There has recently been a lot of controversy over the football players kneeling during the national anthem. I will tell you my personal opinion about this issue at the end of this post.
However, let's delve into the heart of the matter now. What is it all about? Well, it's supposed to be an issue about racism and how people with darker skin colors are treated poorly in this country, especially by the police. I'm sure you've all seen the videos floating around out there in cyberspace where some seemingly innocent person gets brutalized, or even killed, by the police. In a portion of these cases, it is almost unquestionable that the violence was uncalled for. However, in many other cases, it appears that the footage was edited somehow, or that the news channel presents the information in a biased way. Remember, it is impossible to be completely unbiased (including this post). The more controversial a topic is, the more people will talk about it and keep up with it.
That being said, let's look at the arguments from both sides...
For the people who support the protestors and are, themselves, protesting, they say they are kneeling to bring awareness to the oppression and mistreatment of people with dark skin. They point out the verse in The Star Spangled Banner that mentions slaves, and they claim that they are actually respecting America and merely exercising their 1st Amendment rights.
On the other hand, some people claim it is very disrespectful to the flag, the nation, and toward those in the armed forces. They are outraged at this display. Some have even gone as far as burning all of their NFL merchandise and boycotting football.
Here's my opinion: We are being lied to! Do you remember the riots going on shortly after the election? Well, it turns out that many people have come out and admitted to being paid off to do that. I was suspicious of it myself. Did you hear about the football player (Alejandro Villanueva) being reprimanded for actually going on the field and standing for the national anthem? It seems in that case, the coach was more worried about looking bad then he was showing respect. Yes, I think it is respectful to stand for the national anthem. And yes, I believe it is rude for people to kneel or sit for it. However, I also believe that these people have every right to do so. It's not hurting me at all, so why should I be angry about it? However, I do believe they are going about this the wrong way.
Notice how I said before that we are being lied to? Well, I believe that there is another agenda, hidden in plain sight. The media and others profit off of widening the division in this country. It's all propaganda in my opinion. People of every race are mistreated in this country. It's just that cases aren't reported as much when it doesn't fit into the plan. Have you ever noticed that reporters always specified the skin color of the victim only if he or she was black? Have you noticed that more people got upset over their skin color, even more so than the fact that a human being was being killed or beaten? I believe it to be social engineering at its finest.
In conclusion, don't allow this nonsense to make you angry towards one another. Don't lose connections with your fellow human beings because of this kind of stuff. I don't deny that racism does indeed exist, but I do deny that kneeling during the national anthem will actually solve anything. What we need is just a bit of empathy. We need to educate and attempt to understand each other without automatically getting angry and violent.
And remember, our most (seemingly) complex problems may be rectified through the simplest of solutions. It's merely a matter of accepting and implementing these solutions.