Max Kepler and the Cost of Silence

1st of all, I`m against injustice & racism of any kind. What I saw portrayed on media concerning George Floyd was repulsive & that police officer should be prosecuted full force of the law.  I`m a democrat but I hate politics & abhor most politicians because instead of serving the people, they don`t care; they only care about power & $. I was shocked a while ago when I saw an advertisement on Master Class; the teacher said   " Learn enough to think you`re right but not enough to know you`re wrong". What shocked me wasn`t what he said but how smug he was. A lot of focus is put on indoctrination, spinning data & shutting down contrary dialogue not education & truth.

When it was time to practice self-distancing, they  threw out narratives encouraging to embrace the public & many got infected; when it was time for low-risk player to go to work, they encouraged lock-down, at the same time ignoring the high-risk persons in nursing homes. Baseball not to long ago was robust now it is sick not because of covid 19 but because of the narratives. Kepler was criticized because he wasn`t political & wanted to obligate him, I say good for him. I`m sure he supports Buxton 100%.

I say  politicians are out to divide & conquer, they don`t really care, they want only power. People should protest peaceably against injustice but don`t let politics tear us apart. This is the time to unite & let`s keep politics out of it. Baseball  has always united us let`s bring it back & KEEP OUT POLITICS

Since you inferred that the way you connected the dots is nonsense, I'll leave it to you to re-connect them. Or, try walking up to a black police officer and ask - I'm sure he or she will explain it kindly to you.
 

Also Adding this as it was my initial response before I edited it. Transparency if nothing else: (So you're going with "black cops don't think their own lives matter"... Yeah, that makes sense.)

You stated:

1. The blue lives matter gets trotted out whenever police are acting like black lives matter less in the course of them doing their work.

2. That using the blue lives matter motif is a trope used to deflect from another issue.

3. You asserted that it's "hard to find a black cop wearing that flag insignia". And following that up with a mention about how maybe you could with an exhaustive google search. (Just an aside I found one on the first page of a google search so it wasn't that difficult.)

4. You then say that it is an "exclusively white cop thing"

Sorry, but I'm connecting the dots as you laid them down.

We live in wild times.

A couple of things about me first, and the way I'm reacting to this story:
1) I knew nothing about it until I came in here about 15 minutes ago.
2) I had no idea that the mask Kepler is shown wearing is a police-supporting facemask.

So now, my opinion.

This is how Nick's article reads to me: "If Kepler felt the way he should feel, he'd act in the way I think he should act." It is not far from something that is a cliche for arguing husbands and wives, "if you really loved me, you would know what i want you to do." It's a fallacy that defines a feeling as something that can only be achieved through the execution of specific actions described by someone else. Anything other than those specific actions? You don't love me the way you should love me. It's emotional hostage-taking.

It's fine to me to have opinion articles here. Hell, the vast majority of stuff on here is opinion articles or predominantly opinion articles. If Nick and others want to post political things, hey, it's your website. Do you. But that might push some people away. From how I read Brock's comments (not picking on you Brock, I just recognize you as a moderator), that's the price to pay for what you believe is right. Again, do you. That's having the courage of your convictions. But it does open a door that you're open to discussing non-baseball societal issues that are complex, and that means you're going to encounter a wide variety of opinions, and the degree to which you (the website) is open to discussion versus shutting down opinions is the degree to which you will have a growing or falling readership. Do you.

So what does that mean for me and Twins Daily? Well, if you loved me, you would know what I'd want you to do.

I am into politics, a veritable news junkie, but I didn't have a clue that was a Blue Lives Matter mask.  As much as it can be fun to level potshots at millionaire baseball players, I think we cut Max some slack on this one.   Gutentag (is that how you spell it?)

Rocco Baldelli, the Twins manager, put these words by his name:   "George Floyd should be breathing right now. We have a lot of progress to make. A lot. Remember his name. Remember what happened."

