"History shows that all protest movements rely on symbols - boycotts, strikes, sit-ins, flags, songs. Symbolic action on whatever scale... is designed to disrupt our everyday complacency and force people to think."
Hugh Evans
Plenty of people have stood up to oppression by sitting down. It amazes me how one seemingly genteel act can invoke so much resistance. Such is the case with Colin Kapernick’s Rosa Parks moment. He declined to stand for the American National Anthem and folks went crazy! The response was a wide range of emotions, from silent support to very vocal opposition. A hit dog will holler every time.
What gets me is the hypocrisy behind criticizing his method and motive for protest. This country was founded and formed out of protest. The ideals behind the flag were fought for in protest. Yet, when Colin protests, we have a problem. I actually see his decision as less of a protest and more of a bowing out of the continuous hypocrisy of how this country acts vs. what it says it holds dear. Colin just chose not to play the role anymore. He chose to point out how we stand and pledge an ideal that we consistently do not even try to live up to, as evidenced by the entire history of this country and specifically the more recent (though not new) incidents of police brutality with blind eyes and little accountability.
The same holds true for protestors who choose to burn the flag. This method really hurts me personally; however, it is hard wired in our Constitution that a person has the right to do it. I wish our response to the desecration of the flag was the same as the desecration of what it represents. Liberty and justice for all is the spirit behind the flag. Americans pledge to the flag with liberty and justice for all. American military lay their lives on the line to ensure liberty and justice for all. So when anyone attempts to rob an American of liberty and justice, our anger should be that they have undermined our efforts to uphold liberty and justice for all - the spirit behind the flag. The outrage is misdirected.
Then the retort becomes, “If this country is so bad, then why don’t you leave? There is no other country better than the USA.” I’d like to believe the same thing - really I do - but the facts override that good ‘ole American idealism. Take healthcare for instance, several countries are better than us in that regard. The same holds true for how some companies value their employees. Don’t even get me started on education – the bottom line is sure we’re not the worst, but we certainly have room for improvement. We will never get better if we keep thinking we’re already the best.
Regarding the veiled “Go Back to Africa” contention, the days of you demanding where I can and cannot go ended a long time ago, so stop it. Not to mention this country was bought and paid for with the blood, sweat, and tears of folks who look like me so if anyone should have a one-way ticket on a boat to somewhere else, it should not be me.
There is truth in the idea that one chastises the thing she loves. I love what this country aspires to be, and I love the people of all races/ethnicities who work hard to get it there. What I will not stand for, are those who turn a blind eye to these efforts. I’ll have a seat on that one.
Mickey Noella
Oh, and another thing…this writing is more blunt than I’ve ever written publicly. It is a passionate expression of the idea we can do better. Instead of working hard to pick apart every word I have written, just do your part to prove me wrong with actions that preserve the liberty and justice for those who have been robbed of it for too long .
