Red/Blue America: Kaepernick’s ‘protest’ nothing more than political theater

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has received a huge amount of attention since he began, in protest, refusing to stand for the national anthem before his team’s games.“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he said.Since then, athletes in several sports and at all levels, including high school, have followed his example. But critics say his choice disrespects America and the veterans who fought for the country’s freedoms.Is it appropriate to protest during the national anthem? “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool,” a wise aphorist once said, “than to speak and to remove all doubt.”
Government oppression may be a fact of life in the United States of America today, but at least the right to be an indisputable fool remains inviolate.Kaepernick’s “protest” - the quotes are meant to suggest contempt - is political theater. Nothing wrong with that, of course. America has a grand tradition of political theater, dating back to the Boston Tea Party. Insofar as other athletes in and out of the NFL are following his lead, Kaepernick is a trendsetter.Kaepernick’s patriotism isn’t really in question. He thinks the United States is a racist country and he thinks police go out of their way to arrest, beat, shoot and kill black people. He isn’t a patriot. In that respect, he’s a dime a dozen.Are people upset with the back-up quarterback’s protest? In fact, people are tuning out. NFL ratings have plummeted every week since Kaepernick’s stunt began a month ago. That means the protest is failing.The problem is Kaepernick has attached his name and reputation to Black Lives Matter, an organization that countenances violence against police even as it denounces violence against black citizens. Once you’ve thrown in with that lot, you’ve lost half the country.There are plenty of bad cops. And there are doubtless more than a few police officers that look askance at black citizens because they’re black, not because they’re doing anything wrong. One of the great unspoken problems with police today is an us-versus-them mentality, with police being “us” and everyone else - black, brown, white, whatever - being “them.”If law enforcement wants to restore public trust, police officers must be held to a higher standard. They can give you a badge and a gun, but they cannot give you good judgment. We need to weed out the cops whose bad judgment cost innocent people their lives. Body-worn cameras should be mandatory. And the most egregious officer-involved shootings should be prosecuted. Everything else is just spectacle. Ben Boychuk is managing editor of American Greatness. Reach him at bboychuk3@att.net.San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has received a huge amount of attention since he began, in protest, refusing to stand for the national anthem before his team’s games.“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he said.Since then, athletes in several sports and at all levels, including high school, have followed his example. But critics say his choice disrespects America and the veterans who fought for the country’s freedoms.Is it appropriate to protest during the national anthem?“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool,” a wise aphorist once said, “than to speak and to remove all doubt.”
Government oppression may be a fact of life in the United States of America today, but at least the right to be an indisputable fool remains inviolate.Kaepernick’s “protest” - the quotes are meant to suggest contempt - is political theater. Nothing wrong with that, of course. America has a grand tradition of political theater, dating back to the Boston Tea Party. Insofar as other athletes in and out of the NFL are following his lead, Kaepernick is a trendsetter.Kaepernick’s patriotism isn’t really in question. He thinks the United States is a racist country and he thinks police go out of their way to arrest, beat, shoot and kill black people. He isn’t a patriot. In that respect, he’s a dime a dozen.Are people upset with the back-up quarterback’s protest? In fact, people are tuning out. NFL ratings have plummeted every week since Kaepernick’s stunt began a month ago. That means the protest is failing.The problem is Kaepernick has attached his name and reputation to Black Lives Matter, an organization that countenances violence against police even as it denounces violence against black citizens. Once you’ve thrown in with that lot, you’ve lost half the country.There are plenty of bad cops. And there are doubtless more than a few police officers that look askance at black citizens because they’re black, not because they’re doing anything wrong. One of the great unspoken problems with police today is an us-versus-them mentality, with police being “us” and everyone else - black, brown, white, whatever - being “them.”If law enforcement wants to restore public trust, police officers must be held to a higher standard. They can give you a badge and a gun, but they cannot give you good judgment. We need to weed out the cops whose bad judgment cost innocent people their lives. Body-worn cameras should be mandatory. And the most egregious officer-involved shootings should be prosecuted. Everything else is just spectacle.Ben Boychuk is managing editor of American Greatness. Reach him at bboychuk3@att.net.