Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, remained seated during the National Anthem before the preseason game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. Kaepernick defended himself saying, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” as quoted in ESPN’s article.
It is likely that this show of protest was influenced by the more recent Black Lives Matter protests. Jerry Rice, former 49ers star, chimed in on Twitter saying:
Rice was violently attacked, not for disagreeing with Kaepernick so much as saying, “Can we all just get along!” and “All lives matter.” The latter being the phrase that, for some reason, causes so much strife among the BLM (Black Lives Matter) protesters. Calling for everyone to get along and making it known that everyone is human and everyone’s lives matter was what should be BLM goal, but we don’t see that in our current situation.
The problem with Kaepernick’s protests seem to be less about the context and more about how he went about it. Sitting through the National Anthem does not protest racism. Sitting through the National Anthem insults servicemen and veterans. Rice had the right idea when he implied that the flag isn’t Kaepernick’s enemy. Kaepernick has the right to protest, but he should pick and choose his way of protest more carefully.
The left spectrum, on the other hand, appeared to agree with Kaepernick. As many athletes followed in his footsteps, even President Obama commented on Kaepernick’s stance, saying, “As a general matter, when it comes to the flag, the National Anthem and the meaning that holds for our men and women in uniform and those who’ve fought for us — that is a tough thing for them to get past to then hear what his deeper concerns are.” Obama went on to say that Kaepernick has sincerity in his protests, as quoted by CNN.
Coming off the right-wing Americans, Donald Trump asked for Kaepernick’s departure from the country, and many Americans feeling tired of the Black Lives Matter protests in general. Moreover the right wingers felt that this show of silent protest was beyond insulting to those veterans who died to protect his right to protest. Many also felt that this message coming from Kaepernick, someone who receives millions from a ‘racist’ country, greatly decreased the already diminished message in his protest.
To wrap this up, Kaepernick showed his hand in way of wanting to protest racism by sitting through the National Anthem. Obama commented in saying that veterans might find it hard to look past the death and sacrifice that their colleagues had to go through in order to see the systemic racism in our country today. And to make it clear, Kaepernick has the right to do what he wants and say what he feels, but he will be responsible for the backlash that he has received. Racism still exists, and it’s a very, very monstrous thing. But there are better ways to protest than ostracizing a whole part of the country through insulting memories of our veterans.
