Double Standards, It’s The American Way

All it took was for Colin Kaepernick to exercise his rights by not standing up during the national anthem to protest the wrongful killings of many black Americans. Many people have been vocal about their disdain towards Kaepernick’s actions on various social media platforms and at his football games. Users have used this opportunity to send Kaepernick threats and attack his racial background. However, this past week fans booed President Obama during his address at the Sunday football game. The game coincided with the 15th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

The irony within the entire situation is that people deemed Kaepernick’s actions disrespectful and unpatriotic. Instead, thought booing the President of the United States on the anniversary of the most horrific incidents of American history was acceptable. To take everything for face value, the President is an American icon. The president is not only someone who makes decisions, but truly represents the patriotic values that are instilled within the country. In comparison, Colin Kaepernick is a professional football player not an elected official. So the only views he is responsible for representing are his own. There is a headline in news publications every day of an innocent black American getting killed. And logistically, Kaepernick used a strategy that could stir up national headlines. The strategy truly brought attention to innocent lives being taken and police officers not being held accountable for their actions. However, people wanted to pay more attention

And yes, booing the President of the United States on any day disrespectful. You don’t have to agree with his politics in order to respect him. It’s common decency to treat the leader of the free world with respect.

It actually wasn’t until 2009 that football players stood on the field during the national anthem. Instead, players stayed in the locker room. In 2015, the Department of Defense paid $5.4 million for staged on field patriotic ceremonies.

It’s a strong double standard. People want athletes to stand up with their right hand over their heart during the national anthem for a country founded on genocide, slavery, and segregation. But many people don’t see that when viewing the flag. It is important to understand that many soldiers have died for this country. But we also have many soldiers who return from war without being welcomed with open arms. The amount of veterans who have to subject themselves to homelessness, hunger and brutality are more than people want to come to terms with. Soldiers of many different ethnicities go to war and come home to the same discrimination that they encountered before deploying. A soldier shouldn’t have to wear a uniform to be respected.

Historically speaking, the national anthem was not intended for all citizens. The original song was originally written by Francis Scott Key 1814,used officially by the US Navy in 1889, and was made the national anthem in 1931. Within this time, we must reflect how people of color were treated within this time period. People of color were not seen as equals and had to fight for human rights. And that’s why people of color have a difficult time standing for the national anthem for a country that has not always accepted them. It’s not a difficult concept, but people have to be willing to understand. Racial tensions are high. People of color are told they are equal but aren’t receiving equal treatment.

If you’re going to deem certain behaviors disrespectful, make sure to follow your own advice.