As yesterday marked the 75th anniversary of the
attacks on Pearl Harbor, I thought a lot about the military and how these
people selflessly give their lives for our country. Everyday people lose their
lives fighting to keep our nation free and allow us to live our own lives. As I
thought about these sacrifices that they have made, some surviving horrific
attacks and coming away with lost limbs, I also began to wonder how we as a
nation can treat soldiers so disrespectfully. When I was in high school, we
would go every Wednesday night at midnight to the airport and welcome home the
soldiers who had just flown in from Afghanistan. You could see the looks on
their faces of pure exhaustion and fear of what they had just witnessed.
However, as we thanked them and welcomed them back to Baltimore, there was
another group down the end of the line that proceeded to spit on the soldiers
and tell them they were fighting a worthless war. This was absolutely
disheartening, seeing these people who had given so much for our country, to be
treated like dirt.
This
brings me to today. When you turn on the news, you not only see the wars we are
fighting and the crime that is committed locally, but you also see images of
protests that have been taken place around the country. Usually these protests
are non-violent, and everyone is well within their rights to protest and voice
their opinions. However, when I see people burning and stepping on the American
flag, it creates this sickening feeling deep down inside of me. When you disrespect
the flag, you are disrespecting the primary symbol of the United States, and
all of the people who serve this country.
This
also brings up thoughts of Colin Kaepernick. This is a man who has made
millions of dollars being a serviceable quarterback in the NFL, and he has the
nerve to refuse to stand for the national anthem. He has set an example that
many around the country have begun to follow, and this is troubling. What about
the man who has lost both of his legs while serving time in Iraq when his Humvee
was hit by an IED? He managed to use crutches and stand for the national
anthem. Kaepernick is a disgrace and deserves to be cut by the 49ers.
I think it's important to remember why these protests occur in the first place. While the flag symbolizes everything you believe in or symbolizes what these men and women are actively fighting for, the flag also represents a country that has oppressed so many. Colin Kaepernick is silently calling attention to the injustices and oppressions that are suffered by so many. I think the fact that these injustices occur in the first place shoots a hole through the flag and what its meant to represent.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you are more outraged at the fact that Colin Kaepernick is exercising his Constitutional right not to stand during the national anthem and less outraged as to why he is doing so. Much like Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar, Kaepernick is a proponent of the Black Lives Matter movement and is doing the work of making the injustices that African Americans face visible through his line of work. He is doing the work of educating those who have the privilege of not having to address or think about the plight of police brutality and other forms of systemic racism everyday. While I understand that the flag is also a symbol of the hard work and sacrifice that our soldiers make every day, why pledge allegiance to a flag that represents a country built on the continual oppression and dehumanization of you and your ancestors?
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