Before people forget what the national anthem protests are about, they’re about police brutality and racism. They are not about unity, whatever that means, nor are they about Trump in particular. Trump is merely a symptom of white supremacy.
Also, let me make something VERY clear. Being that the anthem protests are about police brutality and racism, to say that the protests are an insult to the military is to imply that the military is protecting white supremacy. To say that those kneeling are unpatriotic is implying that white supremacy is patriotism. If protesting police brutality is insulting the flag, then one is implying the flag represents and protects police brutality and white supremacy. If soldiers fight and die to protect/honor a flag, and that flag is supposedly insulted by players kneeling in protest of police brutality and racism, then one is implying that the soldiers are fighting and dying to protect white supremacy.
I’m not going to get into a U.S history lesson here, but one could justifiably make the case that the flag, the military, etc. are symbols of and protectors of white supremacy, being that the U.S was founded on genocide and slavery, and considering how imperialistic the U.S is. However, if one is to imply that the flag represents freedom, equality, justice and so forth, if one is to imply that the military fights for and dies for to protect freedom and equality, then not only is it right to kneel during the anthem in protest of police brutality and racism, it would be wrong for anyone to stand during it.
If the flag truly represents freedom and equality, if that’s what the military truly fights for and defends, then it is everyone’s righteous duty to kneel before the flag for as long as there is police brutality in this country, for as long as there is racism, for as long as any communities are oppressed. We should not stand until all can stand. If one is not free, none of us are free. Let us kneel. If one day we shall rise, may we all rise.
adamkendall2 