Star Spangled Saga: Anthem Debate, Discrimination, and Democracy

This gives me the right to sit here and type whatever I want, it gives you the right to speak out against the government, it gives NFL players the right to kneel down during the anthem, and it even gives President Trump the right to say whatever he wants on Twitter.  The only thing we can’t do is infringe on another human being’s rights.  You have the right to say these NFL players are disrespectful and to speak out against them.  What you do not have the right to do, and neither does the president who should be the number one defender of our constitution, is to demand these players stand and in essence silence them from exercising their first amendment right.

This is the very first right that our service men and women fight for.  This is part of what makes America great, that we have this freedom to speak out against the injustices we see.

I’m a literature nerd, so I’d also like to quote a great inspiration of mine, Henry David Thoreau, this is from his essay Civil Disobedience:

I wish my countrymen to consider, that whatever the human law may be, neither an individual nor a nation can ever commit the least act of injustice against the obscurest individual, without having to pay the penalty for it. A government which deliberately enacts injustice, and persists in it, will at length ever become the laughing-stock of the world.

Rather timeless and apropos right?

There is a section of our population that does not feel free, that sees injustice and is the victim of it.  People cry out for the NFL to show respect for the service men and women who lost their lives.  As much as I respect and honor them, they signed up for it, they knew that could be the possible outcome of their choice, this does not make their loss any less tragic.  Every death is a tragedy.

There are others that have lost their lives.  Trayvon Martin, Dontre Hamilton, Eric Garner, John Crawford, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Keith Lamont Scott, Alton Sterling, and Philando Castile, this is just a small sample of the names of unarmed black man either shot dead or fatally wounded by police.  Where is the respect for them?  What was their crime other than being black in the wrong place at the wrong time?  Why is there such a public outcry when there is a peaceful gesture on behalf of these men and the many others like them with a demand that we take a look at the system and try to reform it?  Why when a group of people want to stop being singled out and being in fear for their lives when they are stopped for a routine traffic violation do people feel the need to silence them?

When presented with this counter argument, I see many people quote statistics.  Statistics are easily skewed, let me break it down.  I’m taking my numbers from the Washington Post database, so if you believe what it says or think it is #fakenews that is up to you.

So far in 2017, 737 fatalities are attributed to police.  Out of these, 91 were unarmed, carrying a toy, or unknown if they were armed.  Of those 91, 33 were white and 25 were black, 24 of the blacks were male, 15 were of an undisclosed race so make your own assumption on those.  If just put as those numbers, it would certainly appear as though white people who claim it isn’t a race issue might have a point.  Let’s put it in perspective.  As of the latest census, the American population was 323,127,513 people, 76.9% of the US is white and 13.3% of the US is black, only 6% of the US is black males.  Considering there are literally over 200 million more white people in this country than black people is a difference in police killings by race of 8 really proportionate?  Based on the numbers, 1 in 7.5 million whites are killed by police and 1 in 1.7 million blacks are killed by police.  So a black person is 4.5 times more likely to be shot by police while unarmed.

I’ll say again, the death of anyone is tragic, no one is arguing that it isn’t.  The players in the NFL protesting, and those that stand behind them are simply looking for answers and justice for the killings in the black communities.  In many of these cases, the police have gone unpunished even with video evidence showing they were in no immediate danger.

I looked at the same statistics for 2016 and 2015, I wont bore you with more numbers, but the results were similar.

I’m not trying to say I have no respect for police.  I think the vast majority of police are good people who take their duty to protect and serve seriously.  When placed in a situation where you have a split second to decide if it is you or them, adrenaline and fear kicks in, but why in the case of black men would this instinct be stronger?  I believe it is because of deep-seated and hidden racist tendencies, stereotypes, and in some cases hate.  You can form your own opinion as to why it happens, but you can’t deny that it does happen in startling numbers when you look at the difference in population.

When you see people stand and salute, or place their hand over their heart for the anthem in respect for the service men and women, don’t look down on those that kneel, they are simply showing respect as well, for the minority segment of the population that so many have forgotten or simply don’t care about.

