Over the past few weeks, Colin Kaepernick has been a hot news topic for choosing not to stand along with his 49ers teammates for the American national anthem. This action by Kaepernick is in order to protest police brutality against minority groups, particularly African Americans. Kaepernick said in his statement "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." The result has sparked major backlash and debate, such as the Santa Clara Police Department's threat to remove their presence from the 49ers home games.
Looking at the issue, there are many angles to approach it from. From a respect standpoint, what Kaepernick is doing is an insult to many, considering that for many the flag represents everything our military has ever done, and the lives that have been lost to protect the freedom of the United States. To those people, Kaepernick's sitting down feels like a blatant disrespect of all the millions of Americans who have died to protect this country.
From a perspective on focusing on his right to protest and what he is protesting against, there is once again a legitimate platform. What Kaepernick is doing by sitting or kneeling is exercising his right as an American citizen to protest what he feels is a problem, which is police brutality and a lack of concern in this country for people of color. Indeed, over the past few years there have been numerous incidents of police brutality against minorities that have been widely televised, particularly the instances in Ferguson and in Baltimore with Freddie Gray. These are what Kaepernick is protesting against, and he has the right to do so, regardless of whether or not he takes into account all the rest of the symbolism that may be associated with the flag.
Personally, my take on the issue is very complex. I think that Kaepernick has the right to protest, and that he should be able to protest in a way that is peaceful, and this is a peaceful way to protest an issue that hits home with him. However, I don't agree with his decision to protest by sitting down during the national anthem. I believe that the American flag stands for the millions of troops who've fought for this country, and stands especially for those who've lost their lives defending it. Regardless of whether or not we agree with the wars that these men fight or the reasons they fight them, the men and women of our armed forces show true bravery every day in their job, and I believe that standing during the national anthem is the least that we can do to honor those brave men and women. I think that when Kaepernick chooses to sit for the anthem, he is being disrespectful to those men and women, and I hope that Kaepernick knows that this is an issue with his protest. Obviously he is not in a position where all will be happy with his protest, but I do hope that if this topic stays hot that he publicly acknowledges the brave men and women of our armed forces, particularly considering that the season starts on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11.
