guy as Quarterback except Kap. See we got a black Quarterback. It’s just not Kap.
“Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best.”-Otto von Bismarck
I have for some time been advocating a Quiet General Strike, which is mass non-cooperation, coupled with a Spending Strike, where nothing but essentials are purchased. It’s possible that Americans are not prepared to go this far at this point, which brings in the Next Best Option: Targeted Boycotts.
In time, instituted properly, targeted boycotts could be successful. They have been in the past. The way they’ve been instituted recently has been counterproductive. Short lived boycotts that do not succeed look pathetic and only serve to show the participants and the general public that economic warfare does not work. It’s as if the fascist regime were behind these feeble attempts.
Harvard Professor Erica Chenoweth’s Pillar Strategy
“Erica Chenoweth’s research highlights that nonviolent movements succeed by inducing defections within an opponent's "pillars of support"—institutions upholding the regime, such as economic elites, business leaders, media, and security forces. Targeting these pillars with economic pressure (strikes, boycotts) weakens regime loyalty, forcing structural change. “
We, the People, can’t easily or safely withhold our tax dollars that are allowing this corrupt government to function. Our tax dollars fund the fascist takeover.
But as consumers we can indirectly withhold our tax dollars. Consumer spending is about 70% of the economy. That spending ends up as tax dollars. Stop unnecessary spending and most of the money funding the fascist takeover will disappear.
I have many reservations about targeted boycotts. Foremost is the time element. Targeted boycotts would take much longer to be effective than would a General Spending Strike. Time is of the essence. The longer the fascist takeover lasts, the more firmly it becomes entrenched and the more difficult and time consuming to stop and reverse.
I reluctantly and half heartedly modified my stance on targeted boycotts because of Professor Chenoweth’s research. My reservations remain as you can see here:
Why targeted boycotts are ineffective:
Boycotts often fail because they require massive, sustained participation to create meaningful financial pressure, lack clear alternatives for consumers, generate insufficient negative media attention, and are easily weathered by companies waiting for the protest to fade.
Additionally, the complex nature of modern capitalism and the proliferation of corporate conglomerates can make it difficult for boycotters to effectively target and impact a company's bottom line or reputation, especially when companies have multiple revenue streams, like real estate, that aren't affected by consumer boycotts.
In 2020, Goya Foodshttps://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/after-trump-doubled-down-goya-has-it-helped-boost-or-n1234743 President Donald Trump on social media, which caused those in opposition to Trump to boycott their products. Trump loyalists simultaneously https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/19/us/goya-trump-hispanic-vote.html a counter-boycott, where consumers bought mass quantities of their products, in response. The boycott caused Goya profits to increase dramatically because Trump supporters started an opposing campaign.
Targeted boycotts are used to change the behavior of a corporation. We are trying to change the behavior of a fascist regime, an entire government. We must attack the entire economy.
“It’s the economy, stupid” as James Carville famously told Bill Clinton. It was then, and still is, in politics. The reelection of His Royal Heinous is largely attributed to the misperceived state of the economy. That’s what must be attacked, not individual corporations. The overall economy must suffer before the oligarchs (Greedy Bastards) will pay attention.
HRH will not destroy the economy on his own (TACO). He will find a way to prop it up (like lower interest rates) or make it seem good (through bogus government statistics) because the economy and stock market are his report card and key to keeping power.
The key to keeping power, as it is in Russia, China, Hungary, Turkey: give the people a somewhat decent standard of living, and in exchange, the people have no political power. Only the autocrat has that. Unlimited.
It will be up to the people to effect the economic pressure necessary to stop and reverse the fascist takeover of America.
We are in the middle of a five alarm fire, and while most of the country remains oblivious, too many in the resistance are wasting time discussing how to organize and implement a fire department. What’s needed from the general public is total non cooperation and a general Spending Strike. NOW!
Spending Strike. Stop spending except on essentials. We, the People, are funding the fascist takeover of America.
For more information on how to accomplish this, visit my profile page. Or:
“Boycott everything” is an absolutely useless strategy. Because we have to buy certain things to live. Much better to target our buying power towards like minded businesses. We’ll just have continue to agree to disagree.
Wow, Ben! Thank you for this exceptional interview with American hero, Colin Kaepernick. Just finished watching it on YouTube and am blown away. It’s a must-see and needs to be shared widely. I have long admired Kaep (since his football days) and respect the hell out of him. He is an icon of the civil rights movement and a national treasure. Am buying his new book now! 💙
I wish the rest of the world would have followed your lead. I held deep respect for you when you did it, and continue today. I know you paid a heavy price for standing on your truth (and mine).
