The internet has been a buzz recently with its latest stream of public outrage and those trying to either fan the flames or put them out. The latest taste of controversial click bait comes in the form of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand during the pre game national anthem. In the post game interview Kaepernick defended his actions with the claim that it was an act of protest against police targeting people of color in acts of brutality. Because police officers are government officials and the national anthem represents the government it seemed the most logical way for him actively protest.
To Kaepernick’s credit, it has worked. People on every side of the issue (myself included) have spent the past few days debating whether or not what Kaepnernick did was right. My personal stance on the issue has evolved as I have become more familiar with it. Ultimately I have concluded that this is not a legitimate issue that the people of the United States need to be concerning themselves with when there are more pressing matters at hand, like for example a presidential election in which the two primary candidates are probably the worst representation of the American election system we have ever seen; Iran harassing our Navy ships in international waters; and Russia bombing an alleged C.I.A outpost in Syria a few weeks back. Instead we choose to focus on a quarterback who’s career is all but in the toilet to the point that it prompts him to commit ridiculous publicity stunts in an attempt to maintain relevance.
Some have tried to make this issue more complex than it really is in order to defend Colin against an admittedly overzealous group of attackers. But the reality of this situation is that it really isn’t that complex and even if there are shades of gray in the mix, there are still stark black and whites to simplify it. So let me break it down.
Kaepernick makes millions of dollars a year and is not oppressed, just hunting for publicity.
His right to free speech and protest protects him from violence or punishment regardless of how you feel about it. If you are in the military (As am I by the way) then you above all people should be able to understand rights and freedoms.
You have the right not to agree with what Kaepernick is saying or doing, and you have the right to be outraged and even call him out for it. The same rights that protect him, protect you.
Colin Kaepernick DOES NOT MATTER.
Here is what does matter. The National Anthem and Flag of the United States have more times than any other nation on Earth represented freedom and liberty. The United States flag flew against an oppressive regime to gain independence and a system of government in which every citizen could have a voice including entitled football players a few hundred years later, the flag of the United States flew against oppression again against a southern faction which fought to keep black men in chains, the flag of the United States flew against an evil military entity responsible for the deaths of seven million Jews, and it was the flag of the United States that was waved by Iraqi men, women and children when the U.S rolled through Saddam Hussein’s regime.
The U.S like any other nation is not free of wrong doing. We have made many mistakes in our history and some at the cost of others safety and freedom. However, by and large the United States of America is a benevolent nation which strives to do what is right morally and ethically because the United States people are primarily good people, we have different beliefs and cultures but we are all American’s and we are what make this country what it is. That is what the Flag and the Anthem represent and that is what matters.
