Is Sitting Down for The Star Spangled Banner Really Standing Up?
It’s Friday night and the stands of the football stadium are full. Everyone is packed together like sardines in a can. The moment comes to rise for the National anthem of the United States. Everyone is on their feet ready to listen or sing along, and some have their hand on their chest. Looking through the crowd it is obvious to onlookers that these people love their country or are at the very least, are respectful of this practice of standing for the Star Spangled Banner. Surprisingly, there is a break in the crowd with one man sitting through it all. Colin Kaepernick has chosen to sit through the anthem in protest of police brutality. Some people believe that he has the freedom of his actions and does not have to stand for the national anthem because they think he has the right to follow his beliefs because we live in a free country. However, I think that he is a citizen of the United States of America and he is lucky to be a citizen so he should show respect to the country he lives in. It was reported by Marissa Payne, a staff writer for The Washington Post that Kaepernick chose not to stand for the anthem because of the police brutality towards black citizens of the United States. Payne has been a reporter for over a decade and points out that Kaepernick who is a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers has done this before. She says that, “Kaepernick has long been a supporter of the #BlackLivesMatter
On September 21st, Christine Brennan reported Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand while the national anthem was being played in National Public Radio’s (NPR) online portal (www.npr.org). All through the National Football League 's preseason matches, Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, refused to stand for the national anthem. He clarified that he took this stance to point out what he sees as wrongdoings against African-Americans and different minorities, especially with regards to certain atrocities in police activities. Kaepernick has stated he is showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement, which was sparked by a number of police killing innocent black people. When addressed by journalists after the first occasion when he did not stand for the national anthem, Kaepernick stated that, “he would not show respect or pride in a flag for a country that continues to oppress African Americans and people of color.” He added that this was much bigger than any game and that it would be selfish on his part to look away. He also claims that there were bodies lying on the streets and people were getting away with murder. I don’t think Brennan understands why he chose not to stand fully. I think this also could have led to more attacks from other writers and reporters that have been inform of his true reasoning. I do not think he was disrespecting the flag or people that fight for it, but just making a stance to get
According to an article written by the online magazine ProCon, NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, first refused to stand during "The Star-Spangled Banner" on Aug. 26, 2016 to protest racial injustice and police brutality in the United States. www.Procon.org
In August of 2016, Kaepernick began his protest during a NFL preseason game where he initially sat during the singing of the national anthem. At the time, his rebellious efforts became unnoticed, but he soon enough made headlines when someone took a photo of him sitting during the anthem. Thus a social issue was born from the public’s reaction from the photo.The negativity of the public’s reaction stemmed from the norm that it is customary that people raise their right hand over their heart while facing the flag when the Star-Spangled-Banner is playing, so if one does not follow this norm it is identified showing disrespect. Inevitably, the prediction of the people’s reaction were to be expected as they were outraged when Kaepernick broke the norm. Although, it is legal for individuals not to follow these sacrosanct protocols, citizens of the United States find this norm obligatory.Would you stand by and constantly watch the same social issues to keep reoccurring in your neighborhood? Not only that but it keeps happening to different people by the same organization? When numerous acts of police brutality occurred, Colin Kaepernick decided to protest. He could no longer stand by and do nothing; he decided to take a knee. For professional National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, his response was “no”. One of the last waves that came toward the end of the summer is the kneeling while the national anthem played during sporting events. When Kaepernick decided to
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.
The president of the United States who is also the commander in chief for the United States military, Obama, has stated that everyone is strongly encouraged to stand during the playing of the countries national anthem. However he continued to say in a press conference with Cable News Network that Colin Kaepernick is exercising his constitutional rights of freedom of speech to do as he wishes during this time (Diaz, 2016). Although the nation is now divided upon whether this act of Colin’s is considered morally ethical or not, everyone has their very own personal preference to what is right.
After all the talk, some have determined Colin Kaepernick has rights, but that does not make him right for not standing during the national anthem. For some who may not know, Colin Kaepernick is a famous football player for the San Francisco 49ers. He recently refused to stand for the national anthem before his game in protest of what he deems are wrongdoings against African American in the United States.
A big problem protesters like Colin Kaepernick and others are facing is that since they don’t participate in the National Anthem people think that they don’t like our country and are unpatriotic. For example Donald Trump and his aides took the situation into their own hands when calling out the protesters by saying, “protests are unpatriotic and disrespectful to the flag and those who have fought to protect the United States”(Tatum). After these comments players fire back by saying they’re exercising free speech by not participating in the National Anthem while standing with their hands over their hearts. Protesting is a
Colin Kaepernick, a San Francisco 49er quarterback but also a daring black man that has decided to speak for the voices that can’t, has made his voice heard by kneeling during America’s beloved ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’. Jaweed Kaleem writes in the article “In the ‘land of the free,’ are you free to sit out the national anthem?” about the controversial topic in which he showcases the two sides of how it deems to be disrespectful to sit out the national anthem vs how Kaepernick has the freedom of expression to sit out what he believes does not benefit him.
