Opinion by William Wilczewski
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick didn’t stand for the National Anthem.
Big deal?
Yes … and no.
Justifiable?
Yes … and no.
Attention-grabber?
Yes … and yes.
And, that was likely the whole idea to begin with.
And it’s working perfectly.
The proof is that a white, able-bodied, male like myself is even attempting to write a column that I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about—which, in this case, appears to be racial oppression and Kaepernick’s backing of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Truth be told, I also imagine, that no one else here in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., really knows much, if anything, about it, either.
We’re a community filled of white folks.
We have lived entitled lives, generally speaking.
It’s not our fault.
That’s not to say, however, that we have it easy.
That’s not to say we haven’t faced immense challenges.
That’s not to say any of us were born with a proverbial silver spoon in our mouths feeding us an endless supply of American Dream apple pie.
Not even close.
It is to say, though, that we truly have NO IDEA what the norm is for others.
Us white males don’t know what it is to feel different in America.
We don’t know how it feels to be followed around the grocery store because someone just assumes we’re there for a five-finger discount.
We don’t know the impact of being labeled a minority in the greatest country of the greatest land that can often times be the greatest hypocrite when it comes to acting on what it supposedly stands for.
That may be unfair, though, because some say that Emma Lazarus’ words on the Statue of Liberty were never meant as an invitation.
Those people say that “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free …” were just words of a poem attached to a gift from France, not a quote meant to idealize the intent of what the United State should mean to the rest of the world.
Regardless, America’s past has chosen to take on that role—one it now seems to be growing tired of—hence Kaepernick’s protest.
That protest has now created yet another stir about race and patriotism in America.
On the patriotism side, it seems a little absurd for many Americans to be too upset, because how many times at any Little League, high school or professional sporting event have you seen someone NOT standing at attention or talking or just not acting appropriately during the National Anthem?
Every time.
Guaranteed.
At least one. Often times, many more than that, I would suppose.
Have you said anything?
Did it ruffle your feathers enough to create the buzz that Kaepernick’s caper has?
Nope.
Why not?
Because he’s a star; a role-model; someone that should know better?
That may just be why he did it, because he knew he could open eyes in the process of addressing a dilemma that still festers underneath our American fabric.
Racial inequality in a country that once proudly touted itself as the world’s melting pot.
We ignore The Average Joe’s same disrespect for our anthem and our flag on a daily basis until someone does it to shed light on a topic we are uncomfortable with.
And this makes him Public Enemy No. 1 all of a sudden?
Sure, the question still remain if the ends justifies the means.
I don’t know the answer to that one.
What I do know, though, is that now everyone is at least thinking about the issue.
And in the end, I think that’s good for all of us—whether we’re too blinded, at the moment, to know it or not.
Or appreciate it.
Or not.
Let me put it this way, I’m as guilty as the next person in my desire to think all the answers in life are as simple as black or white (pun intended).
But that’s not always the case.
Often times, life is shades of grey.
And stances—like the one Kaepernick has taken—has now challenged us all to add our own shades to the mix.
We can either dull the palette or make it brighter.
What you do will make all the difference.
Choose wisely.
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