In the Nicomachean ethics, Aristotle discusses virtue ethics and becoming a virtuous person. He explains how having virtue means doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, in the right amount, towards the right people. It is safe to categorize Colin Kaepernick as a virtuous person for being a genuinely benevolent and honest man. Kaepernick’s failure to stand while the national anthem was playing can be validated as appropriate behavior through virtue ethics.

“A courageous person will assess the situation, they will know their own abilities, and they will take action that is right in a particular situation”Explain aristotles theory and quote himColin Kaepernick, a backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, started a national debate with his refusal to stand while the national anthem was playing throughout the NFL season. At first the action went unnoticed because Kaepernick was not in uniform or expected to play. It wasn’t until August 26, 2016, that a picture of him sitting on the sideline in uniform, while the national anthem was playing, went viral. The photo quickly grabbed people’s’ attention on twitter, instagram, and facebook prompting media sources to question and initiate discussion on his behavior and actions during the game.

After receiving so much buzz on the photo, Kaepernick landed an interview with sports media, he stated his refusal to stand during the national anthem was because he was not going to “stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color” (Gaines, Cork). Kaepernick then began kneeling for the national anthem leading children, high schoolers, collegiates, and even other professional athletes to do the same. Although Kaepernick’s only intentions were to bring attention to issues of social injustice within our country, many Americans felt that his refusal to stand for the anthem was disrespectful to not only the United States of America, but those who fought for our country as well. Benevolence, one principle of being a virtuous person, means assisting those in need through acts of kindness or humanitarianism. It can also be described as someone’s unselfish actions to help the welfare of others. Kaepernick can be considered characteristically benevolent or altruistic in his continuous contributions to charities, in both time and money.

His charity efforts included a monthly donation of $100,000 for ten months, which is equivalent to $1 million total. The money was to help “fight oppression of all kinds globally, through education and social activism” (). Not only that but he donated the proceeds from jersey sales, and volunteered his time mentoring underprivileged children on nutrition, health, and how to interact with law enforcement officials. To back his case up even further, Kaepernick’s former NFL coach described him as “remarkable” while also praising him as an “outstanding player and trusted teammate” (Harbaugh, 2017). With credibility of his former coach who can attest to his general characteristics and traits, virtue ethics would assist in substantiating the appropriateness his failure to stand during the national anthem.Honesty, the second principle of normative ethics, is often described as a synonym for integrity or truthfulness and defined as the act of refraining from deception. Virtue ethics assesses the honest nature and general characteristics or traits of Kaepernick in being truthful. Public accounts do not indicate instances whereby the player acted deceitful or dishonest throughout his life.

In general, Kaepernick’s general nature could be considered honest. The recurring issues with police brutality was the driving force to the message behind Kaepernick’s silent protests. Due to multiple incidents within a short period of time, the issue of race and police brutality was already gaining national media attention before any of the silent protest in the NFL season began. People concluded Kaepernick was expressing and defending a specific side of the emerging national debate when he arrived to practice with socks that had cops as pigs on them. Many believed he was insulting the police by wearing the socks.

In retaliation, Kaepernick captioned a picture on his Instagram stating his intentions, “I wore these socks, in the past, because the rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments, not only put the community in danger, but also put the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust” (Davis, Scott). Throughout all of his protests and interviews Kaepernick remained honest and true to his opinion. Aristotle links a person’s character of good or bad to habituation and the continual choices a person makes will either be good or bad (Aristotle, 1894). Rather than using all of Aristotle’s ethics. Habit, for example, helps to define the character of Colin Kaepernick as a professional sports athlete. He has a talent for learning routines and executing repetitions in practices and games, but having a skill is not a value associated with an individual’s character as a good or bad person. Virtue is not defined by a situation, but rather how the person decides to handle that situation. Individuals may claim they are good and have a general propensity to assist people in need, but following through and having evidence of how individuals are helped is a greater indicator of good or benevolent character.

For example, many celebrities portray themselves as a virtuous person by bringing attention to global issues, such as the libya slave trade, through social media. They put a bandaid on the situation and pat themselves on the back with a tweet, a one time cash donation, or a petition for fans to sign. In reality, making a change is far more complicated than that, you must make a long term commitment and follow through. Countless fans who were brought to the attention of the issue view the celebrities as such a helping hand when the issue has been going on for the last several years, and victims have not seen a dime or any volunteered help.

Although many celebrities credit themselves in situations like these, there is proof of Kaepernick’s character in his charitable contributions. Not only does his devotion to charity prove his character, but so did his meeting with the press which was scheduled shortly after his first silent protest went publicly noticed. He spoke about injustice and how he wanted to create a conversation in America about the controversial issues in hopes that our country could become unified on the topic.

Within a short time span, the message of oppression towards a specific race was equated with the injustice that people in American society identified with through Kaepernick’s words and gestures. One could generalize his virtuous character in attempting to bring attention to the subject, and in the end successfully generating publicity, and conversation to a social issue through actions, not just a post on social media.This paragraph is going against him being virtuous Substantiating the virtuous character of Kaepernick described by a former coach and evidenced by his charitable contributions becomes challenging considering his decision to wear socks depicting cops as pigs and asserting his status as a sensationalized professional player to exasperate a message about the dangers of rouge police through social media. It is clear throughout Kaepernick’s protests that he genuinely believed  that a social injustice was being ignored and showed concern for the wellbeing of those that were being harmed by it. He knew his celebrity status would assist in raising awareness of an elusive issue in mainstream society. Once his silent protest was noticed, the issue of social injustice was brought to a national debate by news sources and social media.

He remained truthful to media and his fans, never backing down for what he believed in and proved his character. For one to say Colin Kaepernick is a virtuous person is right, he fits all the