Another argument I see against the NFL protests is that issues of politics do not belong in the work place.  I can understand and respect this argument as well.  I went to a Catholic high school, every morning during morning announcements, there was prayer said, we were all required to take theology class (probably more appropriately called Catholicism 101 but hey, they called it theology) and that class also started with prayer.  No one was required to participate, my school had those from many different religions, yes the majority was Catholic, but we also had Jews, Muslims, atheists, different branches of Christianity, and more religions represented.  If you did not choose to participate in the prayer, you were asked to sit quietly out of respect for those that were participating.

I don’t see the NFL protest as any different.  Once school is over and people enter the “real world” they cease being subjected to a morning Pledge of Allegiance or in the case of my fellow Catholic school survivors morning prayer, it is just not done in the vast majority of work places.  Honestly, not being a parent or in communication with many school aged children, I don’t even know for certain if it is still done in most schools.

The NFL invited politics in when it started the tradition of the singing of the National Anthem before the games.  If those that choose not to participate are doing so quietly and without bothering those that are participating, how is it hurting them?  How does it infringe on their rights?  How does it do anything negative at all aside from trigger the easily offended?

There are many people who love the tradition of the anthem before a game and many players that look forward to it.  How are men on their knees taking away from their enjoyment or tradition?  In keeping true to the tradition if you’re participating your eyes should be strictly on the flag.  The players choosing not to participate are not spouting their politics on the field.  They are not talking about politics during after game press conferences.  They aren’t speaking about politics as representatives of the NFL, they are doing so as individuals.

Many employers have a no politics rule at work, you aren’t allowed to express your views when you are representing the company, but they can’t stop you from doing so on your free time.  If these players were running their mouths about their politics when they were on the game camera mics I’d definitely agree that would be inappropriate while they are doing their jobs, but they are not.  You can’t force someone to participate in a tradition that runs contrary to their beliefs.  You can’t force someone not to support a cause when on their own time outside of the work environment.  At least not in the great country of America.

Let’s say you went to work for a very religious company and although the religion wasn’t yours, you really enjoyed the job and it paid great.  Let’s say the company representatives started the work day down on their knees praying to their God which is not the same God as your God, would you join in?  Or would you politely and quietly stand back until the moment was over?  It is the same thing.  The anthem states we are the land of the free, but there is a segment of the population that doesn’t feel like they are free.  Just like if you were to pray to a God that wasn’t your God, it would be a lie and a mockery of what you believe.

The media has labeled those not participating in the anthem as protestors, is it really protest though or is it just a group of people coming out and respectfully saying, “I respect what you’re doing, but this song does not represent my vision of current affairs or the struggle of my people.”

I also see a lot of people throwing around the debate that the NFL did not allow the Dallas Cowboys to honor slain police officers on their helmets last season, or allow players wanting to honor breast cancer awareness year-long by representing it on their uniforms in some way.  At first thought, this might sound contradictory or hypocritical of the NFL saying these players can express themselves by not participating in the anthem, but they can’t by altering their attire in tribute of another worthwhile cause.

The NFL is not being anti-police or anti-breast cancer awareness.  People forget the NFL is a business.  The uniform and helmet companies have a contract with the NFL for their merchandise to be worn unaltered.  If the US government was paying the NFL to advertise the anthem you can bet your ass the NFL’s stance on the anthem would change in a hot minute.  That is not the case however, it is done as tradition, there is no money coming into the NFL for the anthem.  The league’s money is not effected by messing up a contract with the government, it may be effected in other ways, but we will get into that later.

The next argument I see against anthem protests is where people say that these players have zero right to complain about oppression because they are all rich millionaires and aren’t victims of oppression themselves.  I got into this issue pretty heavy in my piece last year on Colin Kaepernick, so go ahead, scroll back up and click the link to read my full thoughts on this one, they haven’t changed.

