Misdirected Protests Have Unintended Consequences
I cannot resist adding my two cents worth to the public debate surrounding protests of the American flag and national anthem. I believe the negative impact of the actions of these sports celebrity protesters is being underestimated. I also believe the methods (kneeling, sitting, etc.) used by those individuals are producing unintended consequences whose negatives at the national level substantially outweigh whatever positives the protesters hope to achieve at the local level. Like termites their impact is eating away at the foundations of American democracy. But I am getting ahead of myself. To set the stage let me make it clear I love America, the American flag, our national anthem and the right to exercise free speech, among other freedoms. Protest is a protected tradition. I hope this is unequivocal, before I get to the "however".
HOWEVER.....
I wholeheartedly disagree with the way NFL, NBA and other sports celebrities are going about their protests of specific issues by disrespecting the American flag and our national anthem.What a shot of adrenaline it must be to America's enemies, foreign and domestic. What a kick in the teeth it must be to America's military men and women, and veterans, who have or are currently putting their lives at risk for the very freedoms these protesters are abusing. Here are high profile athletes, role models for millions of children, showing disrespect for the American flag and what it stands for. Can we expect children at home, much less abroad, to understand the subtleties of pro athletes (mis)using the American flag, a national symbol of freedom and courage, to register protests of what essentially are localized social issues unrelated to the flag and the national anthem?
The visual image for viewers across the globe shows celebrity athletes failing to honor the American flag and national anthem. No words are on the screen to explain the purpose or scope of the protests. Viewers are left to their own devices. or need to be informed by others, to determine what the protests actually are about versus how they look to the rest of the world.
From our Tweeter-in-Chief to high profile professional athletes and others, their approach to this issue of freedom to protest is childish at best. I am being overly polite here. To be fair, today's gaggle of protesters are working to highlight legitimate albeit narrowly defined social issues, especially those of police brutality and racial profiling. It is an honored tradition to agree to disagree on specific issues and work toward finding better solutions for America's communities. Protest all you want. Even bring in the TV cameras. But there is a "but".
BUT.....
It is wrong to mislead those observing and trying to understand your protest by directing it at the American flag and the national anthem on a global stage. The United States of America is not your problem. Your major issues are police brutality and racial profiling, according to most news outlets. Go protest them directly, not with a head fake. Exercise your right to freedom of speech, but in an appropriate manner. If you are serious, take time away from your job--football, basketball or any other sport--to join in a community rally on your issue in one of the specific geopolitical market where the problem exists and it matters to you. Invest personal time and effort highlighting the issue(s) and then even more time and effort working toward solutions. On Main Street. In local churches and schools. Only then will today's sports celebrities be demonstrating a serious commitment to resolving some of society's most vexing social issues.
When the vast majority of low-profile Americans gather to exercise their freedom of speech on community streets and in neighborhood schools and churches it's usually after a long workday. They even take vacation time if necessary. There's a real cost involved. In contrast, professional athletes can protest simply by staying seated on a bench or taking a knee rather than standing during the singing of the national anthem and presentation of colors. Or they can raise their arm or fist above their heads, all the while knowing CNN is broadcasting their behavior far and wide. How much time and effort do these athletes invest? Virtually none. Acts of protest occur during pre-game ceremonies, when television cameras can distribute the images across the world. They end when the pre-game coverage ends, When celebrity athletes go home I doubt many commit additional time and effort to working with community groups on these issues.
Professional athletes in 2017's protest parade enjoy great notoriety through such effortless acts. It probably makes them feel like they have contributed meaningfully to a better America. Unfortunately for this country, what they have done is to make it easy for America's enemies to use such images to show their (often poorly educated) countrymen and women how America's (sports) leaders hate the flag and/or the country. Will a child in the Middle East, Asia, South America or other places on earth be more likely to recognize Jeff Bezos or LeBron James? Or is it more likely the only American "leaders" they know are the ones whose faces they see on ESPN and boxes of cereal? Celebrity sports figures using presentations of the flag and singing of the national anthem as vehicles of protest are playing right into the hands of those dedicated to undermining and destroying America's freedoms and cherished way of life. We hand them propaganda on a silver platter.
Which leads next to the question: why are high-profile sports figures so involved in public protests today?
WHY.....
I think we are seeing professional athletes at the epicenter of the freedom of speech movement because it's easy for them to be there, gives them priceless TV exposure for free and costs virtually nothing in time and effort. Although they risk harming relationships with teammates, owners and management, those groups appear to be more than willing to forgive and forget. Lest we forget, football and basketball are businesses with outsize financial rewards, which in turn create incentives for everyone to go along in order to get along.
For fans, on the other hand, the decision to support or oppose the protest movement led by sports leaders is less complex. If and when fans become sufficiently upset about the risks inherent in these protests and translate their frustrations into action, ticket revenues will slow and beer sales might plummet. Only when that sort of crisis occurs might teammates, owners and management begin to question the protest methods being used by their star players.
