Protests

When I was a kid I always wanted to read. Mom told me that we would learn that in school. So when the first day of kindergarten came, I was ecstatic. But when I got home, Mom noticed that I was disappointed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“We didn’t learn how to read,” I replied. “I think that the teacher does not know how.”

That was my first introduction to unrealistic expectations, and sadly it was not the last. A second expression of frustration is produced when our affirmations are made in an inappropriate venue. If we are unhappy with our service at a restaurant, we will not vent our feelings in a movie theater. The place to complain is where it will do some good, and not necessarily disturb other patrons of an unrelated venue.

Are our NFL protesters doing any good by expressing their frustration with racism and mistreatment in an NFL stadium? Incidentally, the initial wave of protesters were very well paid and fairly treated, it would seem. I guess I missed the racism and exploitation. Is their “protest” highly public and noticed? Indubitably. But is it 1) effective, and 2) focused on the proper audience?

The biggest impression that most people hold of the protests is that they are denigrating and demeaning the flag and the national anthem. Their protestations not withstanding, the focus is clearly on those two topics. The initiator had to “explain” the meaning of his initial protest. That is not a communication coup when the subject of the protest is not clearly defined and pinpointed.

And are the denials of intent to damage the flag and anthem credible? Imagine that someone took to the media and spued vituperations laced with the “n-word” and other racial and ethnic slurs. “I didn’t mean it like that,” would probably not be an acceptable disclaimer. The same would be true if someone went into a church and cursed the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

“I was just sharing some language that I heard on the street. It does not really mean that I am anti-God. I am protesting swearing.”

Turn the story around. Suppose that someone wanted to protest the CTE damage that football players and boxers suffer. So to protest, he protests in front of the medical facility that is studying and attempting to identify and cure the problem. Does “inappropriate venue” come to mind? Dishonoring the very people who have shared and even spent their lives to bring freedom and equality to America is the height of, well, let’s be candid, stupidity. Protesting the very people and institutions that have made us the greatest nation in the world is nonsense.

And, like my kindergarten self, to expect something to happen in one day because I “protest” seems to be another instance of unrealistic expectations. Combine an inappropriate venue with unrealistic expectations and we have a recipe for failure. And we also face the frustration of alienating or dividing our society. We do not need any more divisive issues, thank you.

One game seemed to have an acceptable combination. The players knelt for a minute to draw attention to the players’ concerns, then, arm in arm, stood for the anthem. It made a point without isolating anyone or alienating anyone. That was some mature thinking. Too bad our “kindergarten” friends have not caught up.