Robin SmithOn the gridiron, some NFL preseason drama has swirled around whether multimillion-dollar athletes will stand for the national anthem.
Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers' backup quarterback who just got his 2016 salary of $11.9 million guaranteed, sat, then kneeled during football pregame ceremonies. He has been joined by another player or two.
The reason for the demonstration?
His decision to kneel, not stand for the national anthem, stemmed from his desire to draw attention to "wrongdoings against African-Americans and minorities in the United States," according to NFL.com. In his own words, Kaepernick explained to NFL Media in a postgame interview, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
The 28-year-old wanted to give voice to his belief that law enforcement officers are going unpunished for excessive force and "police brutality" and are oppressors of nonwhite citizens. Others have even included his protest in their writings of "systemic racism."
I don't begrudge the guy his opinion. He has the right to use his star power to draw attention to a concern. But the irony of disrespecting the symbol that represents our freedom to speak and constitutionally assemble to protest truly eclipses the message. The second game at which Kaepernick chose to protest happened to be the preseason game in San Diego that honored men and women of the military - those who have fought and do fight for our rights and freedoms.
I would argue that Kaepernick made the wrong choice about how he communicated his grievance. His method of protest suggests he doesn't truly understand how it is we have our freedoms.
Someone else offered an opinion last week. In Laos, following the G-20 Summit in China, he directed his comments toward the American people at a town-hall meeting about the need for environmental protections and for cultural sensitivity.
First, on the issue of the environment: "Usually when you see the environment destroyed, it's not because it's necessary for development. It's usually because we're being lazy and we're not being as creative as we could be about how to do it in a smarter, more sustainable way."
Moments later, noting how economic downturns cause stress: "Typically, when people feel stressed, they turn on others who don't look like them."
This is the same person who said in April 2008, while running for the country's highest office, " it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
President Barack Obama should know better. He also has the right to offer his opinion, but he should have better decorum than to stand in a region known for its disregard and "cheating" on environmental regulations and amid countries that lack consistent civil rights provisions while casting America as lazy and racist. Really?!
Yet that's never stopped him before. In his first nine months in office, after all, he issued apologies and criticisms of America in speeches in France, England, Turkey and Cairo, plus at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and the United Nations in New York City.
Words and opinions matter. Learning when and where they're appropriate matters, too. America, we deserve better!
Robin Smith, a former chairwoman of the Tennessee Republican Party, is owner of Rivers Edge Alliance.