Good for him.  I personally don't think any arena of life, including sports which is so deeply shaped by race -- gets to declare immunity from involvement when the society is in such distress.   I am glad the manager weighed in and hope that readers of this column who are complaining here about what they see as the "politicization" of sports appreciate that he is speaking out of a sense of our common humanity (not tribal politics).  That's where our attention needs to be.

Max Kepler didn't do anything wrong.  You are still allowed to support police officers with things like the thin blue line.  This doesn't mean you don't want justice for George.  I think you will find police officers themselves are baffled and appalled by what happened.   And Kepler claims he doesn't know what that mask means (I still don't think he knows what it means) and was just wearing a freebie.  That is fine too, he is a foreign citizen after all.

The thin blue line has nothing to do with race.

This is a pretty incredible statement when I specifically stated in the article that I'm not judging or pointing fingers, and I recognize my own need to do better. This isn't about YOU (the reader). This is about US (a society). 

 

Maybe there were times in the past where I would've prioritized the growth of my "personal brand" over using my platform to do what I think is right. Publishing this piece is part of my own effort to improve in that regard. The idea being suggested by some here that I wrote this article as "click-bait" or to increase readership is sorely misguided. We will lose readers for publishing this. I lose dozens of followers on twitter whenever I talk about anything vaguely political. And I'm perfectly at peace with those things, as well as the vitriol being directed at me in this comment section. As the old bland and pointless saying goes: it is what it is. 

Losing 'dozens' of twitter followers, huh. How courageous of you to pay such a steep price.

Amazing how many people who don't want to be bothered by politics on their Twins blog were apparently forced to click on this article, skip to the end, and share a comment.

I'm 100% German and I don't even know what the blue message means? So let me guess everyone will demand Max be fired...Being sorry now days is never accepted and that is why I don't bother. Half the people think you are c#@p and half don't. You can't win. And now to tick off people: When you break the rule (curfew) the protest is no longer peaceful. It gives me a bad opinion of all involved, as does looting, fires and the Gov and Mayor allowing you to do this.

WE have had a BLACK police chief for how long now? What has he done to help Black issues? Why hasn't he implemented new police training? If you have a law suit against you, maybe he should remove that cop from the force. Walz, Frey and the Chief are not leaders and hopefully one termers.....

This article is irresponsible.

Everyone, let’s virtue signal and dox everyone around us as possible racists and supporters of the police (anything but that!). Very productive right now.

Honestly, from my point of view there are very few people out there who aren’t agreeing on the issues right now. Who is arguing what happened to this man at the hands of a potential sociopath was/is acceptable? It was absolutely horrific, and absolutely needs to be addressed. Who is arguing peaceful demonstrations are unacceptable? Anyone with a shred common human decency agrees (which is 95% of the population).

So, what the heck is this? What’s the point of this article? What does he have to say to satisfy you that he’s not a “Nazi“ and be able to move on to phase 2 of the purge, and at what point does he have to say it? Let’s hear your rules. Or, are you doing this to try to convince yourself that you’re better?

“A slap in the face to community?” for not Tweeting. Seriously? Think about that for a minute. How did this become normalized?

Our society truly has gone off the rails. I’ve never seen anything like this. A human rights issue that everyone fundamentally agrees on. There was about 24 hours where everyone was coming together and agreeing that this was an abomination of justice. Because we can’t have that for long, we immediately moved into this disturbing cannibalization of each other’s character....like it powers you up a level to call someone else out. Perverse Orwellian Pac-Man.

And yes, its been politicized. You’re parading around a symbol of support for the police that’s been around for years as some sort of symbols of hatred? It’s a clear political statement. What message do you think you’re sending that’s productive in that sense?

Kepler would be totally justified in not uttering more than a “no comment,” to TD for the rest of his career. I know damn well my legal team would be getting ahold of folks about legal implications in terms of how some insinuations in this article damage my career going forward. Tread carefully.

Twins Daily “lets” Nick post this article because he’s an owner and all the owners stand united on this issue, which is a humanitarian issue that America has failed at for four centuries.