At the start of the 2016 NFL preseason, Colin Kaepernick, quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, decided to take a seat during the National Anthem. His gesture during the first preseason game went unnoticed until the third preseason game. Many Americans disapproved and were very angry with him because America thinks sitting during the National Anthem is disrespectful to our military and our Nation. In an interview,32 Kaepernick said he was doing this because there is too much racial discrimination and police brutality against blacks. By the last preseason game, Kaepernick was kneeling instead of sitting because he respects the former and current military and he thought sitting was too disrespectful against the military. As the NFL season continues, so does Kaepernick's protest. Americans should be for the National Anthem Protest because the protest is fighting racial discrimination and police brutality.
The National Anthem is our country’s theme song and it is very highly respected throughout our great country. The Anthem talks about freedom, liberty, and justice for all and about how there are great men and women who risk their lives every day so our country can be free. So, when the Anthem is played at professional football games everyone stands and holds their hand over their heart and respects our flag and our Anthem because that is the least we can do to help support and show our respects to our soldiers and our great country. As many people can see, a lot of things are changing, and these changes started when Colin Kaepernick (Former Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, now a free agent) decided to take a knee instead of standing during the National Anthem in the 2016-17 season. Colin says he did this not to disrespect the soldiers and war veterans but, to bring awareness of the issues going on in our country. Colin said that he felt that our country is not free and justice is not done fairly. He believes there is too much Police brutality “there are people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable”-Kaepernick. Also, he believes African Americans are treated and looked at differently and it has been that way in the past and it still hasn’t changed. Once Colin kneeled and said all the things he needed to get off his chest the world shook. African American people and professional athletes all over the world agreed with what he did. I’m not saying white people didn’t agree, but it was more African Americans that felt the same way Colin did and
Although, a former teammate Anquan Boldin had a cousin last year shot to death by police, but he still stands during the playing of the anthem. He says that he supports Kaepernick's right to make the decision to sit or stand, but he will continue to stand and support his nation. The NFL is wondering why everyone is making a big deal out of it because he did the same thing in the previous preseason game. Kaepernick says, he feels he needs to stand up for the oppressed people, and if they take football away from him , he knows he has stood up for what is right. Many sources have said that this is what service men and women fight for. The people's right to “stand up and scream the anthem at the top of their lungs, or not honor it at all.” Kaepernick has always been outspoken about the racial issues in America, in the past. He openly supports the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Kaepernick's fans do not seem to care about this factor. One fan even played the National Anthem while setting fire to Kaepernick's jersey, and standing with his hand over his heart. Many angry fans have posted on social media that he is ignorant, spoiled, and childish.” Tomi Lahren, of news site The Blaze, tweeted saying: 'If this country disgusts you so much. Leave. Others would die to be in your spot you cocky
It all began with Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick, a well known quarterback for the San Fransisco 49ers, failed to stand during the National Anthem in August of 2016. His failure to stand was a form of protest. Colin felt that the country was not protecting all of the
Being blessed to be raised in America I was not exposed to all danger, slavery, and human trafficking that goes on around the rest of the world, and all the divisions that those things may cause. It wasn’t until I got into my high school years where my eyes were really opened to all the division that we ourselves have in America. Through the division there are the people who try to divide us more and there are the people who see the division and try to do what they can to bring a community or class together. Luckily, in America we are all free to do go about this in our own matter and deal with the injustice in the ways we think suitable. Sitting down for the flag shows disrespect, but no matter how America fails, the people should continue
"The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!" Said Donald J. Trump The President of the United States of America. We the people should show our respects to the Men who established this country. For example, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. Are all resectebly the people who founded America. For instance, San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand because," I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,"[Google] Colin Kaepernick is avoiding the fact that the national anthem was made
This article,”In the land of the free,’ are you free to sit out the national anthem?” Was written by Jaweed Kaleem, who discusses the topic of an athlete sitting down during the national anthem. The athlete Colin Kaepernick, remained seated during the anthem while his fellow teammates stood covering their hearts. By doing this Kaepernick set the national debate about “race on a collision course with three pillars of American patriotism: football,military and police.” The author goes on and explains how blacks don't feel as if they should honor a country when before they weren't treated as an equal person. This debate was blown up by the social media which started to affect politics. Kaepernick gives off personal moments that happened to him