Change is hard. Whether it be a new school, a new job, a new relationship, or a new kid, it's next to impossible to fully adjust and adapt to this major lifestyle change in an immediate fashion. This is especially the case as we age. However, more times than not, at the end of the day, we find a way to make the necessary changes and move forward with life, because for as much as we'd like it to at times, the world doesn't stop for the sake of our hardships. Life changes are inevitable, though, so while we may despise the mere sight of them whenever they arrive on the scene, we're cognizant of their seemingly constant presence, and go on to begrudgingly erase our old life formula, replace it with a new one, accept it, and move forward. While these life formulas may be written in pencil, however, after a certain point in time, beliefs are written in pen, and for as difficult as it may be to quickly adjust and adapt to major life changes, it seems to be doubly as difficult to adjust one's opinions, regardless of how much white-out another may use in an attempt to do so.
I bring this up in response to the NFL-National Anthem debate. Donald Trump received a great deal of backlash for telling a crowd at a rally in Alabama on Saturday night that players who knelt toward the flag during the national anthem should be "fired," even going so far as to refer to them as "sons of b*tches." In response, on Sunday, NFL players who knelt during the anthem increased from approximately 10 to over 250. While I think it's ironically humorous many NFL owners were offended by Trump's words on Saturday when they didn't bat an eyelash toward his numerous other controversial statements, including "grab 'em by the p*ssy," I will give them at least an ounce of credit for standing by their money, I mean players.
Segueing from that, while I'm always content to see wealthy, powerful individuals standing up to President Trump, I also worry that we may run the risk of losing sight of the protest which prompted this all. Let us not forget that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started this protest in a response to the oppression the black community continues to face, especially at the expense of authority figures such as the police. This began before Donald Trump's inauguration. So in what direction are we taking this? Will it simply be a protest to Donald Trump, a protest to black oppression, or are the two simply interlinked, and a protest to one will be a protest to the other? It will be interesting to see how the movement progresses or regresses in the weeks to come.
Having said all that, I find it equally fascinating and disturbing how many in the white community have responded to these protests. I've heard comments range from "Stick to sports!" and "You're millionaires for playing a game, so quit your crying!" to "How dare you disrespect our military!" and "If you don't like it here, leave!" Allow me to tackle these comments one by one...
"Stick to sports!"
Why is it some feel celebrities of any stripe should only publicly discuss their careers? Oh, and perhaps their love lives, families, and personal stories which may generate a laugh or WTF face? Do these same individuals possess that same line of thinking with regard to doctors, lawyers, accountants, teachers, police officers, anyone who isn't actually working in the field of politics? I highly doubt it. Granted, celebrities are provided greater access to the media, enabling them to let their voices be heard to a wider audience than John and Jane Doe, but that doesn't negate their First Amendment rights. Whether an individual is a billionaire businessperson, a millionaire athlete, or a homeless veteran, he or she has the right to believe as they so choose in this country and express said views. So, I'm sorry, but no matter how much we may want athletes to distract our attention away from the political landscape when watching sports, they're people too, have every right that you and I share, and shouldn't be derided for utilizing those Constitutional rights.
"You're millionaires for playing a game, so quit your crying!"
While the first half of this claim may technically be true, let's not forget that many of these millionaire athletes grew up in poverty. They didn't just become rich overnight. Many had to suffer and starve for numerous years until draft day, so let's not lose sight of the forest through the trees. Between 2/3 and 3/4 of NFL players are black, many of whom grew up in poverty, and most all of whom have likely been racially profiled at one point in their lives or another, so just because they may be millionaires today doesn't mean they must deny their lives of the past, deny the hardships they experienced, and pretend all is bright in the present and future. Regardless of what those who don't have it want to believe, those who have it will tell you time and time again, money can't buy everything.
"How dare you disrespect our military!"
