Over the last six months, a man by the name of Colin Kaepernick, who plays quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, started a protest of the national anthem. He stated that, "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way." http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/art...)
However, opposing a longstanding ritual is also bigger than football. That is what Kaepernick was doing by protesting the national anthem. The reason is, the national anthem is not just limited to football and sporting events. It's commonly used in that context, for sure, but the Star-Spangled Banner was written based on a time of war, when our country was under siege during the War of 1812. It is performed in events such as the presidential inauguration, or to celebrate the 4th of July, and thus it takes on a meaning that is harder to understand from an external perspective.
The author of this article is a Chinese-American man who is also of color, and he stands with a hand over his heart when the national anthem is played. His reasoning for it is that even though he has Chinese roots, he realizes his identity in being a U.S.-born citizen, that the United States was the country he entered the world in.
The Star-Spangled Banner is used widely as a form of celebration and recognition. An individual who protests celebration or recognition shows that he does not care about what came before him, such as the lives lost to defend the country, the bombing of Fort McHenry in 1814, or that racial segregation in schools was deemed unconstitutional in 1954. An individual who displays this behavior is looking the other way.
It is rather clear that those who decided to 'protest' the national anthem after Colin Kaepernick started to only did so because of Kaepernick himself. NFL players had publicly said they would 'protest' because of him. They're letting another person's decision influence what they did by joining him on the movement. However, the way they 'joined' him still leaves Kaepernick as the odd man out since they didn't actually protest it. It puts Kaepernick at fault for something he isn't at fault for, where he was making the effort to stand up for people of his background and of color. If those who 'joined' him truly were on his side, they would have been sitting down during the national anthem like he had been doing before Kaepernick starting kneeling down during the national anthem. Those who supposedly were joining in with him made him look weak because they only joined in when Kaepernick started kneeling. Kaepernick's intention was for his protest to spark change.
Sure, Kaepernick shouldn't have been sitting down, but he learned from his mistake by changing his prerogative. He realized that he was being selfish. By sitting down, Kaepernick gave himself the opportunity to grow as a person. Not only that, the people in the U.S. as a whole are growing stronger and more tightly connected in this context because of his actions. He helped spark change by showing that people can be strong together and overcome racial difference and oppression. By kneeling, Colin Kaepernick was no longer 'protesting' the national anthem and learned more about his own identity. It is not a protest of the national anthem when someone kneels, or stands up and/or does one of the following: Puts a fist in the air, Puts a hand over the heart (usually the right hand). By that point, he or she is no longer turning the other way on what has been happening. Kneeling is used often in prayer and to pay homage to special people. Putting a fist in the air is supposed to symbolize courage and/or strength and should not be considered as an act of protest. Putting a hand over the heart is supposed to symbolize love and support, as well as appreciation. It's the typical behavior in the national anthem, but it does not mean that kneeling or standing and putting a fist in the air is wrong.
The many people, namely professional athletes, who followed suit with him were not necessarily protesting the national anthem, but they were allowing their community to grow tighter and in turn was gaining the respect that Kaepernick felt was lacking. By sitting down to protest the national anthem, Kaepernick was starting a movement that in his eyes, was supposed to succeed. By in large, the movement was a success. There is a reason that this controversy surrounding him about the national anthem has fallen off. Colin Kaepernick's 'protest' was a blessing for the people. The national anthem has allowed the people of the United States to come together through different symbols and meanings, and he has helped to make America great again.
