Are the words “dialogue” or “conversation” used sincerely?

This could end up the hardest to answer of the four questions I asked at the end of my introduction to this website. So far in this series, I’ve evaluated the first of those final four. As the title gives away, this post will cover the second.

No scientific scale to measure intent exists. Yet, people so often seem willing to engage in long fights, fill comment boxes, or even post to blogs,  over the premise that they can successfully gauge the sincerity of one’s intent. We often read commenters question the sincerity of any action when a new headline pops in the news.

Most of the time, these commenters, have little knowledge of the actors involved. Even less often, commenters know the actors personally. Both apply to this blog post. Not knowing someone personally hasn’t stopped internet commenters nor will it stop us from a deeper look at sincerity.

To answer this question, I propose two more questions to summarize each side: What would the actor gain from insincerity? And what has the actor done to prove the action or statement was genuine?

Part one of this series used Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest as an example. Since pundits regularly questioned Kaerpenick’s sincerity during the protest, I’ll continue using his protest here.

What would the actor gain from insincerity?

Kaepernick no longer started for the San Francisco 49ers when his preseason protests began. Lists of top quarterbacks in the league no longer included Kaepernick as they had when he led his team to Superbowl XLVII and came close the next year. His name faded from relevancy until he decided to kneel during the national anthem.

Immediately following the game, Kaepernick’s name re-entered the national stage in a big way. From wearing socks depicting police officers as pigs during a practice one day to wearing a shirt featuring Fidel Castro during a press event, his actions seemed to manufacture media attention.

Garner attention, they did. The silent protest in the name of questioning how great America really was when race relations remained incredibly poor and inequality rose to peak prevalence got Kaepernick featured on magazine covers, story dedications and another chance at starting. A restructured contract allowed Kaepernick that last benefit.

All taken to account, detractors declared Kaepernick found their cues that his protest was nothing more than a grasp at fame and cash rather than a heartfelt effort at making a difference in America’s social issues.

What has the actor done to prove the action or statement was genuine?

Kaepernick has done several actions to proverbially put his money where his mouth is. Those include all the work the Colin Kaepernick foundation has done, giving parolees suits for job interviews and holding know your rights camps. His pro and college teammates have all spoken highly of Kaepernick’s dedication as well.

Adopted by a white family, Kaepernick has dealt with race relations in America from a unique perspective. Despite having a white family, Kaepernick has always expressed his concerns for and connections with black America. To this point, he specifically pointed out police violence as a reason he no longer felt comfortable standing during the national anthem.

Of course, at this point,  perhaps the biggest sacrifice Kaerpernick made as a result of his protest was his NFL career which still remains questionable. Opting out of his contract, Kaepernick has since taken up residence in New York and has focused on his philanthropic efforts while looking for a new team.

Until now, the focus has rested upon the catalyst for whichever dialogue is currently taking place. Another, much more important aspect to this conversation is the substance of said dialogue.

With Kaepernick’s protest, the public sphere spent more time debating Kaepernick than why he took his kneel to begin with. As long as the catalyst receives more attention and discussion than the reaction, a dialogue won’t achieve any real effect.