Gosh darnit, Colin Kaepernick is not this important!

Hello, I am your everyday American.

I notice what I am supposed to notice. I care about what I am supposed to care about. Racism, sexism, police brutality, my oh my, I know it all!

Sadly, I am also a normal person. Looking up and reading the news is kind of a pain in the rear. Thus, the “news” just kind of comes to me.

This describes a lot of people in our nation.

Unless you’re listening to NPR (go listen, the stuff is gold), or reading actual news online (I suggest Flipboard), it is hard to actually educate yourself and not be hampered by “national opinions.”

This is the problem. Many people hear what they are supposed to hear. They don’t actually dig.

A quarterback not standing during the national anthem. Woah, now I guess we have a “national controversy”. What happens when actual news occurs during what they call the “national news”?

What about the Native population in our state?

The native population of this state, specifically the Dakota’s tribe, is protesting the placement of an oil pipeline which would run through land scattered with scared and historical significants.

We are witnessing our nations ugly past playing out in the present.

According to a CBS article this protest has turned violent. With the tribe’s spokesman stating that six people have been bitten, including a child, and at least 30 people have been pepper sprayed.

They have been arrested for trespassing on their native land.

This is what we miss — what we ignore — when we allow “national opinion” to run the news. The question we must be left to ask ourselves is whether or not we are educated enough about this issue.

In my personal opinion, no. We have allowed the national spotlight to be stolen by a NFL quarterback, instead of shining it on our ugly treatment of the Native people of this nation.

No matter where you sit, no matter what your beliefs are, don’t you think we at least owe the Native population a chance to be heard?

Alas, that would take work. News is important, and this news is very important.

I digress though, let’s just simply pretend that a millionaire sitting during the national anthem is actually worthy of national news.