People around the world have been protesting for years now
and for multiple reasons: racism, war, police brutality, education, etc. But
recently we have seen these protests being done in the National Football
League, where a player sits down or takes a knee during each national anthem
before the games. There has been so much controversy on whether they are good or bad. Let me break it down for you on why I believe they are not bad.
1. They are not protesting the flag
Many people like to claim that these players are protesting
the flag and standing against America. THIS, however, is not the case. The
players protest to see a change in all the things going on in America from the
white supremacy, to police brutality, to the racism. It has nothing to do
with standing against the country. It is just for the fact that people must change
their ways and their actions, because this is not what America is about.
When these players take a knee or sit, it is not doing
anything to physically hurt anyone or do damage. In other forms of protests,
riots break out and that is doing damage to other’s properties. It can even turn
violent. The NFL protests do neither of these two things. They are nothing but peaceful.
3. Freedom of speech
As American citizens, we have our right to use our freedom
of speech. The very first amendment in our constitution says that “congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise
thereof; or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press”. This means that the players that protests
have the right to do this.
Conclusion
Out of all the
protests we have seen in the past couple of years, this has to be the most
peaceful one. They have the right to do it, no one is getting hurt, and it is
for a better cause. Not everyone has to agree on this, but this is one opinion that
we should think about.
What a great summary - it makes total sense. I'd rather have a silent protest over a riot any day. At the end of it all, we need to reflect on WHY they are kneeling. It's not to disrespect this country we all love, but to call attention to the racism and injustice so pervasive in our country that we've been ignoring. Instead of sending memos to NFL teams, Roger Goddell should use the wealth of the NFL to match contributions given to organizations that focus on addressing these issues. Lord knows we can't rely on our president to remedy these social issues as he only fans the flames and divides us further.
ReplyDeleteMy mija doing big things. Keep up it up.
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