Ok, so there’s this thing going on in the NFL, a gesture of disapprobation for
something some players view as a national problem. The phenomenon is actually in other sports,
too. I’ve seen it in the WNBA, and heard
quotes from an NBA player in support of the right to protest. It takes the form of kneeling during the national anthem or standing with arms linked as
an expression of solidarity for a cause.
The cause, as I understand it, is racial
equality and justice, with the related concern of police brutality. And a lot of fans don’t appreciate these
protests. I have observed several
reasons that people object. First,
people object to the means of the
protest, that it is not showing traditional honor to the United States during the national
anthem. Second, they believe the context, sports/entertainment should be
free from political statements (but usually these same people want the
political statement of the national anthem being played and honored to
remain). Third, they disagree with the cause for which the players are
protesting – not necessarily that they don’t believe it is an important
principle, but because they don’t believe the problem is as pervasive as some
consider it to be.
On some level, I agree with each of these reasons to oppose
what these athletes are doing. However,
I have some concerns with the ways people like me are responding. These concerns are what this post is about.
There are three instances I have in mind, which I have
encountered this week, that are at the top of my list of reasons to be concerned. I don’t feel comfortable repeating the
language used in these responses, so I will summarize them. President Trump used profanity to describe
people who, as he and many others perceive it, disrespect the national anthem, flag,
and country by protesting in this way. A
caller to a talk radio program suggested that those who want to “take a knee” should
get a knee, in a way that would cause them pain or injury. A Facebook post “liked” by a friend used a
few different curse words to curse the athletes who were kneeling during the
national anthem. This Facebook user also
specifically identified one athlete and hoped he would, in the course of the
game, have to be taken off the field on a stretcher. To this I say, Whoa. Some people are doing things we don’t agree
with and don’t like. Since when is the
correct response to use profanity to
describe or curse them? It is morally
inferior to wish violence on peaceful
protesters. There isn’t a lot more
to say. I can’t believe this isn’t obvious
common decency. I can’t believe the
people who agree with me are wishing violence on those we disagree with.
While I’m on the subject of peaceful protesting, let me make
my next point. A lot of people whose
views I mostly share on the subject of race in America are concerned at the
escalating violence committed by the malcontents, however legitimate their
grievances. It has been pointed out that
Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t burn buildings, overturn cars, or get into
street fights with the white supremacists and segregationists he was
campaigning against. There are peaceful
ways of raising awareness for your cause, and pursuing the changes you believe
are necessary. I find it disheartening
that when a movement arises that is peacefully trying to draw attention to the
same issues, it is squashed with as much indignation (and, as mentioned above,
threat of force) as the violent movements are.
Let me just say, that while I don’t advocate violence, I know history
and humanity well enough to recognize that when people feel desperate, like
there is no other way to be heard, they tend to resort to violence. Should we really be silencing their peaceful statements?
On the other hand, at this point, the NFL players who have
been protesting ought to recognize that their message has been lost in their method. Whatever their actual reasons for kneeling,
and whatever cause they hoped to highlight, the only thing people who didn’t
already know and agree with them are getting from their protests now is a
provoking perception that these people hate America. And honestly, however unintended, the way
their actions are being received was not unforeseeable. I understand that it feels a little like
giving in, but as one commentator mentioned, a real protest doesn’t plan to go
on forever; it has goals and engages in a process. So I believe that now, at the very least, they
should switch methods.
Let’s talk, for a minute, though, about how unfair it is to
assign motives to people, in direct disregard for their testimonies about their
own motives. I can think of a lot of more disrespectful
actions one could take if they intended to communicate the disrespect ascribed
to them. I have not seen any of these
players spitting in veterans’ faces or stomping on the flag. I have not heard a single athlete say that
what they are protesting is the United
States’ stand for freedom, nor that they are
protesting the soldiers who have served to protect those freedoms they
enjoy. To consistently characterize
their protest as against these things is pretty dishonest and egocentric (that
is, behaving as though our own perceptions are the most valid). Let’s not be angry about what they’re not
even saying.
That said, if their
method offends you because of its unintended belittling of things you hold
dear, I have a couple of recommendations.
I suggest you recognize that these people are not injuring you, nor
encouraging others to do so. They’re not
preventing anyone else from showing honor to the anthem or flag. If you wanted, you could change the channel and not even see whether they’re kneeling or
not. You could calmly and humbly admit
to them that the effect their actions has on your feelings is to irritate you. (This
is known as an “I statement”. It defuses
tension because it comes across as less judgmental and more open to their side
of the matter, while still inviting them to show consideration to you.) In that case, rather than believing that all
things that irritate us should be forced to go away, you could attempt to
engage those with whom you disagree (a little tricky with celebrities, I admit)
in respectful dialogue in order to
persuade them of your way of thinking. I
advocate for this because one of the great things about people is that they can
change. Even if they haven’t shown an
inclination to change, God can change them.
Or, we might be surprised and change a bit ourselves.
Another option is to suggest
alternative methods of getting the word out or taking a conscientious stand. This could be challenging. I’ve tried to consider how I would abstain
from showing an honor I don’t believe is presently justified, without being
disrespectful? What if the cause was
something nearer to my heart than that which we’re discussing? If some current and distressing aspect of the
USA (abortion, international aggression, government mandating immorality, [insert
your pet concern here]) was the most prominent thing to me, so eclipsing the
things I value and honor in America besides (sacrificial soldiers and officers,
unique freedoms, Christian history, etc.) that I could not in good conscience
risk communicating that I’m showing honor for the dishonorable things about our
country, yet I still want to respect those things that I sincerely value - how would I act during the national anthem? I saw a player this weekend, who was
participating in the kneeling, but who still placed his hand over his
heart. Is that a good way to communicate
both? Or would it fail to satisfy the
outrage many are feeling? Is it
necessary to hold a press conference ahead of time to explain the complex
motives informing the decision? Anyway,
I personally am not offended by their method, so it is not for me to say what
tactics would be less offensive. I’d
love to hear feedback on this question if you have constructive ideas!