There are people who play the game, and there are people who change it. Colin Kaepernick did both — and then he paid the price for telling the truth out loud.
In 2016, he made a choice that was bigger than football: he knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality and the systemic devaluation of Black lives. He didn’t do it for attention. He didn’t do it for applause. He did it because he refused to perform patriotism for a country that refused to protect its own people.
What I admire most is that he understood exactly what it would cost him — and he did it anyway.
—-
He faced the full weight of a machine built to punish dissent.
• The media framed him as “unpatriotic,” “anti-military,” and “divisive,” twisting his message into something it never was.
• Politicians used him as a punching bag to score points.
• The NFL, a league that celebrates “toughness,” couldn’t stomach the kind of courage that isn’t physical — the kind that threatens power.
And yet, he never wavered. He answered every question, explained his stance with clarity, and kept the focus where it belonged: on justice, accountability, and the lives lost to state violence.
—-
He became a global symbol — not because he wanted to, but because he refused to back down.
Even now, years after the league pushed him out, his impact echoes. His protest helped ignite a broader reckoning about race, policing, and the meaning of patriotism. It forced the country to confront the gap between its ideals and its reality. And it inspired a generation of athletes to understand that their platform is not just a privilege — it’s a responsibility.
—-
I admire Colin Kaepernick because he chose integrity over comfort.
He showed that real courage isn’t loud. It isn’t glamorous. It’s quiet, steady, and unshakable. It’s the willingness to stand alone — or kneel alone — when the world demands your silence.
He didn’t just take a knee.
He took a stand.
And the country is still catching up to the truth he told.
—-
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.
—Colin Kaepernick
—-
Kaepernick Nike Ad - 2019
—-
Washington Post - What do we make of Colin Kaepernick now? - February 7, 2026
I have always supported Collin, especially after he was attacked by the NFL and Trump! I never understood why these club owners got so upset when Collin kneeled in front of the flag! To me, that was just plain stupid and ignorant on their part, but then again their god Trump was dictating to them what they needed to do. I'm Catholic, and as a practicing Roman Catholic the ultimate respect we show is genuflecting before during and after each Mass to our Lord Jesus. So to me, these maga club owners are such hypocrites and if they can't understand why a person would genuflection in front of our flag, then they are just stupid and ignorant jock s who can't think for themselves and just follow Trump's lead. What a bunch of ignorant morons!
But I wish you every success in all of your future endeavors, Collin, and may you find peace in everything you do. God bless you and take care. 🙏
There's something about unadulterated integrity that moves other people, almost unwittingly that makes people know that they want to be where THAT is. Colin has known down deep what is right. And the shallow don't have a "deep" to draw from. Those who don't, make us automatically feel embarrassed for them.
Ben, I love the comment that we are living through “psychological torture” now. So true. All we can do is work as hard as we can to Get Out The Vote for the midterms. Thank you. 💙
Re: Trump suing the NFL, this goes back to the USFL, which ESPN did a great documentary on called "Small Potatoes" as part of their 30-for-30 series. Trump's nonsense features prominently, it's well worth your time
Man simply put Awesome. Glad that you bought Kap here Ben. And this is why Medias is such a great place. I was sure Kap would be here. It’s wrong what was done to him. a clear blackball when he was protesting for police brutality for black men. He’s a true hero. Thanks for being here Kap. And he was as good if not better than some of those Quarterbacks that got signed over him. Some teams were like basically we’ll sign any black guy as Quarterback except Kap. See we got a black Quarterback. It’s just not Kap.
Agree wholeheartedly. I’m so glad he has spoken in public.
Me to. Isn’t it awesome.
A Quiet General Strike is the Best Option.
Targeted Boycotts are the next best option. (3)
“Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best.”-Otto von Bismarck
I have for some time been advocating a Quiet General Strike, which is mass non-cooperation, coupled with a Spending Strike, where nothing but essentials are purchased. It’s possible that Americans are not prepared to go this far at this point, which brings in the Next Best Option: Targeted Boycotts.
In time, instituted properly, targeted boycotts could be successful. They have been in the past. The way they’ve been instituted recently has been counterproductive. Short lived boycotts that do not succeed look pathetic and only serve to show the participants and the general public that economic warfare does not work. It’s as if the fascist regime were behind these feeble attempts.
