King Lear & Colin Kaepernick:

Colin Kaepernick was just an overpaid athlete
in a sports system that abuses the health of players
in exchange for big money.
But his choice not to stand for the national anthem
was like the start #of Shakespeare's #KingLear,
when Lear asks his daughters which of them is willing
to put on the most convincing outward show
(of a family love version of patriotism) for him.

Daughters Goneril and Regan try to outdo one another with flags
and fawning and "support the troops" bumperstickers.
They care more about the outward show
than about sincerity, faithfulness, or love.

Lear's most beloved daughter, Cordelia,
will have none of that foolishness. She wants to take a knee
or sit or hold a protest sign during the King Lear national anthem.

She gets banished, of course. She marries French royalty,
where Freedom Fries come from.
And then she comes back later to try to save her father,
who is being mistreated by the more opportunistic
and superficial daughters who have lost their moral compass.

I love it when pop culture repeats a Shakespeare moment.

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Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html

[Originally posted around the week of 9/1/17 on LinkedIn]