If you’re too lazy to do that, I’ll sum up briefly why I think this is a stupid argument.  This to me is like saying a man isn’t allowed to be pro-life, a straight person isn’t allowed to be pro marriage equality, or that a woman who has never been the victim of rape or domestic violence can’t support her sisters that have suffered those crimes.

This has also been proven untrue as several rich millionaire athletes have been victims of uncalled for police force.  Remember the recent story of Michael Bennett?  In his own words:

A police officer ordered me to get on the ground. As I laid on the ground, complying with his commands not to move, he placed his gun near my head and warned me that if I moved he would ‘blow my fucking head off.’ Terrified and confused by what was taking place, a second Officer came over and forcefully jammed his knee into my back making it difficult for me to breathe. They then cinched the handcuffs on my wrists so tight that my fingers went numb.  I kept asking the Officers, ‘What did I do?’ and reminding them that I had rights they were duty bound to respect. The Officers ignored my pleas and instead told me to shut up and then took me to the back of a nearby police car where I sat for what felt like an eternity until they apparently realized I was not a thug, common criminal or ordinary black man but Michael Bennett a famous professional football player. After confirming my identity, I was ultimately released without any legitimate justification for the Officers’ abusive conduct.

Let us not also forget the time former tennis star and Harvard educated black man James Blake who was tackled to the ground, man handled, and hand cuffed in New York City in a case of mistaken identity because he slightly resembled a black man suspected of credit card fraud.  Does credit card fraud warrant brutality in a take down when the suspect isn’t even running because he has no idea he’s even a target until he’s on the ground?

I guess being a millionaire doesn’t get you off the hook for the crime of existing while black now does it?  These are just the first two examples that came to mind, if I did some digging I could find more.

The last response to the anthem debate is probably my favorite in terms of pure ignorance.  If these players hate America so much, why don’t they get the fuck out?  As stated above, as stated in my previous article on the issue, and as stated several times on my radio show, I say once again, what makes America great is our right to speak out.  Our right to stand up (or kneel down) for injustices is what makes us great.  The fact that we are free to have our own opinions, free to express them, free to protest, that is the true spirit of America.

If I may quote from our Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

If you want to live in a world where you must blindly respect your government and everyone is forced to stand for the anthem, move to North Korea or any of the other countries where the citizens are required by law to be subservient to their supreme leader.  This is America, if you don’t like what our country was founded by, if you don’t respect the rights granted to our citizens, you should be the one to get out.  Please people, educate yourself, it is the strongest weapon you can possess.

Discrimination

I see the issue of anthem protests as going well beyond protesting racially motivated police brutality and into the realm of free speech.  I had a recent on air conversation as a guest on the show The Real Deal with Damian Adams, you can listen here, Damian always brings real sports knowledge and has a fresh young voice.

I tease Damian constantly for being a millennial, but in reality, he’s got a passion for sports, a great written and spoken voice, and an admirable work ethic.  Damian made mention that he doesn’t like to bring politics onto his show, but that this issue had grown to the point where it can’t be ignored when talking sports so decided with my passionate views I’d be the perfect guest for the week.

In another show once upon the time when discussing a racial issue pertaining to sports, Damian made a statement that stuck with me, about the greatness of sports and America that when a black guy originally from down south and a white girl raised in Connecticut can come together and discuss these kind of issues openly and honestly it really shows how far we’ve come as a country.

Damian’s concern on his recent show was that with the president getting involved and players seemingly protesting the president and not police brutality that the original message from Colin Kaepernick would be lost, he wanted to make sure players were protesting for the right reason.

This conversation really got me thinking about discrimination in this country.  I’ve always supported the protestors on this issue.  Although as a white girl I will never understand the fear that runs through the mind of an innocent black man when stopped by police, I feel for their plight.  The video shared by the girlfriend of Philando Castile hit me so hard and was a turning point for me.  Prior to the video, I stood in support with those that cried discrimination and supported them, after the video my heart was heavy and I decided this is a cause I want to rally behind even harder.