Harvard Professor Erica Chenoweth’s Pillar Strategy
“Erica Chenoweth’s research highlights that nonviolent movements succeed by inducing defections within an opponent's "pillars of support"—institutions upholding the regime, such as economic elites, business leaders, media, and security forces. Targeting these pillars with economic pressure (strikes, boycotts) weakens regime loyalty, forcing structural change. “
We, the People, can’t easily or safely withhold our tax dollars that are allowing this corrupt government to function. Our tax dollars fund the fascist takeover.
But as consumers we can indirectly withhold our tax dollars. Consumer spending is about 70% of the economy. That spending ends up as tax dollars. Stop unnecessary spending and most of the money funding the fascist takeover will disappear.
I have many reservations about targeted boycotts. Foremost is the time element. Targeted boycotts would take much longer to be effective than would a General Spending Strike. Time is of the essence. The longer the fascist takeover lasts, the more firmly it becomes entrenched and the more difficult and time consuming to stop and reverse.
https://rpmcmurphy1.substack.com/p/why-a-spending-strike-is-the-best-0d2?r=5f62tm&utm_medium=ios
For more information on how to accomplish this, visit my profile page. Or:
https://rpmcmurphy1.substack.com/p/how-to-stop-his-royal-heinous-7d6?
Please: Resist. Stop cooperating. Stop spending. Stop the fascist takeover.
Thank you for restacking, and sharing, to help Spread the Word!
That's so interesting! When I spoke to you about targeted boycotts, you were against that. I'm glad you came around.
I reluctantly and half heartedly modified my stance on targeted boycotts because of Professor Chenoweth’s research. My reservations remain as you can see here:
Why targeted boycotts are ineffective:
Boycotts often fail because they require massive, sustained participation to create meaningful financial pressure, lack clear alternatives for consumers, generate insufficient negative media attention, and are easily weathered by companies waiting for the protest to fade.
Additionally, the complex nature of modern capitalism and the proliferation of corporate conglomerates can make it difficult for boycotters to effectively target and impact a company's bottom line or reputation, especially when companies have multiple revenue streams, like real estate, that aren't affected by consumer boycotts.
In 2020, Goya Foodshttps://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/after-trump-doubled-down-goya-has-it-helped-boost-or-n1234743 President Donald Trump on social media, which caused those in opposition to Trump to boycott their products. Trump loyalists simultaneously https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/19/us/goya-trump-hispanic-vote.html a counter-boycott, where consumers bought mass quantities of their products, in response. The boycott caused Goya profits to increase dramatically because Trump supporters started an opposing campaign.
Targeted boycotts are used to change the behavior of a corporation. We are trying to change the behavior of a fascist regime, an entire government. We must attack the entire economy.
“It’s the economy, stupid” as James Carville famously told Bill Clinton. It was then, and still is, in politics. The reelection of His Royal Heinous is largely attributed to the misperceived state of the economy. That’s what must be attacked, not individual corporations. The overall economy must suffer before the oligarchs (Greedy Bastards) will pay attention.
HRH will not destroy the economy on his own (TACO). He will find a way to prop it up (like lower interest rates) or make it seem good (through bogus government statistics) because the economy and stock market are his report card and key to keeping power.
The key to keeping power, as it is in Russia, China, Hungary, Turkey: give the people a somewhat decent standard of living, and in exchange, the people have no political power. Only the autocrat has that. Unlimited.
It will be up to the people to effect the economic pressure necessary to stop and reverse the fascist takeover of America.
We are in the middle of a five alarm fire, and while most of the country remains oblivious, too many in the resistance are wasting time discussing how to organize and implement a fire department. What’s needed from the general public is total non cooperation and a general Spending Strike. NOW!
Spending Strike. Stop spending except on essentials. We, the People, are funding the fascist takeover of America.
For more information on how to accomplish this, visit my profile page. Or:
https://rpmcmurphy1.substack.com/p/how-to-stop-his-royal-heinous-7d6?r=5f62tm&utm_medium=ios
Please: Resist. Stop cooperating. Stop spending. Stop the fascist takeover.
Thank you for restacking, and sharing, to help Spread the Word!
“Boycott everything” is an absolutely useless strategy. Because we have to buy certain things to live. Much better to target our buying power towards like minded businesses. We’ll just have continue to agree to disagree.
If you had read what I wrote carefully you would see I never said boycott everything. I said stop spending except on essentials.
They are not my first choice.
Yes I know.
Meidas has done it again. Awesome that you two are doing so much that we never hear about.
