Protest. This word has been tossed around more and more these days. But what exactly does it mean? Freedom of speech. Another term that a lot of people seemed to have a hard time grasping the meaning of. Protest: "a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something." Freedom of speech: "the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint." Going by those definitions, it is safe to say that protest would fall under freedom of speech. Now that we have a solid definition of what those two words mean, let's get to the real topic. Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick is a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who is currently the subject of a lot of debate. Before a preseason game, Kaepernick decided to take a knee during the national anthem stating that he didn't think that his country was currently reflecting the values the anthem was suggesting. A lot of people took offense to this. A majority of the outrage came from the idea that he was being very disrespectful to veterans who fought for him to have the right to even do that. Another common response I hear quite often is: "that wasn't the time or place to do that."
Veterans, thank you for your service and for giving me the ability to write this article. But right now I am going to exercise the gift you gave me. My freedom of speech. What Kaepernick is doing is not an affront on veterans. He is not spitting on the face of their sacrifices. He is actually acknowledging the gift that he was given and using it to address a wrong he believes exists in his country. What good is it for our veterans to go to war when we are just killing each from the inside? Veterans supposedly fought for our right to free speech but those same people want to take it away. This is not an affront on veterans. Personally, I feel like veterans should get better treatment than they currently do. To me, veterans are getting nowhere near the respect and benefits that they should. And not because of people like Kaepernick. The other day I saw a video of an old veteran who had just gotten out of the hospital and went to get his dogs from the pet store. Now luckily, a kind lady had covered the bill beforehand, but why should he have to pay to get back his dogs at all? Why did he have to receive the kindness of a stranger instead of the general kindness of his country? It only makes sense that the country protects those which protect it.
To the people that say that was not the time nor place, are you angry? Are you talking about it? Do you spend time debating, arguing, or discussing it? Did it catch your attention? If your answer is yes to any of the following, then it was a successful protest. People seem to have this misconception that peaceful protest is to be non-intrusive. Peaceful protest is simply taking a non violent stance against something. Any other means is fair. No form of protest is convenient. It is to catch your eye. The true goal of any protest is to make you address the elephant in the room. You know why events like the Super Bowl are the best for times for these talks? Because that person that's been waiting all year for that day to come isn't going to change the channel for anything. What sense does it make to put out a statement on a platform nobody cares about? A lot of people care about football. That's a fact. But do a lot of people care about people? That's the question.
Until we have the answer to that question, and even after that, keep talking. Discuss it with each other and address your disdain and your approval. We don't get hurt by our differences; we get hurt by omission.
