My topic is Don’t Stand Up For the National Anthem. The slogan that is paired with it is the Pledge of Institutionalization; the dramatic realization that the murky history of America still lurks within the soil of the country. Not standing for the national anthem is a form of freedom of speech, and the fact that the centerpiece of this topic, Colin Kaepernick has shed light on the original national anthem; particularly the third verse glorifies slavery and the institution of freedom. I chose this topic to kneel with Kaepernick for sacrificing his career to get whiteballed by the NFL for a greater cause; he brought to the forefront the issue America tried concealing. This covers how corrupt the national anthem, the creators of it, and the “United” …show more content…
When Kaepernick began receiving heat from people ranging from social media to the current figure in the White House, Kaepernick went on record in saying, “I’m not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color… to me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” The pros in Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem are the U.S. failing to perpetuate the ideals of freedom, liberty, and justice for all. A person of Colin Kaepernick’s stature protesting the national anthem creates attention and generates conversation, and not standing is a legal form of protest and a peaceful way of doing so. While the cons are refusing to stand is disrespectful towards the flag and the armed forces, it’s an ineffective and counterproductive way for promoting a cause, and it angers many and creates division within the country. It’s true the national anthem pays homage to those in the armed forces, but that is a small detail to the main idea of what national anthem represents. The armed forces do protect us from foreigners attacking us from the outside, but our own country is attacking people of color, from within. Many veterans have shown support by posting on social media under the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick, 35 veterans signing a letter stating “Far from disrespecting our troops, there is no finer form of appreciation for our sacrifice than for Americans to enthusiastically exercise their freedom of speech.” And Michael Sands, a Green Beret who is the son of a WWII veteran who said, “It is PRECISELY for men like Kaepernick we’re willing to serve, want to respect the American flag? Then respect the ideals for which it stands.” It is distasteful
First of all, kneeling the National Anthem is an ineffective and, counterproductive way to promote a cause. Knelling for the National Anthem isn't going to change anything besides lowering the rates on TV and getting negative comments online. Football coach Dabu Swinney said "I don’t think it's good to be a distraction to your team. I don’t think it's good to use your team as the platform." Patti Armstrong States that" you don’t get respect from showing disrespect." Philadelphia Eagles support the protest but disagree with the way he did so. Kneeling for the National Anthem is not a proper way to protest police brutality for colored ("Refusing"). These are some of the few reasons kneeling for the national anthem is an ineffective way of protesting.
The issue of being unpatriotic during the National Anthem was raised by people when NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel during the national anthem before a preseason game. Later, Kaepernick addressed the media by saying this act was a stance against “police brutality on people of color”. By raising the
Many people hail “The Star Spangled Banner” as the greatest piece of American music. The audiences of America’s national anthem seem, instinctively, eager to express their respect by embracing the notion to remove their hats and stand up. However, not many people ponder over the question of what “The Star Spangled Banner” truly means. What does it mean? Why does it deserve so much reverence and honor? What exceptional difference allows it to prevail over the masterpieces of prominent composers like Mozart and Beethoven? The answer is fairly simple. “The Star Spangled Banner” symbolizes America’s perseverance, its set of moral laws and ethics, and its history that constitutes what America truly means.
In Anthem, a collectivist dictatorship keeps its members subjugated by using force and constant indoctrination. The hero of Anthem, Prometheus, struggles with the ideals of the collectivist society because his values are not in accord with them. Ultimately, Prometheus is able to free himself from collectivism by understanding the falseness of its premise.
How do Americans feel about kneeling in protest during the national anthem? That’s a simple answer, the views are diverse and opinionated all around. You have your right to voice your opinion however, this concept seems to daunt many as they seem to forget that, in this case, kneeling as a form of protest is an exercise of our free speech and therefore should be accepted as such. President Donald Trump is guilty of stating he’s a man of the people but feels the need to disdain many unheard voices by using offensive and hurtful commentary like, “Get that son of a b---h off the field right now! He's fired!” (Tennessean- Lowary, J) Unaware of the reasoning behind every player’s protest, Trump continues to berate his own people in more ways than
Black anthems have a long standing history that can be traced through their African roots to modern day songs. Political groups have used these anthems to both lead and thrown into crisis their aims and objectives of their political messages. Not only have anthems been used in political areas they have also been used to showcase the culture at the time of their prominence. These anthems have many benefits such as uniting people together for certain causes, however, some of the anthems drawbacks are that they have been nearly forgotten as their respective political groups have faded away into history. The book Anthem: Social Movements and the Sound of Solidarity in the African Diaspora by Shana L. Redmond proves that anthems have been used
It is disrespectful to kneel during the national anthem because it disrespects the military and veterans, and could be done in a more professional way. I feel that kneeling shows how unappreciative those NFL players are. They get to go play the most popular sport in America for millions of dollars. There should be some consequences from taking this action. This protest could be done in a more professional way.
