John Mellencamp Pulls a Colin Kaepernick, Sick Action Caught on Camera Before NFL Game
What a “Shama Lama Ding Dong.”
Rock legend John Mellencamp, best known for some genuine hits like “Jack & Diane” and “Pink Houses,” has once again proven Harvey Dent correct: You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain.
And boy, what a villainous turn from Mellencamp.
The singer who used to sing about “ain’t that America” and really touted heartland America in his songs has become a veritable loon when it comes to various anti-America sentiments. The latest example of that was on full display during a game between the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
An eagle-eyed fan at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts, noticed Mellencamp doing his best (worst?) Colin Kaepernick impression while “The Star-Spangled Banner” was playing.
In the image, Mellencamp is clearly seen sitting and eating popcorn while virtually everyone else around him (save for a lone, utterly miserable-looking child in the row behind Mellencamp) was standing with their hands over their hearts.
The visual of Mellencamp disrespecting the national anthem was enough for Outkick’s Dan Dakich to outright call Mellencamp a fraud:
Mellencamp is one of America’s Greatest Frauds…always has been https://t.co/Bhjpfll97b
— Dan Dakich (@dandakich) November 21, 2022
But perhaps this shouldn’t have been much of a shocker. As Dakich alluded to, Mellencamp has been on this trajectory for quite some time now.
Mellencamp, 71, has long been a vocal supporter of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his anthem protests. It should come as little surprise that he would opt to sit and stuff his face with popcorn instead of taking roughly two minutes to stand and applaud a song meant to capture the beauty of America.
As The Associated Press noted, Mellencamp took a knee and raised his fist in solidarity with Black Lives Matter after a 2018 performance on the “Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
“Taking the knee started purely and simply as a protest of racial and social injustice,” Mellencamp said. The rock singer then took a completely unprompted swipe at former President Donald Trump and blamed him for politicizing national anthem protests.
“Sadly it was politicized by the current administration. The song [“Easy Target”] is simple and the protest is pure.”
Look, I’ve personally spilled much digital ink over this issue before. Kaepernick was well within his rights to protest during the national anthem, but you can’t play victim about a protest if you know it’s going to violently upset most everyday Americans who appreciate the opportunity this country has afforded for them.
Here’s the most sickening part of what Mellencamp was caught doing — it was actually worse than Kaepernick’s protests.
If you’ll recall, when Kaepernick first began protesting the national anthem back in 2016, his protests began with him sitting for the anthem.
That’s when former NFL player and active-duty Green Beret, Nate Boyer, actually advised Kaepernick to kneel instead of sitting, as that showed more reverence and respect. Kaepernick obliged, and the rest is infamous history.
It may be an argument of semantics when it comes to the different degrees of disrespect, but by virtually any measure, kneeling for the anthem is more respectful than sitting on your rear and stuffing your face with food.
Of course, the great irony of any “Star Spangled Banner” protests is that this is one of the few countries where you even have the freedom to do that, without worrying about being killed in your sleep or sent to the gulags.
Ain’t that America.
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