ARRAN KEARNEY Staff Writer
It would be nearly impossible to argue that kneeling for the National Anthem is not protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution, so there seems little point in doing so. What must be examined however is the case of whether such an action ought to be accepted by the American public. To simply state that something is legal is not to say that it is acceptable; there are things that are prohibited by public opinion that would technically be protected within the Constitution. The question we must ask ourselves is whether or not it is ‘proper’ to kneel for the national anthem – and why it is that a great amount of people take issue with this action.
It is not, as some might suggest, because such people are racist, because they don’t care about the experiences and struggles of minorities. Indeed, I would suggest that the arguments about race in this country are divorced from the kneeling issue altogether. The same Americans who raise objections to the practice now would be doing so just as enthusiastically if the trend had been started to raise awareness on another social issue. It is the action itself, rather than the motivation behind it, that is contentious.
It is worth looking at those two words again – ‘raising awareness.’ This, or other such phrases like it, is used as a justification for kneeling during the Anthem. I think it extremely unlikely that there is anyone in this country who is not aware of the ongoing debates about racial prejudice – so what are those who participate in this trend actually hoping to achieve? There seems to be little ambition communicated in kneeling in front of cameras. This won’t change public opinion, not only because the public generally agree with the basic premises of equality but also because public opinion cannot be so easily moulded on this, or any other, issue.
Nor is it, as another popular argument goes, to ‘express solidarity’ since, as has been seen, this action creates far more division than it does unity. There are far more effective ways of displaying solidarity than this; ways which the American public could respect and support. Defying longstanding national convention is seen as unnecessary and even counterproductive – for what is the Anthem but the ultimate expression of American unity? It inhabits a lofty and dignified position, far above the boiling antipathy that has come to define public life, and it is preserved in this position because it is revered and respected by all Americans in equal measure. By standing and singing in unison, Americans give expression to the indiscernible bonds of American fellowship that are so easily and so often forgotten. There is no motivation, no matter how pressing or virtuous, that can be permitted to take advantage of this, the highest of all the American traditions: the very symbol of national pride and greatness. Those who oppose kneeling for the National Anthem do not do so out of hatred, but out of love – love for this country and all whom dwell within it.
It is not then, returning to the original point, a question of whether a person could kneel for the National Anthem, but whether they should. It is too this question that many Americans would reply with a resounding and unambiguous ‘No’.