Why are symbols so meaningful to some and not to others? Why is it so common for symbols to mean different things to different people? It's because symbols aren't universal, and that's perfectly fine. What makes one's interpretation of a cross or a flag accurate and another's inaccurate? Many people interpret these symbols via personal experiences, and therein lies the big problem here. Many white Americans equate the flag with military service - a symbol to help illustrate all the sacrifices our men and women in uniform made for their country to be safe and free. However, that's not the same interpretation many black Americans have of this symbol, or the national anthem for that matter. That doesn't make either interpretation false. Both can simultaneously ring true. The problem here is the fact it seems many white Americans are unwilling to try and empathize with black Americans on this issue, which decreases the likelihood of a civilized conversation on the topic, and prompts us to go in a seemingly never-ending cycle, where anger is rampant and productivity is scarce. The fact of the matter is the author of The Star Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key, was a slaveowner. Also, while I'm guessing approximately 99.996% of Americans only know the first verse to our national anthem, there are three other verses, one in particular, which speaks of slavery. So no matter what we may want to believe, it is almost comically ironic that many feel patriotic when singing their country's anthem, written by a slaveowner, about being the freest nation in the world. While white Americans have the right to proudly sing, "The land of the free, the home of the brave," they need to start listening to and understanding black Americans who may think the lyrics should read, "The land of the oppressed, the home of the slaves."
"If you don't like it here, leave!"
I'm always greatly perplexed by this line of thinking. Most of those whom utter this line believe no person is perfect. What are countries comprised of? People. So if no single person can technically be perfect, how in the world can a country full of people be perfect? Simple answer, it can't. Given all of that, the United States is not perfect. We have our strengths and weaknesses just like every other country. We have our proud moments and our shameful ones. So why is it wrong to point out these inevitable flaws within our country and try to improve upon them? Looking at this from a family perspective, if a concerned brother tells his alcoholic brother he's worried about him, should the alcoholic brother tell his concerned brother, "If you don't like it in this family, leave!"? No. While he may very well get defensive at first, wanting to deny the existence of a problem, at the end of the day, the only way to solve said problem is if one admits there is a problem to begin with. So no, while it may not instill in us a sense of pride to admit our country's flaws, the only way to improve upon these weaknesses is to admit they exist in the first place, and what's worse, admitting problems exist and doing everything in our power to make them a thing of the past, or ignoring their existence and increasing the likelihood they'll get worse in the present and future?
Symbols can be extraordinarily powerful images, which may feel personal, bring back memories, and instill in us a sense of pride or hope, but interpretations of them and the thoughts and feelings they prompt aren't universally shared, and instead of condemning others whom may possess interpretations which drastically differ from our own, we need to start listening and attempting to understand and empathize. When black NFL players kneel during the national anthem, we (white Americans) need to stop seeing them as just athletes, and start seeing them as American citizens with concerns outside the spectrum of sports. Instead of telling them to stop crying because they're millionaires and to stop disrespecting our military, we need ask why they feel the need to protest. Lastly, instead of telling them to leave if they don't like it here, we need to hold our fists up high as we fight to finally make the words "the land of the free" a reality.
I bring this up in response to the NFL-National Anthem debate. Donald Trump received a great deal of backlash for telling a crowd at a rally in Alabama on Saturday night that players who knelt toward the flag during the national anthem should be "fired," even going so far as to refer to them as "sons of b*tches." In response, on Sunday, NFL players who knelt during the anthem increased from approximately 10 to over 250. While I think it's ironically humorous many NFL owners were offended by Trump's words on Saturday when they didn't bat an eyelash toward his numerous other controversial statements, including "grab 'em by the p*ssy," I will give them at least an ounce of credit for standing by their money, I mean players.
Segueing from that, while I'm always content to see wealthy, powerful individuals standing up to President Trump, I also worry that we may run the risk of losing sight of the protest which prompted this all. Let us not forget that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started this protest in a response to the oppression the black community continues to face, especially at the expense of authority figures such as the police. This began before Donald Trump's inauguration. So in what direction are we taking this? Will it simply be a protest to Donald Trump, a protest to black oppression, or are the two simply interlinked, and a protest to one will be a protest to the other? It will be interesting to see how the movement progresses or regresses in the weeks to come.
Having said all that, I find it equally fascinating and disturbing how many in the white community have responded to these protests. I've heard comments range from "Stick to sports!" and "You're millionaires for playing a game, so quit your crying!" to "How dare you disrespect our military!" and "If you don't like it here, leave!" Allow me to tackle these comments one by one...
"Stick to sports!"