It doesn’t have to be political unless you make it political. I don’t see why facing the problem that we’ve failed black Americans can or should be a left/right issue unless you make it one.

Each time. I've lost hundreds in the past couple weeks alone. I never suggested it was a steep price and your snark is entirely unwarranted. I'm simply refuting the notion that there's some underlying benefit in taking these stances. It's false. 

There is no benefit in terms of twitter followers, I agree with you there. The benefit to you is that your comments make you feel morally superior, and you want to advertise that superiority through virtue-signaling posts/tweets, so that others can see how wonderfully moral and empathetic you are.

It would actually be a problem if there was *zero* cost to that preening. That's why, in your article, you say that you wrote it despite "the backlash it will inevitably receive" (from people morally inferior to you), and then above you note how you will lose readers and twitter followers. 

The point isn't that you're suffering some huge cost, since that would be ludicrous. Rather, you are attempting to show that you are motivated only by selfless and principled reasons, that you're a good person, etc. This sort of thing is very common on social media. There's nothing special or interesting about you having a go at it. 

That's also why your article was not meant to persuade or to suggest solutions. It's not about anyone but yourself.

Amazing how many people who don't want to be bothered by politics on their Twins blog were apparently forced to click on this article, skip to the end, and share a comment.

And keep coming back to reply! Strange times we live in, I tell you what.

It is a forum though, right? There's a note at the bottom of the article that says TD is leaving comments open, and so people comment. Is it now the position that if you post a dissenting comment about the position taken in an opinion article, that those people are hypocrites for reading and commenting?

Do you imagine that these same dissenters think that George Floyd deserved what happened to him?

Let's take a quick poll.
When it comes to the death of George Floyd, generally and over simplistically, I believe:
A ) George Floyd deserved what happened to him.
B ) George Floyd did not deserve what happened to him.

I'll start. B

Anybody else care to join me? Let's save everybody the time. 100% of TD readers think that George Floyd didn't deserve what happened to him. There's unity on that.

What there isn't unity on in this particular forum and opinion article is whether someone should be called out for not responding in the specific way prescribed by another person.

There also, apparently, is not unity on whether or not a dissenting opinion should be seen as something other than hypocritical.

I'm 100% German and I don't even know what the blue message means? So let me guess everyone will demand Max be fired...Being sorry now days is never accepted and that is why I don't bother. Half the people think you are c#@p and half don't. You can't win. And now to tick off people: When you break the rule (curfew) the protest is no longer peaceful. It gives me a bad opinion of all involved, as does looting, fires and the Gov and Mayor allowing you to do this. WE have had a BLACK police chief for how long now? What has he done to help Black issues? Why hasn't he implemented new police training? If you have a law suit against you, maybe he should remove that cop from the force. Walz, Frey and the Chief are not leaders and hopefully one termers.....

100+ replies to this article and nobody has said "fire Max".....

The issue with the article is making a big deal of Max wearing a police mask. So what if he wears a police mask? It does not mean, in any world, mean that he was supporting what Derek Chauvin did and the article + others comments seem to make it seem like he is supporting that by supporting police. You're allowed to support both police and the protestors. America would be a dumpster fire without police force as we have seen in other countries. It doesn't mean that the police are perfect, because they are far from it. However, it isn't Max Kepler's job, or any other athlete for that matter, to speak up and make some sort of politically correct statement. He is in the spotlight because he is a baseball player, not because he is supposed to solve deep rooted issues in America. Stop trying to make him what he isn't.

I appreciate the sentiment of this Nick, and I support you. It seems many are quick to criticize you for things you did not in fact say, or otherwise put words in your mouth.
 
Your general premise that everyone is responsible to speak up when something is obviously wrong is reasonable, though saying "George Floyd should not have been killed" is not a particularly interesting thing to say, as this is the part we all agree on. The "what should we do about it?" or "what are the issues that led to this?" questions are far more complicated and I certainly wouldn't expect Kepler to have well formed opinions on these. It can be a risky road to walk down as a public figure if you don't have deeper knowledge of an issue to loudly proclaim an opinion on it.
 