Thanks Ben!!! And you too Kap.
Excellent interview, Ben. Especially appreciated the Jay-Z thump.
Love this! Colin Kaepernick & Ben Meiselas: two of my heroes for social justice, civil rights, & democracy. ❤️🤍💙
Wow, Ben! Thank you for this exceptional interview with American hero, Colin Kaepernick. Just finished watching it on YouTube and am blown away. It’s a must-see and needs to be shared widely. I have long admired Kaep (since his football days) and respect the hell out of him. He is an icon of the civil rights movement and a national treasure. Am buying his new book now! 💙
I wish the rest of the world would have followed your lead. I held deep respect for you when you did it, and continue today. I know you paid a heavy price for standing on your truth (and mine).
✊🏼🕊️ Why I Admire Colin Kaepernick
There are people who play the game, and there are people who change it. Colin Kaepernick did both — and then he paid the price for telling the truth out loud.
In 2016, he made a choice that was bigger than football: he knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality and the systemic devaluation of Black lives. He didn’t do it for attention. He didn’t do it for applause. He did it because he refused to perform patriotism for a country that refused to protect its own people.
What I admire most is that he understood exactly what it would cost him — and he did it anyway.
—-
He faced the full weight of a machine built to punish dissent.
• The media framed him as “unpatriotic,” “anti-military,” and “divisive,” twisting his message into something it never was.
• Politicians used him as a punching bag to score points.
• The NFL, a league that celebrates “toughness,” couldn’t stomach the kind of courage that isn’t physical — the kind that threatens power.
And yet, he never wavered. He answered every question, explained his stance with clarity, and kept the focus where it belonged: on justice, accountability, and the lives lost to state violence.
—-
He became a global symbol — not because he wanted to, but because he refused to back down.
Even now, years after the league pushed him out, his impact echoes. His protest helped ignite a broader reckoning about race, policing, and the meaning of patriotism. It forced the country to confront the gap between its ideals and its reality. And it inspired a generation of athletes to understand that their platform is not just a privilege — it’s a responsibility.
—-
I admire Colin Kaepernick because he chose integrity over comfort.
He showed that real courage isn’t loud. It isn’t glamorous. It’s quiet, steady, and unshakable. It’s the willingness to stand alone — or kneel alone — when the world demands your silence.
He didn’t just take a knee.
He took a stand.
And the country is still catching up to the truth he told.
—-
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.
—Colin Kaepernick
—-
Kaepernick Nike Ad - 2019
—-
Washington Post - What do we make of Colin Kaepernick now? - February 7, 2026
washingtonpost.com/spor…
msn.com/en-us/sports/nf…
—-
Thank you Ben. This was an awesome interview. Hearing from
Kaepernick in his own words, shine s a light on the rights that have
been taken away and were taken
for granted back then.
It reminds me of Mohamed Eli when he refused to go to Vietnam!!
The importance of this can’t be understated…
I have always supported Collin, especially after he was attacked by the NFL and Trump! I never understood why these club owners got so upset when Collin kneeled in front of the flag! To me, that was just plain stupid and ignorant on their part, but then again their god Trump was dictating to them what they needed to do. I'm Catholic, and as a practicing Roman Catholic the ultimate respect we show is genuflecting before during and after each Mass to our Lord Jesus. So to me, these maga club owners are such hypocrites and if they can't understand why a person would genuflection in front of our flag, then they are just stupid and ignorant jock s who can't think for themselves and just follow Trump's lead. What a bunch of ignorant morons!
But I wish you every success in all of your future endeavors, Collin, and may you find peace in everything you do. God bless you and take care. 🙏
There's something about unadulterated integrity that moves other people, almost unwittingly that makes people know that they want to be where THAT is. Colin has known down deep what is right. And the shallow don't have a "deep" to draw from. Those who don't, make us automatically feel embarrassed for them.
Collin was used as a scapegoat to justify bigotry.
Great interview, Ben!!
Ben, I love the comment that we are living through “psychological torture” now. So true. All we can do is work as hard as we can to Get Out The Vote for the midterms. Thank you. 💙
Re: Trump suing the NFL, this goes back to the USFL, which ESPN did a great documentary on called "Small Potatoes" as part of their 30-for-30 series. Trump's nonsense features prominently, it's well worth your time
Talk more about the Luther Campbell interview
Great interview Ben. Thank you!! I have great respect for Colin. He also seems like a really nice guy.
Thank you. Wonderful, in depth interview! Kaepernick is courageous and inspiring.