My bet is the protests would peter out rapidly if celebrity athletes could no longer use pre-game ceremonies as their personal playgrounds for protesting social injustice. It is hard for me to believe they would be willing to invest real time and effort to work alongside ordinary people in ordinary places where each person's "vote" is equal in importance to everyone else's. If the current methods of widely televised pre-game protesting do continue, however, and even more so if they expand, the dangers to this nation will be insidious and will continue to grow.
The greatest danger is the media have taught everyone to focus superficially on the acts of protest per se, rather than on the deeper, more insidious issues that will flow from the impacts of these actions in the future. The impacts of greatest risk and significance are the undermining of patriotism and teaching children it is OK to disrespect the flag and America's national anthem. Both give this nation's enemies powerful free propaganda to use against us.
Earlier I referred to the potential crisis that would occur if ticket revenues fell and beer sales plummeted because fans eventually grew disgusted with the protest movement among sports celebrities. Throughout American history a crisis has had to occur or be imminent before government, or large groups of citizens, could and did coalesce around the need to "do something" about major issues. No matter how significant the problem or how long it had been festering, no matter how visible its causes and symptoms or whether it could have been prevented earlier, crises basically were essential before collective action could occur. Global warming and health care are two current examples of major issues requiring a crisis to occur before they can be addressed effectively.
My greatest fear is that right now is that the celebrity protest movement, especially in sports, may become the next major issue needing to reach crisis levels before its fundamental components can be addressed. In the interim, America's enemies are being strengthened by renewed enthusiasm about this country's political and socioeconomic vulnerabilities. They are attracting new recruits by growing evidence of the weakening of patriotism in this country, compounded by the globally televised examples of disrespect for the American flag and national anthem. Unfortunately, there are far fewer equally high-profile sports professionals willing and able to step forward and counterbalance the current crop of protesters.
It is a shame the unintended negative consequences of recent protests by sports celebrities (as opposed to the actions themselves) are being underestimated and/or ignored.It's a shame because quarreling over the actions themselves, and the reasons given by the protesters for those actions, fails to go deep enough and recognize the damage being done elsewhere. As always, there is no substitute for one's own critical thinking, as opposed to accepting what we see on television or read in the daily paper. The longer this goes on the more propaganda we give to this nation's enemies to exploit to America's detriment.
Hmmm. One last thought. What if, in addition to singing of the national anthem preceding every NFL game the ceremony also included recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance? You know, the one that begins..."I pledge allegiance to the flag.....". I wonder whether our sports celebrities would participate in its recitation? Where I would not wonder, where I'd have no doubt, is in America's cities large and small, where people gather for community, business and social purposes day in and day out. These meetings, involving "ordinary" people, often do begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. To the best of my knowledge every single person at these get-togethers continues to place their hands over their hearts and recites the pledge with pride and sincerity. Even if the meeting agenda is guaranteed to generate contentious debate and hot tempers, participants do not kneel, sit or raise their hands in protest. Hands over our hearts, which is where our hands belong when saluting the American flag. God bless America.
HOWEVER.....
I wholeheartedly disagree with the way NFL, NBA and other sports celebrities are going about their protests of specific issues by disrespecting the American flag and our national anthem.What a shot of adrenaline it must be to America's enemies, foreign and domestic. What a kick in the teeth it must be to America's military men and women, and veterans, who have or are currently putting their lives at risk for the very freedoms these protesters are abusing. Here are high profile athletes, role models for millions of children, showing disrespect for the American flag and what it stands for. Can we expect children at home, much less abroad, to understand the subtleties of pro athletes (mis)using the American flag, a national symbol of freedom and courage, to register protests of what essentially are localized social issues unrelated to the flag and the national anthem?
The visual image for viewers across the globe shows celebrity athletes failing to honor the American flag and national anthem. No words are on the screen to explain the purpose or scope of the protests. Viewers are left to their own devices. or need to be informed by others, to determine what the protests actually are about versus how they look to the rest of the world.
From our Tweeter-in-Chief to high profile professional athletes and others, their approach to this issue of freedom to protest is childish at best. I am being overly polite here. To be fair, today's gaggle of protesters are working to highlight legitimate albeit narrowly defined social issues, especially those of police brutality and racial profiling. It is an honored tradition to agree to disagree on specific issues and work toward finding better solutions for America's communities. Protest all you want. Even bring in the TV cameras. But there is a "but".
BUT.....
It is wrong to mislead those observing and trying to understand your protest by directing it at the American flag and the national anthem on a global stage. The United States of America is not your problem. Your major issues are police brutality and racial profiling, according to most news outlets. Go protest them directly, not with a head fake. Exercise your right to freedom of speech, but in an appropriate manner. If you are serious, take time away from your job--football, basketball or any other sport--to join in a community rally on your issue in one of the specific geopolitical market where the problem exists and it matters to you. Invest personal time and effort highlighting the issue(s) and then even more time and effort working toward solutions. On Main Street. In local churches and schools. Only then will today's sports celebrities be demonstrating a serious commitment to resolving some of society's most vexing social issues.
