Toyota Says Kaepernick Protest Was ‘Sign of Respect to the Military’

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and Fat Man was a sign of respect to Nagasaki.
This pisses me off since I work for a division of Toy.


A new Toyota commercial featuring Colin Kaepernick claims the former NFL quarterback's controversial national anthem protest was a "sign of respect to the military."

The ad, which aired Friday morning on Howard University's radio station, says Kaepernick's decision to go "on one knee" during the national anthem "came as a sign of respect to the military" and "changed the world." The commercial also calls Kaepernick a "two-time Super Bowl quarterback," which is false. Kaepernick appeared in one Super Bowl, a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

"Colin Rand Kaepernick, a two-time Super Bowl quarterback and NFL record holder, first knelt on one knee during the national anthem in 2016 as a sign of respect to the military and a symbol of protest against police shootings," the Toyota ad says. "He changed the world and sparked a peaceful form of protest that continues around the world."

The ad also features an audio clip in which Kaepernick himself explains his decision to kneel. He does not mention the military in the clip—instead, he says he kneeled to "bring awareness and make people realize what's really going on in this country."

"This country stands for freedom, liberty, justice for all," Kaepernick says in the ad. "And it's not happening for all right now."

The activist made clear in 2016 that he kneeled during the anthem to protest police brutality. In an interview at the time, Kaepernick said he would not "stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppressed black people and people of color."

Toyota did not return repeated requests for comment on the ad and its apparent partnership with Kaepernick. The automaker is not the only major company to feature Kaepernick in an advertising campaign. Roughly two years after he first protested the national anthem in a 2016 preseason game, Kaepernick signed a multiyear contract with Nike worth millions of dollars. The sportswear giant went on to prominently feature Kaepernick in an ad campaign with the slogan "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."

Kaepernick has taken on a number of radical positions since his initial anthem protest. In October 2020, he penned a Medium post that expressed support for abolishing both police and prisons. The post, which includes a section titled "fuck reform," accuses police of "terrorism" and calls for "a future without the terror of policing and prisons."

"In order to eradicate anti-Blackness, we must also abolish the police," Kaepernick wrote. "The abolition of one without the other is impossible."

In addition to its Kaepernick collaboration, Toyota is an official worldwide partner of the Olympics. The company remained largely silent in the buildup to the 2022 Winter Games, which are taking place in China, where up to two million Uyghur Muslims are being held in internment camps.
 
Why can’t they just focus on making cars? Remember the big Toyota recalls over the gas peddles, blamed on floor mats, and air bags. As Mr. Toyota put it, my name is on each of those cars.

Kaepernick is a disgusting and decisive character and a lot of normal people are offended by him, his actions, and what he represents. Trying to claim he was showing respect is pure propaganda.

We bought two cars in the last six months, neither of which are a Toyota after our last three were. If they’re going to make that freak into their mascot, I’m glad I didn’t buy Toyota and given that we tend to keep cars more than 10 years, and the next vehicle I want to get is a big diesel truck for towing, which they don’t make, it’s not likely I’ll be buying a Toyota any time soon.
 
Does anyone really give a damn about this ad or this guy?
No, but I do care when it comes to a company and a product that becomes an extension or reflection of my identity, like cars do, and what values that company chooses to publicly project.
 
To each his own, I just ignore stuff like this. Not worth the time it takes to think about it.
 
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I don't care that he protests. But on the field, he represents the team and the league. His performance there, in all aspects, both reflects on those organizations and abuses the weight they give him as such. What he did was place the team and the league between a rock and a hard place..."you either support me, or you'll suffer the SJW backlash if you don't".

Well, guess what? It turned out the team and the league didn't like that kind of blackmail, so he got booted as a liability.

And yes, he was a liability. And no, Colin didn't have the kind of performance stats that would have justified retaining him. I'm not a football fan, but I looked them up and there was nothing spectacular at all about his performance. Yeah, maybe he COULD have developed into a superstar after a few years, but he blew his chances of that with this move.

Now, if he wanted to protest off the field, sure. Use his own time and money and have at it. Or get some sponsors, I don't care. I don't really consider that different than, say, Mean Joe Green with his Coke commercials back in the '70s. Because let's face it...Colin would have gotten financial kickbacks somewhere along the line for it.
 
Wow. Have had multiple Toys over the years. This brings the phrase, 'Tone Deaf' to a whole new level. :rolleyes:

Is this ad thing a one-off? It's not showing up anywhere else. Did Toyota actually produce this 'audio ad'?
 
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"A new Toyota commercial featuring Colin Kaepernick claims the former NFL quarterback's controversial national anthem protest was a "sign of respect to the military."

The Japanese have historically been sensitive to our military, right?
 
"A new Toyota commercial featuring Colin Kaepernick claims the former NFL quarterback's controversial national anthem protest was a "sign of respect to the military."

The Japanese have historically been sensitive to our military, right?
They were after the first flash of enlightenment we showed them.
 
Mediocre QB, CK is the Original Knee Jerk. He knows how to play the race card. If he was not adopted, he'd be six feet under.
 
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