And, since you might be curious, the five standing were not all white kids. Like those who decided to kneel, there were students of many backgrounds.
I can't begin to guess why each of those players decided to kneel or not.
My guess is the parents of those standing shared their opinions on the subject. But, it's fair to guess the parents of kneeling students also shared their thoughts with them.
Judging by Facebook posts and opinions shared either around the water cooler (and admittedly dated reference) and in the media; there seem to be two major views of the protest.
1. The protesters are dishonoring veterans by refusing to stand or choosing to kneel during the anthem and should offer their opinion in a different fashion.2. The protesters are exercising their First Amendment rights and contributing to a national conversation about police violence or treatment of minorities, especially African Americans.
As I've written in this space previously, it seems for us to believe in the Right of Free Speech it needs to include speech with which we disagree.
I'm not a fan of using the American Flag as an object of protest or failing to at least stand quietly during the anthem or Pledge of Allegiance.
It's the Flag which silently speaks to the idea allowing violently unpopular views to be expressed.
The problems protesters want addressed are a larger issue than might be fixed in months or years, so how can leaders decide when the protests are a success?
And, of course, many things are better now than they used to be, And, no, equal rights are not a box we can check off as finished.
We will continue to disagree about our views on many things, but hopefully you and I can find ways to make things better.
I believe more of us agree on the things we want for our country than the politicians choose to believe. The political problem is the right and left are both electing folks on the edges of the issues, leaving a yawning gap when it comes to the things which need to be done.
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