When San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to wear police “pig” socks to practice, and then later sit out and kneel out the playing of the national anthem prior to all 2016 pre-season games in order to draw attention to police violence against blacks in the U.S., he thought he was doing the right thing.
He wasn’t. And here’s why.
- We must stand together. Make no mistake, sitting out the national anthem is disrespectful to all Americans, past, present and future. There is no greater insult. Collectively we have built what many consider to be the greatest nation in the history of mankind. To turn his back on our flag is to effectively flip the bird to all those who face it with hand on heart. And by so doing, he’s created a chasm of divisiveness that didn’t previously exist. United we stand, divided we fall. That’s why we stand together as a nation for our anthem … to remind ourselves of that.
- There’s no plan beyond the final note. It is hard to argue that starting the conversation that might put an end to bad cops and the courts that protect them is a bad thing. Because obviously it’s not. No American I know wants to live in a society where bad people can do bad things and get away with them. But to affect change is not easy. It will take a lot of hard work and smart choices to make it happen. To sit out the national anthem is an ineffective way to start the conversation because it is a cheap and easy act of defiance that lacks depth and thought. Sure it takes guts, but as is evident, the conversation that has ensued is mostly about patriotism and not about police reform. He has no next move. Law enforcement and the communities they serve all need to take responsibility for building a future where such injustices no longer take place. But instead of adding something useful to the cause, all Kaepernick has done is muddy the waters with no next step, and place even more hurdles in front of a topic that needs to be addressed sooner than later. Had he chosen his platform more carefully, he might have had an impact that did not come at the cost of insulting others. To me, his approach has the feel of one step forward, two steps back.
- You can’t undo this. The reason we’ve never seen this before is because there was no precedent. Kaepernick has opened Pandora’s Box now. I fully expect from this point on every injustice – real or perceived – could result in U.S. citizens sitting out the national anthem in order to draw attention to their particular cause. Soon enough there will be so many people sitting out the anthem for so many different reasons, the causes will be lost, as will the purpose of the anthem. We need the anthem. We rally around it when times are good, and especially when times are bad. We get the chills from it. We cherish it. Why? Because it has always represented – and will continue to represent – our willingness and ability to achieve the impossible, together. Instead of sitting out the anthem, Kaepernick should find an equally sensational but entirely more sensible platform, and be leading by example in a positive, non-divisive way. If he truly wants his message to be heard, that would speak volumes.