Raser’s Edge: What if?
Spoiler alert: This
post will undoubtedly irritate many Trumpist readers. However, it poses two theoretical situations for
you to think about, so look at it as a thought experiment.
With the beginning of the 2018 NFL Season, the controversy
over players kneeling for the national anthem is exploding again in the
news. You all know the history, Quarterback Colen Kaepernich did not stand
for the national anthem and President Trump branded all who joined him as “sons
of bitches,” “unpatriotic” and they should be fired and kicked out of the country.
Trump tweeted August 10:
“The NFL players are at it again - taking a knee when they should be standing
proudly for the National Anthem. Numerous players, from different teams, wanted
to show their “outrage” at something that most of them are unable to define.”
This is, of course, not true. The players protesting know exactly the basis
for their “outrage.” Colen Kaepernich who started it all by kneeling during the
national anthem specifically stated he was protesting racism and police brutality. Since then, the players joining him in the
kneeling have clearly stated they are against social injustice, and for equal
rights and equality. In other words, the
players are protesting against racism and bigotry towards blacks.
Trump is a master of manipulation and he knew very well that
by criticizing NFL players as highly-paid, unpatriotic black guys he would have
another way to whip up the white, uneducated base that attends his
rallies. He could play both the race and
patriotism cards to draw applause, cheers and chants.
Now let’s create two different scenarios about kneeling for
the National Anthem.
Suppose we had a president who said, “Kneeling for the
anthem is certainly non-traditional and perhaps may irritate some, but let’s
think about the reasons why these players are doing it. They are protesting a real problem facing
America today, racial inequality and tensions.
They are using their constitutional right to free expression and we
should respect that. Let’s use this
gesture to focus our attention on the problem and work together to solve it.” How do you think Trump’s rally base would
react to that? Would it generate cheers,
applause and chants of “Stamp out racism!”?
Here’s another hypothesis to consider. Let’s say the players who started kneeling
for the national anthem were white. When
asked why, they reply, “We want to honor our brave military personnel who have
given their lives for our country and show respect for those who continue to
serve today to protect our freedom.” How
do you suppose Trump would use that to whip up frenzies at his rallies?
Think about it.
