The Left vs Right Debate Part 2: Protests and the American Flag

“Many peaceful (doesn't end in a riot) protests, by themselves do not have the ability to divide a country; it is the response to the protest that leads to division”

Protesting

The next stage in the discussion for freedom of speech leads to protesting, especially the ‘when’ and the ‘how’. This too is largely cultural as minority groups by default will seek to protest more than the majority would. When it comes to protesting in general, as a free country, the ability to peacefully protest is a freedom that makes this country so great. This is assuming the protest isn’t promoting hate (The KKK) or as is the case with some Black Live Matters protests: clearly defining that your protest is not promoting hatred towards police. While the BLM is not targeting police, it does promote a rhetoric that opens the door for extremists (that leads to violence against police) and they fail to denounce and separate themselves from the minority violent participants in their protests. Much the same way conservative movements have opened the door for white supremacists to make their way back into the media. The BLM movement could take steps (like marching for the lives of police officers and the black men killed by rogue police officers) to improve their message to steer it away from being perceived as negative as I’ve outlined in my article A CRITIQUE OF THE BLACK LIVES MATTERS MOVEMENT.

“So the question is, even if we all disagree with the current kneeling for the flag protest? Are we prepared for escalation if we continue to meet a peaceful protest with opposition?”

Many peaceful protests by themselves do not have the ability to divide a country; it is the response to the protest that leads to division. From the outside looking in, the vicious cycle seems to be: liberals protest, conservatives respond by not acknowledging the issues and condemning the method of protest, liberals use the divisive response as evidence as to why they are protesting in the first place and then a line is drawn in the sand and everyone takes sides. A common question that comes from the black community that is a very good one (especially when you look at the history of the black community in the United States) is when should a black person protest? And how? When Martin Luther King’s peaceful protests where met with opposition, it gave way to the rise of the violent Black Panther Party. So the question is, even if we all disagree with the current kneeling for the flag protest? Are we prepared for escalation if we continue to meet a peaceful protest with opposition as opposed to a healthy debate?

“…there is an etiquette to honoring your country and an etiquette for the Pledge and Song independent of flag etiquette…there are also rules for public speeches and walking on sidewalks…African American Civil Rights leaders have resorted to violating those rules to capture the attention of the nation.”

As far as kneeling for the flag is concerned, our tradition in the United States to show our allegiance to this country is the Pledge of Allegiance. The National Anthem is our theme song honors the men and women who fought and died for it. Both of which are directed towards our flag. While the Pledge of Allegiance can be argued to be a more serious act than the National Anthem, and even though official rules for treatment of the flag do not include National Anthem etiquette, it is no less disrespectful to kneel during the National Anthem. No matter which way you present it, there is an etiquette to honoring your country and an etiquette for the Pledge and Song independent of flag etiquette. With that being said, there are also rules for public speeches and walking on sidewalks and African American Civil Rights leaders have resorted to violating those rules to capture the attention of the nation. While kneeling during the anthem is more extreme than this, I must admit despite my distaste, violating the rules draws attention and it is still a peaceful protest that should be met with debate (to see if there is validity in what is being protested) rather than drawing a line in the sand for every American to pick a side, which is what many conservatives have done through their responses.

The American Flag

The flag itself can be viewed different ways dependent upon your culture; this is the reason why one culture is more comfortable with the protest than the opposition. So when a protester says “this has nothing to do with the military”, there is evidence to support the plausibility of this statement. According to the Pledge of Allegiance it stands for the Republic of the United States that should be providing liberty and justice for all. According to Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on the Seal, the colors mean:

"The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice."

This portrays the bravery of our people, armed forces and justice for everyone. So if you believe that what athletes are doing is in protest of the military alone, than they would be protesting the national anthem which only refers to the military, not the flag which is supposed to represent the country as a whole and its citizens.

“…conservatives view the Confederate flag as being representative of their culture…it’s important to them, their history and their lineage…flag also represents a southern United States who wanted to divide the country in two…maintain their economic advantage through slavery”

But we’ll focus on the flag since the players stated that this is what they’re protesting, not the military and not the anthem. As stated previous, the flag can take on multiple meanings…don’t believe it? Well consider this: Southern conservatives view the Confederate flag as being representative of their culture and heritage. That is what the flag means to them and it’s important to them, their history and their lineage. However, there is no denying the fact that the flag also represents a southern United States who wanted to divide the country in two so they could maintain their economic advantage through slavery. So conservatives who believe the flag only represents those who fought for the country must admit that the American flag can stand for the people and the military the same way their Confederate flag represents their culture but also a region that was willing to go to war to maintain slavery.

“Sports and entertainment have been the avenues through which African American’s are able to gain the most notoriety…their communities expect them to use their fame and fortune to champion the causes of their communities.”

So why have wealthy black athletes who make more than the average American chosen to protest anyway? Why ruin sports by brining politics into it? So even though I had an issue with protesting the flag, but through debate accepted it for what it was, this point was always obvious to me from a cultural stand point. In regards to politics and sports, the two have been mixing since the 1960’s, from Civil Rights activists in sports, to team owners donating to political campaigns, former athletes running for local office, political debates over who pays for what stadium, to political candidates showing up to sporting events and connecting with teams to gain popularity. Black athletes in particular have been making statements in sports since the 1960’s.

So why use sports you ask? If you look at African American history they have rarely had the corporate or political pull to address their agenda’s in political or corporate settings. Sports and entertainment have been the avenues through which African American’s are able to gain the most notoriety, so when it comes to activism, their communities expect them to use their fame and fortune to champion the causes of their communities. This also takes cultural understanding that as I mentioned in part one, some conservatives simply don’t have. It’s difficult to envision this perspective of African American girls and boys seeing little opportunity in the places they grow up other than sports or entertainment, so the people they look up to who have ‘made it’ are expected to champion the causes of those who haven’t. Otherwise they are viewed as ‘sellouts’ by their communities.

Part 3- The state of black communities, gun control and resolutions

"Has African American culture resulted in their treatment and incarceration? or has they way we treat African American communities resulted in their culture?"