Just over a year ago my article entitled, Just Because Your Can Doesn’t Mean You Should, appeared in ALIVE. The gist of it was that I believe kneeling as a form of protest when the national anthem is played or during a flag ceremony, is shortsighted and inappropriate.
I received several emails regarding the article; some positive and some critical. A number of readers—African Americans, including a friend—expressed a different point of view, believing that it is not only an effective and appropriate form of protest, but that it is an act of patriotism for African American athletes to kneel during these ceremonies.
After carefully considering these opposing viewpoints—fully acknowledging the fact that since I am not African American, I may not be seeing the whole picture in the context that my friend and others view these protests—I basically ended up feeling that the best I could do was agree to disagree, and that perhaps my original point needed clarification. While I appreciate that our life experiences have been different, I maintain that this form of protest fails in what it seeks to accomplish, largely because the protestors fail to understand how their actions are perceived by most Americans.
And so, the following is the text of the clarification I provided in response to those who disagreed with my initial argument:
First off, as a publisher, I essentially live and breathe in the realm of communication. It is with that frame of reference, considering the kneelers’ messaging in a purely pragmatic way, that one of the main points in my article is to ask the question: “Are the kneelers accomplishing what they hope to accomplish?” As is often true about facts, those in this matter—being right or wrong, justified or otherwise—are secondary. It is public perception that matters most. With that in mind, based upon the controversy and a largely negative reactive backlash thus far, one must wonder if the kneeling tactic, in this particular instance, is a well thought-out course of action.
As for the point “that by kneeling during the national anthem they are showing a great deal of patriotism,” I don’t see it that way, and here is why:
The act of standing at attention during the national anthem or pledge of allegiance is a symbolic gesture intended to express a general sentiment of respect, honor, and support for our country—flaws and all. And particularly at sporting events and the like, it has become, essentially, a cultural tradition that likewise pays homage to members of the military, veterans, and oftentimes, first responders. This is why it is, for all practical terms, universal, that a military color guard presents the colors (the flag) and why members of the active military and veterans are asked to stand and be recognized at these events. At major events like the Super Bowl, there is even an Air Force fly-over. And it is important to remember that even with all of this “honoring our country,” symbolism, it is by no means a declaration that “America is perfect.”
On the other hand, choosing to kneel at this particular time expresses a very different, sentiment. Kneeling as opposed to standing says: “I deliberately and purposely choose NOT to demonstrate my appreciation at this time, but instead, I choose to display, in THIS moment, my dissatisfaction with America, because of ___________(any grievance can be inserted here).” And I would argue that that is precisely the point. These protests are saying: “Because of bad things done by the police / to my race / etc., I do not feel proud of my country, and I do not offer my gesture of honor or respect at this time. I choose instead to use this opportunity not to express thanks or recognition of what is good about America but instead to remind everyone of what is wrong with America.”
But, as I stated in my article, and as its title, “Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should” suggests—while everyone certainly agrees that Colin Kaepernick and others have every right to protest, I just question his and their wisdom in doing so, in this way, at these events. This is why even President Obama, while he agreed with Kaepernick’s right to do so, cautioned that his actions just might be perceived as hurtful.
And with all due respect to many others who now appear to me to be trying to “walk it back” a bit by now claiming that kneeling is being offered as some form of patriotic gesture, I would say that you can’t have it both ways. It’s either a smack across America’s collective cheek, or it isn’t. It can’t be both an expression of tribute and one that intends to shame America at the same time. It’s like someone actually standing and speaking up at a traditional wedding ceremony when the minister says “If any of you has reasons why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace.” You can’t pipe up and label the groom a ‘gigolo’ and the bride a ‘trollup’ and then claim that you support their marriage.
Aside from the messaging and the protest itself, to address the underlying issues of brutality and injustice, I agree with the statement that, “Unfortunately, the justice system in this country isn’t perfect.” But when one says that “the fact that someone has been deemed not guilty of a crime doesn’t mean they are innocent,” I must then ask: By what system or standard of justice are we to use to determine guilt or innocence? This is again not to say that the system is by any means perfect, but we must either abide by its boundaries or we risk anarchy.
