BRIGGS wrote:To me the NAtional Anthem is a simple respect of all current and former service members of the military. Those people have tremendous courage and have given millions of lives over 250 years to keep the country safe from foreign opponents. Without them no one here would have a job or safety of a home. It is not a platform to promote an agenda-- there are many other platforms for that. If you don't stand to give a simple thanks for those who have given their lives to provide a better one for you-- it's sad and wrong
I think you are wrong with some of your assumptions.
We should not valorize those who serve above why they serve- which is the freedom we as citizens enjoy.
Service members join because of freedom, and love of country.
Not standing, and kneeling, does not show disrespect to them- it is calling attention to the fact that african americans have yet to achieve the same freedoms as whites.
I am white, and I can put myself into their shoes - or at least, I can in my mind try to imagine what it would be like to be black. What it would be like to have 300 years of oppression weighing against me. There are still people alive who were ok with the idea of Negros having separate services, their own water fountains, bathrooms.
And there are many whites who don't understand this, who feel like - African Americans can vote, go to college, etc. And it's time to get over it.
But that cannot erase the majority of history where blacks were treated as 2nd class citizens, deprived of rights and freedoms, forced into poverty that has lasted multiple generations, deprived their children of any opportunity to realize their potential.
We project our dark selves unto blacks and foreigners. We're still mentally ill as a culture and have a long way to go until we can actually realize what our founding fathers set out to create - a nation of equal free people.
I hope the next time you see a black athlete kneel during the anthem, you'll think twice about why they are kneeling.