When the vast majority of low-profile Americans gather to exercise their freedom of speech on community streets and in neighborhood schools and churches it's usually after a long workday. They even take vacation time if necessary. There's a real cost involved. In contrast, professional athletes can protest simply by staying seated on a bench or taking a knee rather than standing during the singing of the national anthem and presentation of colors. Or they can raise their arm or fist above their heads, all the while knowing CNN is broadcasting their behavior far and wide. How much time and effort do these athletes invest? Virtually none. Acts of protest occur during pre-game ceremonies, when television cameras can distribute the images across the world. They end when the pre-game coverage ends, When celebrity athletes go home I doubt many commit additional time and effort to working with community groups on these issues.
Professional athletes in 2017's protest parade enjoy great notoriety through such effortless acts. It probably makes them feel like they have contributed meaningfully to a better America. Unfortunately for this country, what they have done is to make it easy for America's enemies to use such images to show their (often poorly educated) countrymen and women how America's (sports) leaders hate the flag and/or the country. Will a child in the Middle East, Asia, South America or other places on earth be more likely to recognize Jeff Bezos or LeBron James? Or is it more likely the only American "leaders" they know are the ones whose faces they see on ESPN and boxes of cereal? Celebrity sports figures using presentations of the flag and singing of the national anthem as vehicles of protest are playing right into the hands of those dedicated to undermining and destroying America's freedoms and cherished way of life. We hand them propaganda on a silver platter.
Which leads next to the question: why are high-profile sports figures so involved in public protests today?
WHY.....
I think we are seeing professional athletes at the epicenter of the freedom of speech movement because it's easy for them to be there, gives them priceless TV exposure for free and costs virtually nothing in time and effort. Although they risk harming relationships with teammates, owners and management, those groups appear to be more than willing to forgive and forget. Lest we forget, football and basketball are businesses with outsize financial rewards, which in turn create incentives for everyone to go along in order to get along.
For fans, on the other hand, the decision to support or oppose the protest movement led by sports leaders is less complex. If and when fans become sufficiently upset about the risks inherent in these protests and translate their frustrations into action, ticket revenues will slow and beer sales might plummet. Only when that sort of crisis occurs might teammates, owners and management begin to question the protest methods being used by their star players.
My bet is the protests would peter out rapidly if celebrity athletes could no longer use pre-game ceremonies as their personal playgrounds for protesting social injustice. It is hard for me to believe they would be willing to invest real time and effort to work alongside ordinary people in ordinary places where each person's "vote" is equal in importance to everyone else's. If the current methods of widely televised pre-game protesting do continue, however, and even more so if they expand, the dangers to this nation will be insidious and will continue to grow.
The greatest danger is the media have taught everyone to focus superficially on the acts of protest per se, rather than on the deeper, more insidious issues that will flow from the impacts of these actions in the future. The impacts of greatest risk and significance are the undermining of patriotism and teaching children it is OK to disrespect the flag and America's national anthem. Both give this nation's enemies powerful free propaganda to use against us.
Earlier I referred to the potential crisis that would occur if ticket revenues fell and beer sales plummeted because fans eventually grew disgusted with the protest movement among sports celebrities. Throughout American history a crisis has had to occur or be imminent before government, or large groups of citizens, could and did coalesce around the need to "do something" about major issues. No matter how significant the problem or how long it had been festering, no matter how visible its causes and symptoms or whether it could have been prevented earlier, crises basically were essential before collective action could occur. Global warming and health care are two current examples of major issues requiring a crisis to occur before they can be addressed effectively.
My greatest fear is that right now is that the celebrity protest movement, especially in sports, may become the next major issue needing to reach crisis levels before its fundamental components can be addressed. In the interim, America's enemies are being strengthened by renewed enthusiasm about this country's political and socioeconomic vulnerabilities. They are attracting new recruits by growing evidence of the weakening of patriotism in this country, compounded by the globally televised examples of disrespect for the American flag and national anthem. Unfortunately, there are far fewer equally high-profile sports professionals willing and able to step forward and counterbalance the current crop of protesters.
It is a shame the unintended negative consequences of recent protests by sports celebrities (as opposed to the actions themselves) are being underestimated and/or ignored.It's a shame because quarreling over the actions themselves, and the reasons given by the protesters for those actions, fails to go deep enough and recognize the damage being done elsewhere. As always, there is no substitute for one's own critical thinking, as opposed to accepting what we see on television or read in the daily paper. The longer this goes on the more propaganda we give to this nation's enemies to exploit to America's detriment.
Hmmm. One last thought. What if, in addition to singing of the national anthem preceding every NFL game the ceremony also included recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance? You know, the one that begins..."I pledge allegiance to the flag.....". I wonder whether our sports celebrities would participate in its recitation? Where I would not wonder, where I'd have no doubt, is in America's cities large and small, where people gather for community, business and social purposes day in and day out. These meetings, involving "ordinary" people, often do begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. To the best of my knowledge every single person at these get-togethers continues to place their hands over their hearts and recites the pledge with pride and sincerity. Even if the meeting agenda is guaranteed to generate contentious debate and hot tempers, participants do not kneel, sit or raise their hands in protest. Hands over our hearts, which is where our hands belong when saluting the American flag. God bless America.
This is great and I agree completely. The Pledge of Allegiance in a stadium would be great to see.
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