All that being said, systemic racism within our nation is a problem that needs to be addressed. Yes, it was progress when Chief Arradondo was appointed (as it was when Harteau was before him), and requiring body cameras was a useful step in accountability, and some minor policies and training changes are good, but a lot of work remains. As long as Bob Kroll leads the police union change will be very hard. Solving the problem is hard, and to those that say we have a black police chief, how can they be racist?, that's as absurd as saying Chauvin was bad, so all cops are bad.
 
I hope people here can read each others comments with an open mind before categorizing them politically and dismissing them as idiots if they don't align with your politics. After all, we're all idiots -- we cheer for Minnesota sports...

From my interpretation, what Kepler uses the word "politics" to define is the blue lives matter movement, not the social or racial injustice. 

The blue lives matter movement is trying to get harsher laws for those who harm cops, a clear political movement, and what Kepler was saying is that he was not aware that was what the mask represented, and doesn't want to publicly share political views like that. 

This would be backed up by him releasing the later statement of "Racism has no place in our world and I do not in any way support the actions that we all witnessed that led to George Floyd’s passing," which tells me that he does not view this as politics, as he had just said he doesn't publicly share political views shortly before.

Thanks for the charitable assessment, doc.

 

As a point of fact, I happen to know that much of this site's readership falls into a category that is able to make a difference but rarely does. Much like Kepler. If I can get through with that message to but a few people, I will have accomplished something. If the money I've contributed to various causes in recent days makes any difference in supporting their essential work, I will have accomplished something. If my presence alongside thousands of other peaceful protesters on the 35W bridge yesterday -- as pandemonium broke loose -- contributed at all to a sense of solidarity and unified purpose, I will have accomplished something. 

 

Go ahead and call it "virtue signaling" if you want. It is less cynically labeled raising awareness and spreading advocacy. It's how every movement in history has taken shape. You might be shocked to hear this, but some people are actually open-minded!

 

Since you're so quick to judge and criticize, what are you doing? How are you helping to improve the situation? Other than anonymously spewing insults at people you know nothing about on the internet, that is. 

Make a difference how? Joining you on the bridge next time? Donating to particular causes? Joining Antifa? Your article doesn't say and you haven't said subsequently either. 

How many of this site's readers do you think were previously unaware of this issue? How many never knew about NFL players kneeling? About the previous rounds of protests that have happened over a span of many years? About the George Floyd case?

Users of this site already consume that information elsewhere. The Kepler 'incident' gave you an opening to preach about your moral superiority and contrast yourself (as you did in the above post) with those "able to make a difference" that - in your judgment - choose not to.

Of course, you are insulting a bunch of users you know nothing about, which is incredibly hypocritical and downright pathetic given your whining above. 

"To shy away from this conversation is to contribute to the widespread apathy and complacency that has brought us to this tragic state."

I was going to let this whole topic slide but this sentence from your post says if I don't comment I'm responsible. So here goes...

Screw you and your moral preening. As the previous poster said, what am I specifically asked to do? Vote democrat? Minneapolis has been doing that for over 50 years, how's that working out for you? 

Am I supposed to quit my job so a minority can have it? Stroke a check to my black neighbor? Hold my kids out of college to open up a spot for some deserving young person of color? More to the point, exactly what are you doing besides running your mouth? 

A member of my family, an elderly woman, was murdered last month. Found beat to death in her looted home, car and cards missing. Two suspects in custody, with a DNA match, and they look a lot more like the Minneapolis victim than the murdering cop. 

You going to hold society responsible for that one too? Shall we have a conversation? I can assure you of one thing - I understand the race of two murdering thugs says nothing about anyone else I'll meet today, or tomorrow, or ever. I'm not holding a race, or a society, responsible for the actions of two individuals. It's a despicable act to say the actions of one depraved individual reflect on anyone who resembles him. 

Racism is alive and well, and you are a fine example.

You want people to take a look in the mirror? You first.