By Jason D. Greenough | Arts & Entertainment Editor
This past Sunday, September 11th, marked 15 years since the most devastating day in our generation’s lifetime. Sure, we were pretty young, but I for one still remember watching the planes hit the towers, and while not knowing the full impact of what had just happened, I bought my Old Navy t-shirt that had the American Flag on it, just like droves of other Americans did, and we were all one, as a nation.
Also taking place this past Sunday, September 11th, was the kickoff to the 2016 NFL season. Even before the first kickoff, there was already controversy erupting. A number of players all across the league were sitting, kneeling, and raising their fists in protest during the National Anthem. Of course, this whole thing was started by Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers superstar Quarterback, when he sat down for a preseason National Anthem in August, and was met with criticism, condemnation, and even death threats (from the less rational folk around the country), because of his reasoning.
“”I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” said Kaepernick. “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.”
I have two points to make here, and it will split into a different direction in a bit, but let me start by clarifying something.
Kaepernick’s reasoning was to demonstrate against Police Brutality and violence against African-Americans. Not to disrespect troops or the honor of those lost in 9/11, which is what these protests, continued by countless other NFL players such as Martellus Bennett and Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots, have turned into being about. Which leads to me to my first point here…
…Just because players chose to do this on this day, which coincided with the 15th anniversary of 9/11 doesn’t mean, even in the slightest, that they did it to dishonor the victims. This handful of players didn’t conspire to have the first Sunday of the season fall on 9/11. It was determined well before Kaepernick took a seat. This protest has nothing to do with troops, or 9/11 victims. And neither does the National Anthem. In fact, by being against these players exercising their right to free speech and protest, the hypocrisy is spinning in a continuous circle quicker than a dog chasing its own tail. You’re getting nowhere.
In all actuality, I would go as far to say that using troops and 9/11 victims as a chess piece to get the point across against Kaepernick and whoever else you see fit to be targeted is way more anti-troop and anti-9/11 victim than anything. They are not your pawns. They are not Pokémon that are there for you to collect. Has blind patriotism really gotten in the way of the ability to see that?
Could it be, that because there was no reasoning found in defense against Kaepernick and company to begin with, that it would just be easier if you pegged him as some kind of anti-troop, anti-9/11 victim Benedict Arnold wannabe later on down the road? Just a thought…
“Now is not the time to protest!” …Then when is the time? It apparently wasn’t the time to protest before the anniversary of 9/11 either, according to a good percentage of the country, so when is a good time? Until people stop dying in the streets, getting shot in front of their kids, getting shot in their cars, getting choked out for selling cigarettes, or dying during what Baltimore Police called a “rough ride” as Freddie Gray’s lifeless body lay in the back of a truck, all the time is the time to protest.
“It’s disrespectful to our troops! Treat them with gratefulness and respect!” …Like we did when troops came back from Vietnam and we called them “baby killers” and told them to go back? Or like when we’ve welcomed back hundreds of thousands of vets, and greeted them with no health insurance, psychiatric help, or housing? …Again, like a dog chasing its own tail.
Colin Kaepernick is, by protesting, bringing the Black Lives Matter movement and those affected by police brutality into the spotlight, whether you like it or not. By talking about it, by buying his jersey to burn or use as a door mat, or posting memes about him and how his afro makes him look like Daniel Stern on Home Alone, the jokes on you…you are helping with that too.
“(…) ‘you’re a backup Quarterback, stay in your place.’ That’s an issue. To me, you’re telling me that being a Quarterback, and staying quiet is more important than people’s lives, and I would ask him to really have a conversation with the families of the people that have been murdered and then see if he feels the same, because I bet he wouldn’t,” said Kaepernick.
Now for my second point…
It may just be a deficiency in empathy for my fellow man or something, but I don’t understand the force behind “Never Forget”.
We shouldn’t forget about 9/11, of course. It was a national tragedy that changed SO many lives, and it is part of history and still so vivid to a lot of us.
But why do we only “not forget” 9/11? Why don’t we ever “not forget” 4/19 (Oklahoma City), or 4/20 (Columbine High School), or 12/14 (Sandy Hook), or 6/12 (Pulse Nightclub in Orlando), or 6/17 (Charleston Church), or 6/20 (Aurora Movie Theater) or any other domestic terrorism? Sure, the latter events are on a “smaller” scale of terrorism (if there even is such a thing), but that is still what it is – Terrorism. Those events still affected families the way 9/11 affected families, so what really makes them any different from each other? People died for no reason, lives were shattered, and nothing was done further to try and prevent a future similarity.
Why do we only have a moment of silence on the days where attacks were executed by foreigners? Could it be because we feel like we don’t have to take partial responsibility in their actions as domestic, American terrorists? So many people are saying that 9/11 should become a national holiday. I agree. And so should the dates above. By paying tribute to one day over the rest of these heinous tragedies, you are sort of saying “well, these weren’t as big a deal as 9/11”, and that is absolute nonsense.
As Americans, in general, we point fingers at “the enemy” all too often, and those enemies are rarely fellow Americans, let’s just face it.. Dial your nationalism down to about a 2, and realize that middle easterners aren’t THE enemy, Osama Bin Laden wasn’t THE enemy, and that neither is ISIS. Human beings are the enemy, because the human race is flawed and completely screwed up beyond belief. It’s not one set group of people. It’s a whole mix of crazy that has brought darkness on days where there should only be light. I do not discourage you from paying tribute on this solemn day of remembrance, but I do ask you to do the same on other days of tragedy as well, because those people in Aurora, and Newtown, and Columbine, and Orlando are all dealing with their own personal tragedy, their own personal hell…their own personal 9/11.
It’s equal parts astonishing and infuriating how wrapped up some Americans have become in their own blind patriotism when it comes to standing up for justice.