As a woman, I have been a victim of discrimination.  I’ve been told countless times, you’re a girl, what do you know about sports, technology, etc.  I’ve been asked, why are you a football fan?  Does your boyfriend make you watch?  Woman in this country are still earning less than men in many fields.  Google employees recently came out and stated that women were unsuited for jobs in technology.  This country has a long way to go to reach equality.  In other countries women are killed for speaking out, but that is really off topic, we are talking here about America.

In our country although there are many groups that don’t get equal rights, the ones being killed on the street are the black men, and when life is on the line that surpasses, or should surpass, other issues of inequality.  I do however see one victory for equality as one step closer for victories for other inequalities.

I want to make a confession.  I have looked at some other women and thought to myself, “You are the reason I have to work twice as hard to receive half the recognition of my male counterparts.”  I can’t speak for black men, but it wouldn’t surprise me if similar thoughts cross their minds from time to time.

I’ve had conversations with my co-host Rashan regarding black men tearing down other black men instead of building them up.  This issue has been spoken of at length by athletes, most notably Charles Barkley who said:

There are a lot of black people who are unintelligent, who don’t have success.  It’s best to knock a successful black person down because they’re intelligent, they speak well, they do well in school and they’re successful … It’s just typical B.S. that goes on when you’re black, man.

Women do the same thing, we see a woman who has more than us, we call her a gold digger, we say she slept her way to the top, and a host of other disrespectful things.  If both women and blacks want to be taken seriously in their efforts to end discrimination, we first need to stop tearing each other down.  We need to build each other up.  We need to unite against a common cause whether it be workplace equality or an end to racially motivated police brutality.

I see it all the time in basketball discussions when Steph Curry comes up, there’s the whole team light-skinned versus team dark-skinned debate.  If black people are judging other black people by the color of their skin, how do you expect everyone else to stop doing it?  Issues of racial injustice have escalated so much beyond just sports debate, but it’s time for everyone to be on team human, no mater what color their skin is.

This really becomes an issue to me of education.  I don’t pretend to have the answers on how to fix the problem, but it starts with unity.  The NFL has started the ground work by teams standing in solidarity, black and white locking arms showing that they aren’t different, they are all teammates.  We all need to unite as one, not as different colors, but all as Americans.

If you are a white person reading this, you will probably never full understand the plight of the black man, and that to me is the definition of white privilege.  Even though you don’t share the same experiences however, please recognize that it is an issue, share in open dialogue.  Say to your fellow Americans, yes I see that you are being discriminated against and I wont stand for that in the land of the free.

I don’t care if you think the protests of the anthem are disrespectful, that is your right, but don’t allow your stance to blind you to the reason why it is happening.  Think of things from the other side.  To everyone outraged, I ask, what have you done for veterans?  Have you donated time or money?  Have you thanked a veteran for their service?  Prior to the protests did you stand up at the sports bar every time the anthem was played?  Or have you just expressed your triggered outrage in the form of racial tirades?  A lot of the NFL players protesting have donated large sums of money to their communities or time with children also in their communities.  What have you done?

Considering how much I have written so far, this might sound hypocritical, but actions speak louder than words.  Get out and support your community, no matter what stance you have, recognize that there are people everywhere in this country that need some help.  The president hasn’t done it, look at the number of people dying currently in Puerto Rico after the recent hurricane, but instead of taking action he’s complaining about football players that are out making a difference in their communities just because they want to kneel down during the anthem.

Mr. President if you want the NFL players to stop kneeling there is something you can do.  Take a stand against racial inequality.  Don’t call white supremacists fine upstanding people.  Don’t stay silent on the underlying issue.  Fight for all the citizens in the country you run and not just the rich, the white, and the extreme right wingers.  Unite us.  Don’t further divide us.  Visit with the families of the victims of police brutality.  Listen to their stories.  Demand justice to the police clearly in the wrong instead of continuing to condemn the woman you beat out to earn your position.  You promised to make America great again.  Do it, I dare you.  Make us great and remember, united we stand, divided we fall.  Bring us together as Americans, don’t further the divide.  The bells are tolling and Mr. President it is up to you if it is freedom ringing for all of America or if it is the ringing of the Division Bell.