Definitely, that there have been instances where police officers have used excessive force, but the problem with many of the video clips offered as “proof” (of either guilt or innocence) is that they rarely, if ever, record the entire incident, in context, from every point of view. And witnesses in many of these events are often biased and/or unreliable. Whenever a controversial incident occurs, it is only by way of a thorough, unbiased investigation that the “facts” can be determined. Again, I recognize that even this system is imperfect (this will always be the case as human beings will always be fallible), but we have nothing else!
The example of the Rodney King beating and subsequent acquittal of the officers that beat him is a good example of where a colossal failure in our system of justice occurred. I cannot watch that video without feeling sickened, and know of no one else who doesn’t feel the same way.
But what then of the events that followed? Was the goal of eliminating racism in America helped or hindered by the reaction of some in the African American community, when riots erupted in Los Angeles, taking 63 lives, injuring nearly 2,400, and destroying over 1,000 buildings? Were destructive, negative stereotypes diminished or made worse? Was the cause of justice served, and more importantly, how was the relationship between African Americans and members of law enforcement fared after the riots of 1992?
Rather than allowing the video to exist as it was—something that clearly spoke of excessive force and a miscarriage of justice—those who decried the police brutality proceeded to become brutal themselves, thereby diminishing the impact of the entire Rodney King incident in terms of its potential positive effect on racial relations in America. The violence that ensued only made matters worse, not better.
Injustice doesn’t only happen in one direction or exclusively toward one race. For example, in the more recent 2014 shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson Missouri, where it could be argued the “Black Lives Matter” movement came to be, the credible investigations conducted by an independent Grand Jury and the FBI, as well as a United States Attorney’s Civil Rights investigation ordered by President Obama’s then Attorney General, Eric Holder, all concluded that the shooting was in self defense. Even so, well before these investigations even began, many rushed to pronounce this as yet another example of racial injustice, as riots took place in Ferguson and in other cities around the country. And even as all of the credible witnesses supported the officer’s claim and what turned out to be the truth about the shooting, a false narrative persisted, as the chant of “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” became a symbolic mantra for police brutality. To my way of thinking, this only serves to undermine the credibility of the BLM movement itself, doing nothing to help promote or insure racial justice.
To be fair and in the interest of justice, does anyone today even know or care about Officer Darren Wilson? He was forced to resign and as far as I know, his career and life has been negatively impacted forevermore. I would consider his fate as one of injustice. Did Colin Kaepernick think of Officer Wilson’s family, as he mockingly wore “Pig” socks during a nationally televised football game?
As for the larger issue of injustice in America, I see the claim that racial injustice is a pervasive or institutional national problem as largely exaggerated, and sadly, it is being done so by some who profit from perpetuating racial division in this country. Likewise, I believe that the charge that there is widespread, racially motivated, institutional police brutality in America is simply not true, for much the same reason. While I agree that there are “bad” officers and that injustice and corruption does exist, I believe it is rare, and that little consideration is offered to the individuals—the police—who spend their lives working in what are often thankless, no-win or nearly-impossible situations.
Unfortunately, as flawed beings, the distasteful and evil characteristics of human nature will always be with us to some degree; but to judge American society as a whole based upon the “bad apples” is an even greater injustice in and of itself. The reality of America is that, more than any other place on Earth, we have progressed a very long way toward the “dream” of Martin Luther King Jr..
While America’s past includes a multitude of sins that must be recognized, we ought to feel proud that they are just that—largely in our past. And until each of us can see each other as Americans—not as Catholic, White, Asian, Jewish, Native, Straight, Black, Italian, Gay, African—our journey toward justice and equality will be longer than it needs to be.
Again, thank you for your comments. I appreciate your point of view, and that you took the time to express it. America is better when we are able to share our points of view with each other, as we have done here, and I look forward to future conversations.
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