A Knee-Jerk Reaction

Images of a quarterback taking a knee or sitting on bench at a football game rarely lead to outrage or comment from public figures, but San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to take both actions during pregame renditions of the Star-Spangled Banner has inspired just such reactions. Kaepernerick has explained his protest as an attempt to draw attention to police brutality and other forms of oppression faced predominantly by people of color. Critics have called his dissent unpatriotic, uninformed, and disrespectful to veterans and those who have died in service to the United States. Ultimately, while Kaepernick’s choice of venue will undoubtedly remain controversial, dwelling on his manner of protest risks ignoring the pressing issues he has raised by re-litigating timeworn issues of free expression.

The idea of sitting during a ritual when we honor the sacrifices of veterans and the values for which they fought is understandably jarring for many Americans, as President Obama remarked in his comments on Kaepernick’s protest. Other high-profile supporters of Kaepernick like Jim Brown have noted that they might have picked a different venue in which to air similar views. But unlike the President of the Santa Clara Police Officers’ Association—who menacingly urged the 49ers’ “to deal with” Kaepernick—neither Obama nor Brown questioned Kaepernick’s undeniable right to decline to stand for the anthem, understanding that disagreements over means do not negate the substance of his protest.

Following the lead of Obama and Brown, Americans should look beyond how Kaepernick chose to protest and focus on why he did so. As Harvard’s Pusey Minister in Memorial Church and Plummer Professor of Christian Morals Jonathan L. Walton argued last Sunday, patriotism is not merely about going through the motions of singing anthems and honoring flags. Rather, patriotism is about leaving the country better for coming generations, which means facing current problems, including discomfiting ones like racism and police brutality. Even though reasonable people disagree about how Kaepernick chose to highlight these issues, they cannot deny that such ills are among the most significant injustices in the United States.

Ironically, the negative reactions towards Kaepernick’s protest provided some of the best evidence that the concerns he raised are indeed pressing. One news outlet had trouble finding anti-Kaepernick tweets that did not include derogatory language, and a viral denunciation of Kaepernick managed to imply that he was a hypocritical black nationalist who blamed all white people for all social ills, and who only resorted to political statements for personal attention. In addition to making a mockery of Kaepernick’s actual views, this particular commentary also conveniently disregarded the $1 million that Kaepernick has pledged to donate to community organizations working to combat the problems he has highlighted.

If Kaepernick intends to raise awareness of issues of racism that are deeply ingrained in American life, we should expend less energy debating whether or not his mode of peaceful protest was appropriate, and more on solving the problems he has rightfully brought to the fore. Issues of police brutality, systemic racism, and oppression towards people of color are sadly not new, but so long as they persist they deserve continued attention. And if the reaction to Kaepernick’s decision not to stand is any indication, persist they do.