This brings me to my last topic.

Democracy

As American citizens we have power.  If I have one criticism of Colin Kaepernick it is the fact that he refused to vote.  Like many Americans, I was also unhappy with my choices of presidential candidates but there are local officials, ballot initiatives, and things that are important to your community on the ballot and voting is one of the ways we can exercise our power as Americans.

I believe in electing President Donald Trump America sent a message.  America said we are tired of life long politicians who are looking out for their own interests or the agenda of their party.  America said we need something different if we are going to grow.  President Trump promised to drain the swamp and make America great again and enough of the country was duped into listening that he was elected.

Here we are months later, the swamp is not drained and the country is more divided than ever before.  The presidential approval rating fell to a historic low of 38% after President Trump’s tweets on the NFL.  The majority of America is not standing behind the president’s decisions.  President Trump enjoys a republican majority in congress, a luxury former President Obama didn’t have and he still can’t get his agendas passed.  What does that say about the decisions he is making when the party wont even stand behind him?

We have years before we can vote President Trump out of office but in the mean time we can vote for other elected officials.  I beg you all, get out and vote, do your research on where the candidates have stood on the issues you care about, no mater what those issues are.  Make an informed decision, be heard.  Voting is another one of those rights our service men and women have fought for, don’t waste it.  Voting for women and blacks is something that happened because of protests against inequality, it was change effected by citizens that saw an injustice and protested to change it.  Let them inspire you.  Don’t fail to use your right to vote!

There is another way we can vote in this country and that is with the almighty dollar.  I respect a boycott, I really do, but here is my problem with the current boycotts.  Both sides are boycotting now, those that are pro-protest and those that are anti-protest.  How are the NFL ratings going to know what side of the argument you are on?  It might seem like a noble thing to say I’m going to not watch on Sunday until Kaep has a job or I’m not going to watch on Sunday until players all rise, but with both of you doing it the effect is null.

If you are in a position where you can, vote with your purchasing power.  Is there a player on your favorite team that represents your view?  Buy that jersey and wear it with pride!  Whether you buy the jersey of one of the Bennett brothers or Andre Villeneuve, your voice is being heard.  Educate yourself on what brands endorse your view, make your purchases accordingly.

If you are not in a position where you can vote with your purchasing power, create a sign and stand near your local stadium, be heard no mater what your opinion is.  Ignoring an issue of injustice doesn’t make it go away.  If you feel a certain way, express yourself.

I go back to Thoreau:

Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority. There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men.

After my plea to the population to vote both in the polls and with their dollars, this quote states that it is not enough.  Educate yourself, challenge yourself, open an intelligent dialogue with someone who doesn’t agree with your view.  Get outside of your comfort zone.  Stand up, kneel down, do something, do anything if you feel in your heart a certain way about this issue.  Don’t be silent.  Silence is the same as consent.

This country is supposed to be free, don’t neglect your freedom, use it.  Nothing honors our men and women in uniform more than exercising the rights they protect.

I’d like to end by thanking you for sticking with me through this journey whether you agree or disagree with my opinions.  This is my attempt to make my views heard.  With my voice and platform I am using what power I have to stand up for freedom, to stand against injustice, and to stand for my first amendment right.  If standing up for these issues means kneeling down, I will proudly take a knee, but what I will never do is be silenced or censored.  I urge you dear readers, if you love our country, fight for the freedoms of everyone, fight for unity, fight to end the division.  If the government isn’t going to do it for us, we need to do it ourselves, and that is what will make America great once again.

I leave you with this quote from Charlie Chaplin from The Great Dictator:

Even now millions of despairing men, women, and children are victims of a system that tortures and imprisons innocent people. To those people I say – do not despair! The misery that is now upon us is just the passing of greed, and the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators shall die. The power they took from the people will return to the people and so long as men die, liberty will never perish. …..in the name of democracy: let us all unite