Where Is The End Zone?

What do protesters want and is this protest the way to get there?

As American football players kneel and link arms during the national anthem, the country erupts in praise and fury. The President is offended. Blogs and tweets abound. And suddenly, non-football-fans like me face pressure to join a side. If I agree with the protesters, I’m disrespecting my country. If I don’t, I’m disrespecting human lives. What’s a girl to do?

I’m serious. What do you, the protesters or the protesters’ protesters, want your neighbors to do?

I might make a follow-up post for the people who agree with Trump later (this one is good in the meantime), but right now, I ask the protesters: what is your goal in this protest? What state of being will, in your mind, eliminate the need to protest? Can you give me something concrete? Something practical? By communicating your dissatisfaction, you’re essentially handing me the ball. But I’m not familiar with this game. Where does the ball need to go? Do I throw it, kick it, or bounce it? Where is the end zone, and how do I get there?

Is the protest about police?

Colin Kaepernick, the original protester, said that he was kneeling in protest of the killing of innocent black men by police:

“There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

So is the goal to have no innocent people shot by police? A worthy goal. Innocent people should not be shot by police. So how do we get there? Do we start by assuming all cops are racist and putting them through unconscious bias training? I think the many non-white police officers, plus those white ones that are not racist (yes, they do exist), might have a problem with that. Besides, racism is not the only problem. There are cops who are simply bullies or hungry for power. There are honest mistakes, like the poor guy in the original Die Hard who shot a kid and could barely look at a gun anymore. There are more complicated situations. Not far from where I live, an elderly man was shot by police in his home a few years ago. It was ruled an accident, but rumor has it the city council manipulated the situation because they wanted his land and he wouldn’t sell. No criminal intent could be proven, and no one was prosecuted.

There are discussions we should have about how to weed out the bad cops. There are discussions we should have about each department’s policy on deadly force and how they deal with those who misuse it. Those discussions are for people who are close to the action and can actually do something, so I will pass the ball to them. If you are one of those people, I urge you to take it as far as you can. If you see any corruption in your sphere of influence, address it. But if you’re kneeling until every American police department is staffed by paragons of virtue who never make mistakes, then you’ll be kneeling for a very long time.

Is the protest about systemic racism?

Many who protest cite their reason as the systemic racism faced by black people in this country. That’s a very vague term, but I think we can define it as any system or infrastructure that is set up in such a way that black people are disproportionately disadvantaged. Of course, the prime example of this is abortion. In 2013, there were 420 black babies aborted for every 1,000 born alive (about 30% of black pregnancies), compared to 121 for every 1,000 white babies (about 11%). Since 1973, the linked article estimates that 17 million black children have been aborted. That’s almost half of the living black American population in 2010 (39 million). And that’s not even touching the disproportionate number of black people in broken families, poverty, and gangs. No one, of any race, should be trapped in such an environment of crime, suffering, and death. So what do we do about it?

Is the answer in legislation? Community action? Cracking down on the people at the top of the crime chain? A few good teachers, clergy, and parents influencing the next generation? I don’t know. But the solution is likely to be as complex as the problem.

On an individual level, I can do a little. I can teach my children about fundamental human dignity, and treat the black people in my neighborhood with respect when I see them in the preschool drop-off line. But if you are waiting until all black people in America can be as successful as Mr. NFL player, you’ll be kneeling for a very long time.

Is the protest about liberty and justice?

In an even broader sense, protesters are protesting the American flag because they believe America as a whole is not living up to its own ideals. When liberty and justice are denied to some, then the flag does not truly represent liberty and justice for all. As such, it has failed to earn the respect of the protesters. I will certainly not deny that America has failed to live up to its ideals. In fact, it always has. From slavery to the Trail of Tears to internment camps to abortion, there has never been liberty and justice for all. Thus, we should not force or demand any outward form of respect. This is football, not the military. (I might address the nature of respect in my next post.)

But if you’re waiting for America or any other country to completely fulfill its ideals, then you will literally be kneeling until kingdom come. True justice for all cannot be achieved in this life. Imperfect people cannot create the perfect society. We can do better; we can reach toward the ideal. In the interest of doing that, it’s helpful to recognize or point out that we’re not there yet. But laying a guilt trip on everyone in America because they’re not perfect is likely to lead to defensiveness, divisiveness, and despair.

This insight is not new

One of the articles I linked above mentioned the Biblical prophets and their repeated calls for justice in the nation of Israel. Micah 6:8 (ESV) puts it well: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Jesus quotes this passage obliquely in His condemnation of the Pharisees in Matthew 22 (ESV): "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others” (verse 23, emphasis added).

The Pharisees thought they were living up to Israel’s ideal; that is, perfect holiness by being separated from anything unclean. But Jesus warned them that they were ignoring the uncleanness within themselves, like “whitewashed tombs” that looked good on the outside, but were full of death (verses 27–28). The same is true for us today. No amount of virtue signaling or judging others will rid us of the evil in our land. I’ve only found one thing effective:

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh….And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. (Ezekiel 36:26, 29a)

God help us all.

Header image from Fanzine, in an article about end zone celebrations, and Homer Jones 1965 invention of spiking the football.