Why is it some feel celebrities of any stripe should only publicly discuss their careers? Oh, and perhaps their love lives, families, and personal stories which may generate a laugh or WTF face? Do these same individuals possess that same line of thinking with regard to doctors, lawyers, accountants, teachers, police officers, anyone who isn't actually working in the field of politics? I highly doubt it. Granted, celebrities are provided greater access to the media, enabling them to let their voices be heard to a wider audience than John and Jane Doe, but that doesn't negate their First Amendment rights. Whether an individual is a billionaire businessperson, a millionaire athlete, or a homeless veteran, he or she has the right to believe as they so choose in this country and express said views. So, I'm sorry, but no matter how much we may want athletes to distract our attention away from the political landscape when watching sports, they're people too, have every right that you and I share, and shouldn't be derided for utilizing those Constitutional rights.
"You're millionaires for playing a game, so quit your crying!"
While the first half of this claim may technically be true, let's not forget that many of these millionaire athletes grew up in poverty. They didn't just become rich overnight. Many had to suffer and starve for numerous years until draft day, so let's not lose sight of the forest through the trees. Between 2/3 and 3/4 of NFL players are black, many of whom grew up in poverty, and most all of whom have likely been racially profiled at one point in their lives or another, so just because they may be millionaires today doesn't mean they must deny their lives of the past, deny the hardships they experienced, and pretend all is bright in the present and future. Regardless of what those who don't have it want to believe, those who have it will tell you time and time again, money can't buy everything.
"How dare you disrespect our military!"
Why are symbols so meaningful to some and not to others? Why is it so common for symbols to mean different things to different people? It's because symbols aren't universal, and that's perfectly fine. What makes one's interpretation of a cross or a flag accurate and another's inaccurate? Many people interpret these symbols via personal experiences, and therein lies the big problem here. Many white Americans equate the flag with military service - a symbol to help illustrate all the sacrifices our men and women in uniform made for their country to be safe and free. However, that's not the same interpretation many black Americans have of this symbol, or the national anthem for that matter. That doesn't make either interpretation false. Both can simultaneously ring true. The problem here is the fact it seems many white Americans are unwilling to try and empathize with black Americans on this issue, which decreases the likelihood of a civilized conversation on the topic, and prompts us to go in a seemingly never-ending cycle, where anger is rampant and productivity is scarce. The fact of the matter is the author of The Star Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key, was a slaveowner. Also, while I'm guessing approximately 99.996% of Americans only know the first verse to our national anthem, there are three other verses, one in particular, which speaks of slavery. So no matter what we may want to believe, it is almost comically ironic that many feel patriotic when singing their country's anthem, written by a slaveowner, about being the freest nation in the world. While white Americans have the right to proudly sing, "The land of the free, the home of the brave," they need to start listening to and understanding black Americans who may think the lyrics should read, "The land of the oppressed, the home of the slaves."
"If you don't like it here, leave!"
I'm always greatly perplexed by this line of thinking. Most of those whom utter this line believe no person is perfect. What are countries comprised of? People. So if no single person can technically be perfect, how in the world can a country full of people be perfect? Simple answer, it can't. Given all of that, the United States is not perfect. We have our strengths and weaknesses just like every other country. We have our proud moments and our shameful ones. So why is it wrong to point out these inevitable flaws within our country and try to improve upon them? Looking at this from a family perspective, if a concerned brother tells his alcoholic brother he's worried about him, should the alcoholic brother tell his concerned brother, "If you don't like it in this family, leave!"? No. While he may very well get defensive at first, wanting to deny the existence of a problem, at the end of the day, the only way to solve said problem is if one admits there is a problem to begin with. So no, while it may not instill in us a sense of pride to admit our country's flaws, the only way to improve upon these weaknesses is to admit they exist in the first place, and what's worse, admitting problems exist and doing everything in our power to make them a thing of the past, or ignoring their existence and increasing the likelihood they'll get worse in the present and future?
Symbols can be extraordinarily powerful images, which may feel personal, bring back memories, and instill in us a sense of pride or hope, but interpretations of them and the thoughts and feelings they prompt aren't universally shared, and instead of condemning others whom may possess interpretations which drastically differ from our own, we need to start listening and attempting to understand and empathize. When black NFL players kneel during the national anthem, we (white Americans) need to stop seeing them as just athletes, and start seeing them as American citizens with concerns outside the spectrum of sports. Instead of telling them to stop crying because they're millionaires and to stop disrespecting our military, we need ask why they feel the need to protest. Lastly, instead of telling them to leave if they don't like it here, we need to hold our fists up high as we fight to finally make the words "the land of the free" a reality.
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