Aside from how to handle the expectation of honoring our
country before each game, there are some more obvious alternatives for using the platform they have as
professional sports stars to engage the public on behalf of their communities
and the causes that are they prioritize: They can use social media. They can call press conferences. They can organize events. They can donate to organizations. They can serve in their communities. They can meet with influential people who
disagree with them, and start a dialogue.
When this topic resurfaced this week (months after Colin
Kaepernick initiated his kneeling protests), one thing I thought of was the
historical abolitionists. They
incorporated their causes into their private businesses. In an industry that didn’t have much to do
with slavery directly, the Wedgwood company wanted to be involved in ending
slavery. So they printed abolitionist
symbols on their ceramic medallions, to raise awareness, to bring the cause
from the fringes to the mainstream. The
image from the medallion came to be also put on vases and snuff boxes and
bracelets. I think this is an excellent
means of promoting social justice, and that the NFL, if it so chooses, could
employ such methods for causes they believe in.
That said, if their customers or employees don’t believe in
their cause, the NFL may find themselves with a choice between profits and activism. I believe it ought to be any private business’s
right to put any (non-sinful) condition on their employees for keeping their
jobs. So if the NFL wants to demand that
players stand for the national anthem, they can. If they want to demand that they kneel, they
can. If they want to allow their
employees the option of joining either cause (pro-patriotism or pro-reform),
they can. And we, as the patrons, can
decide not only if we like the product, but if we want to indirectly support
the causes the companies are promoting, and these conditions for their
employees. I really value this aspect of
free markets, and for that reason, I’m
reluctant to discourage the boycott that many are engaging in since the NFL
declined to take disciplinary measures against players who kneel.
But I do. I
discourage the boycott because of
the following four reasons: First, the
boycott has the unintended consequence of drawing more attention to the protest, a protest whose whole point, from
what I can tell, is to garner attention.
Second, if a bunch of people with mostly conservative values stop
watching the NFL, and if the NFL doesn’t comply with their wishes, football
will become a smaller part of our culture, but it won’t go away, and it will be
left to people who don’t share our values.
Not that this would be a huge tragedy, but there are too many parts of our society that we retreat from. Do we really want to give over news media,
storytelling industries, arts, higher education, the medical fields, cake-making,
counseling, and charity to people whose values we oppose? It is hard work, surely, to keep them and
keep them well, but I hope some things are worth it to us. Third, really? The national anthem and the
players standing for it is an integral
part of the experience of being a football fan to you? I don’t even know why we have the national
anthem at sports games, and most of the time I don’t get around to tuning in or
paying attention until kick off anyway.
And what the players do during the anthem is not affecting the actual
game, which is what I want to see.
Finally, while I’m proud of Americans for being able to eschew the conventional obsession with
football, I’m disappointed that this is what provokes people to boycott – not
scantily clad cheerleaders or players who sleep around or whatever other, more
demonstrably wicked behaviors the sport tolerates in its employees. In addition to football, there are many other
businesses whose employees promote all sorts of ungodliness, yet most Americans
still patronize them. Is patriotism such a superior cause?
What would you do if the president of the United States said that you or your
coworkers should be fired for declining to participate in some morally significant activity? Would you feel threatened? Would you relent in fear, or take a stand
against a dangerous use of the bully pulpit to compel patriotic uniformity?
Some people think these players should be fired, among them
President Trump, according to a statement he made last week. Fellow athletes who may not agree with the
cause of the protest, nevertheless respect their teammates’ views and believe
they should not be forced to make a political statement they aren’t presently
sincere about, just to keep their jobs.
In order to deter their organizations from firing them, these additional
players join the protest, because it is much harder to fire half a team than one or two members.
Even before President Trump’s comments, to teammates and
coaches and owners, the question was not so simple as whether or not they love
their country. The represented cause
matters to a lot of the football players and – though you may not be aware,
from being in a bubble of likeminded people – a lot of fans. They had to consider what message it would
send to those teammates and fans, to not join in their protest. If they valued unity and peace – like I do! –
they had to make an attempt at a choice that had potential to bring people
together, or to demonstrate an example
of unity, at least. I believe this
is why some teams chose to stand together with linked elbows, and even why some
people joined the protest, who wouldn’t have started it on their own. They don’t want to be seen to say that they
don’t care about things that matter to
others. And even if we disagree with
their conclusions, I don’t want ordinary people, myself included, to disregard
the things that are inspiring people to take these bold stands.
I’m disillusioned enough to realize that some of the participants
in these protests are just doing it because it’s popular, or because they’re
emotional. But I also believe that many
of them hope for good things for their country.
They see problems. Not as bad as they have been at some points
in our history, and not as bad as the problems in other parts of the world, but
they care about what is theirs, their country, here and now. And they want to contributed to
improvement. That’s why I was
disheartened to read that some, even among my friends, suggest that dissenters
should expatriate. If you don’t think America is
perfect, move somewhere else?! If I
believed that, I’d have to be living in another country! And if everyone believed that, no one would
have anywhere to live, because every country on earth has problems, and every
country on earth has the gift of
citizens who haven’t given up on seeing them overcome.
To God be all glory.
