Micah Metz
Dr. Stephanie
Brown
English 306
September 15, 2016
A More Perfect Union
Football, as one of America's most popular
sports, is deeply infused with patriotic ritual. The singing of the national
anthem before each game, and, on more special occasions, jets flying overhead, creates an
atmosphere of national pride and reverence to all institutions that help
protect it. With that common understanding in place it's understandable why
Collin Kaepernick’s actions have started so much controversy within the
football community. During the latter half of the NFL pre-season,
Kaepernick began sitting during the national anthem before games. While widely interpreted as disrespect
to flag and country, Kaepernick has identified his actions as a protest for racial
injustice in the nation, most explicitly citing incidents of police brutality against
minorities. With several isolated incidents of this kind of brutality being
publicized in close succession in recent times, there is an air of distrust for
authorities and animosity towards institutions that reflect a bias against
people of color.
With Kaepernick’s celebrity status and a taboo protest method, this comprises
one of the more recent rhetorical strategies employed in the discussion about
institutionalized racism.
Kaepernick's actions follow a series of tumultuous events over the past few years involving police killings of unarmed black men. Individuals such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and the subsequent protests that arose because of their fatalities has created a political climate more sensitive to the methods of police forces and the most common type of victims in these instances. While there seemed to be a notion that institutionalized racism has decreased over the years since the days of the civil rights movement, the spotlight on these events has persuaded many that perhaps the nation has not come as far as many people once believed. Kaepernick, in an interview, alludes to the turbulent atmosphere between minorities and police force, and posits that there needs to be greater awareness:
Kaepernick's actions follow a series of tumultuous events over the past few years involving police killings of unarmed black men. Individuals such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and the subsequent protests that arose because of their fatalities has created a political climate more sensitive to the methods of police forces and the most common type of victims in these instances. While there seemed to be a notion that institutionalized racism has decreased over the years since the days of the civil rights movement, the spotlight on these events has persuaded many that perhaps the nation has not come as far as many people once believed. Kaepernick, in an interview, alludes to the turbulent atmosphere between minorities and police force, and posits that there needs to be greater awareness:
People don't realize what's really going on in this country. There
are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust. People aren't being held
accountable for. And that's something that needs to change. That's something
that this country stands for freedom, liberty and justice for all. And it's not
happening for all right now (ESPN).
Kaepernick’s purpose can
be seen as a drive to raise awareness about unjust policies, tendencies, or laws
that target minorities. Taking the current political climate into perspective
one could assume that many people are already pretty familiar with the topic,
but past demonstrations and decries have left many spectators with mixed,
undecided feelings on the subject, with a specific divide among spectators of
different racial backgrounds (Vega and Thee-Brenan). The rioting in Ferguson,
Missouri, for example, was seen negatively for the destruction that ran rampant
throughout the town, regardless of the persecution that the residents might
have felt threatened their community’s safety. Kaepernick's
nonviolent, celebrity-status protest is one that has the potential to speak to
a wide audience of people who are both in the category
that he intends to represent (minorities who have been consistently been more
likely targets for police assault) as well as onlooker patrons of the sport
whom he might
sway. While his actions are still seen as disrespectful by many people, with a
supposed slight decrease in popularity as a player in correlation with his
protest (Rowell, ESPN), it’s presented in a way that the media tolerates; it
has generated discussion with an interpretation more positive than that of a
violent riot.
Kaepernick’s contribution to this wider civil rights movement is a well-rounded strategy that takes advantage of the ethos of American values, the logos of how the current state of the nation is falling short of upholding these values, and the and the pathos of citing the destruction that comes as a result. The flag that is honored ceremonially along with the singing of the anthem is an important item of national identity and is closely associated with military forces who are said to protect the freedoms that it represents. Any protests involving the display of the flag necessarily bring up the positive attributes of our nation; the choice to use this object of protest in a way deviant to the customs of respecting it is taboo and generates emotional response. But when asked about whether or not his form of protest was acceptable or not, the NFL player said:
Kaepernick’s contribution to this wider civil rights movement is a well-rounded strategy that takes advantage of the ethos of American values, the logos of how the current state of the nation is falling short of upholding these values, and the and the pathos of citing the destruction that comes as a result. The flag that is honored ceremonially along with the singing of the anthem is an important item of national identity and is closely associated with military forces who are said to protect the freedoms that it represents. Any protests involving the display of the flag necessarily bring up the positive attributes of our nation; the choice to use this object of protest in a way deviant to the customs of respecting it is taboo and generates emotional response. But when asked about whether or not his form of protest was acceptable or not, the NFL player said:
To me, this is a freedom that we're allowed in
this country. And going back to the military, it's a freedom that men and women
that have fought for this country have given me this opportunity by
contributions they have made . . . This is something that has to be said, it
has to be brought to the forefront of everyone's attention, and when that's
done, I think people can realize what the situation is and then really affect
change (ESPN).
While national
pride is alive and well in America, an important distinction that Kaepernick
makes and is popular in the minds of citizens is that the honor due to the flag
is still optional; being a symbol of freedom, it grants the freedom to behave
deviant from norms. This commonly held notion makes Kaepernick’s demonstration
and proclamation of beliefs effective because it’s meant to deviate from norms
in a way that doesn’t denounce the intended framework of the norm’s original
implication. Through this superficial defiance there is potential to affect a
meaningful change to come about; That is to say, his subtle decry of national
trends is meant to say that the standards outlined by patriotic belief are not
in effect in the real world, but need to be, and that there is potential for
them to be.
Considering Kaepernick’s
purpose to raise further awareness and to inspire people to affect change, the
media coverage his actions have garnered demonstrate, in some respect, a degree
of success in his strategy; most notably by targeting an emotionally changed
aspect of patriotic ritual. While Kaepernick has seen a decline in popularity
as a player in the NFL among some viewers, he has received support from his
teammates. And while the broader public’s reception of him tends to be mixed,
he hasn’t been made into an anathema for his actions. The notion of his that
national policy needs to change before the identity of this country is to be
respected calls for a higher level of performance from Americans is a social
criticism that is made from a perspective of a member of the society rather
than an outside; that is what makes this protest agreeable to a wider audience.
Works
Cited
No comments:
Post a Comment