Most of the time we Americans are not even aware of our freedom. It surrounds us in seemingly endless supply, like the air that we breathe. But if there’s no air to breathe we quickly become uncomfortable and do something about it. If we see another person choking, we try to help him breathe. Just as we defend our right to breathe, we should defend each other’s freedom.
Non-conformity is sometimes admirable, but it has consequences. Others are free to disapprove, dislike, and not associate with you. That’s their right. Unless you are protected by a union or employment contract, most states allow private employers to fire you or refuse to hire you for expressing views that they don’t like. There are circumstances where that makes sense. An employer might have a policy that prohibits wearing lapel pins supporting political parties, candidates, or causes at work. Its purpose might be to keep everyone’s attention focused on producing good work rather than the distraction or offense to customers that might accompany the pins.
With those thoughts in mind, let’s look at the case of Colin Kaepernick, the NFL, and President Donald Trump. The controversy began more than a year ago when Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, didn’t stand for the national anthem. He had done the same thing before two previous games, but the press didn’t take notice. On the third occasion, he was asked about it and he gave an extensive post-game interview.
Kaepernick made it clear that he believes America is not living up to our ideals. He contended that racial inequality is still institutionalized and that abuse of African-Americans by police is often tolerated by our government. He said he would resume standing for the anthem when those concerns were addressed. He emphasized that he meant no insult to our flag, anthem or service members; pointing out instead that he wants our government practices to live up to the values that our military defends.
Colin Kaepernick acknowledged that he could be fired for his actions: Q: “Do you think you might get cut for this?” Kaepernick: “I don’t know. But if I do, I know I did what’s right and I can live with that at the end of the day.” He was cut from the team, accepted that fact, and continued working on issues that he thought were important. To at least some small degree, he was achieving his goal of encouraging conversations across racial lines about inequality.
The conversation exploded when President Trump, behaving as if he was elected Bully-in-Chief rather than President, insulted Kaepernick and other NFL players who had adopted his form of quiet protest, calling them “sons of bitches” and telling NFL owners to fire them or watch their businesses “go to hell”. Trump lied when he claimed that the protests were against our military and our flag. Kaepernick and other protesters had made it clear from the beginning that the protests were about perceived racial injustice. Trump ignored concerns about racial equality and changed the subject to patriotism. When a President of the United States lies some of his loyal base will believe whatever he says. Others in Trump’s party may simply stay quiet – exactly the kind of inaction that Kaepernick is protesting.
Our President has behaved as a shameless bully and liar, dividing us into factions and urging his supporters to impose their will on others through the power of government and employers. It’s dangerous to our constitutional democracy when our President uses his power to try to silence others. At the core of American freedoms is the right to be a nonconformist – to believe, speak, and live according to your own conscience. Whether I agree with Colin Kaepernick or not, it is my duty as an American to defend his right to speak and to demand an apology from President Trump for his lies and his language.
The President’s actions bring this adage to mind. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” We Americans need to move ahead with serious conversations about race relations. It appears that we’ll have to do that in the face of presidential opposition rather than with constructive presidential leadership. That, perhaps, is why so many NFL players and owners have linked arms – showing the way to honest conversation and teamwork – and standing up to the biggest bully on the block.