This protest began on August 26, 2016 when Colin Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, first took a seat on the sideline bench at a preseason game during the National Anthem. Later he transitioned to kneeling alongside his standing teammates. The reason behind Kaepernick’s protest was to draw attention to racial injustice and police brutality in the United States against African Americans. After the public noticed Kaepernick’s revolt, a national discussion sparked. Many people think that kneeling during the National Anthem was not the most respectful approach Kaepernick could’ve taken. The certain group of people that
The Star Spangled Banner is a sacred song in the United States of America. It not only is a symbol of the fight that soldiers have had to go through, but also a representation of freedom. When the National Anthem plays out of respect for our country, and those who fought for it, everyone is supposed to stand and remove their hats. Currently in the National Football League (NFL) there is a handful of players, mainly African Americans, that have been taking a knee or raising a fist during the play of our National Anthem. This I believe, is a great sign of disrespect for our country and our veterans. This I believe, is very immature and unnecessary. This I believe, should be put to a stop by the NFL and the players should be ashamed of himself for doing this. I am aware that the players have the right to do this, but there are many reasons why this should not be taking place.
This is because of the ignorance and the suspiciousness of otherness in our country. A protest technique as unique as sitting out of the National Anthem has no chance of being understood if something as simple as a name can’t be understood by the majority of the population in the country. The quote mentioned earlier also fits this perfectly, “Too often we’re so focused on what they said that we don’t bother listening to a word of it.” In Kaepernick’s case the method of sitting out of the National Anthem is more of a concern to the people then the issue that he is doing it for. It’s sad to say but media portrays things to get ridiculous reactions out of the public. In the case of ethnic names, employers look at the name and immediately toss the resume to the side, and the person may even be the most qualified. Another similarity between the two articles is there is an underlying meaning to both Kaepernick’s protest and Kashef’s ethnic names. Kaepernick is using the protest to bring the injustices that black males face in this country. Kashef’s is trying to explain that ethnic names have significant meaning and allow uniqueness. The two articles show how African Americans are discriminated against based on the color of their skin and their unique
Michael Cooper’s work in his NYT article “Tenor Will Sing Anthem at N.F.L. Game but Supports Athletes’ Kneeling Protest” explains the moral dilemma Lawrence Brownlee experienced when asked to sing the national anthem at a NY Jets and Baltimore Ravens football game. Brownlee is a tenor in the Metropolitan Opera, felt torn when asked to sing the anthem at the football game (Cooper). He understands the power the flag and anthem has on people like his father who was in military, as well as others who fought and love this country (Cooper). Brownlee expresses his gratitude for the opportunities he has being a man of color, comparing to the ones of his ancestors had during the time the anthem was written (Cooper). But since he is part of the minority,
This is why many people should take advantage of that instead of disrespecting it. Such as you have the right to state your opinion or vote. You also have a chance to create your own path in life rather than being told what is required of you. Another reason why players shouldn’t shame the flag is because politics shouldn’t be involved in sports. The whole reason why families enjoy going to live games or even watching them on tv Sunday evening is to have fun, not to have to listen to others boo each other during the pledge , which really is just as disrespectful as kneeling. Besides, why should it have to be taken to the extreme to which is now our president having to get involved and take action, such as threatening players that they might lose their job? Some players, more than likely, wouldn't be able to afford to lose this high of a paying job. Most importantly, the final reason why players should pay their respects to our flag is because every second of everyday brave, courageous men and women risk their lives to save ours from any and all foreign enemies. From minor battles and skirmishes to worldwide combat, our military is always on their feet; whether they are in the US, Iraq, or halfway around the world they never back down. Our service doesn’t care what race or religion you are. They fight for our country, they don’t trudge onto the field and announce we will be fighting for the whites in our country, now do
The song that I choose to do this assignment on is Fight the Power by Public Enemy. Fight the Power was written in 1989 and quickly became a street anthem for millions of youths. It reflects with issues dealing with both the Civil Rights Movement and to remind everyone that they too have Constitutional Rights. This particular song is about empowerment but also fighting the abuse of power that is given to the law enforcement agencies. It gave citizens of the U.S a more modern outlook on the many struggles that not only the African American community is up against but the other minority groups as well. The song’s message was eventually supposed to bring people together and make the world a better place, even though some teens saw it as a way
In view of some people, the United States is the country of rich, prosperous, civilized, and equal. And people living in such a country certainly have a good mental and physical life. It looks like a promised land, a heaven of lots of people. However, we will find some differences as reading the short story "The Cop and The Anthem" of O. Henry. In this story, he reflected a double life of the society in this country. He wrote about the lives of poor and tramp people in New York as well as the way the homeless in the city think of the prison.