I chose to share this quote that was said by Colin Kaepernick for many reasons. I am one to support our troops always and I strongly believe there is not a reason to not do so. As they will always have our backs, I will choose to always have theirs.
Instead of crossing words out, I decided it was important to keep every word because everything had crucial meaning. I strongly believe that people of any race should have the freedom to say as they please. I am not an African American so I do not know how one does feel, but I am a woman. I understand there are things that we should stand up for that our country struggles with. That is why this part was not taken out because people’s feelings and thoughts about our country are crucial to making it better.
The words that are shown in blue and red, “I am going to show pride for country”, I wanted to emphasize for many reasons. One is that we have freedom because of our soldiers. The freedom to speak our minds is because of them and the freedom to not stand during the National Anthem is because of them as well. For that, I believe that we should ALWAYS show our respect to those who fought and sacrificed their lives for our freedom. I also did these words in color because they were ALL positive. Our country could always use some positivity. Lastly, the word “country” stands out, even more, seeing that it is capitalized but also red. I did this because, to me, this word has so much power. “Country” means people thriving and living together of all cultures, religions, and races. People should want to get along and fight FOR each other, NOT against. Therefore it needed to stand out.
I believe that people should always respect the ones who left their homes, families and sometimes left this Earth while protecting us. I don’t think standing for the National Anthem is asking too much. What is great about this country is that we have the right to say what we believe and we have the right to protest. I just do not believe that disrespecting our veterans by not standing during the National Anthem is the time or place to do so.
Megan,
I totally agree with everything you are saying. Everyone deserves to have their own opinion as well as to voice them. In saying that, there is a right and a wrong way to voice your opinion and going at our troops is the wrong way. Our troops literally leave everything they have ever earned and love in their life just to protect us everyday. And we choose to disrespect them for what reason? I see why some African Americans are upset because how poorly they are treated by our police force. But why would that be a reason for us to turn on our troops and disrespect them? Our troops have nothing to do with whats going on here, all they do is fight for our safety and freedom everyday and disrespecting them is the wrong way to go about this. Your right when you say standing for the national anthem really isn’t asking for much. All they do for us and we can’t even stand a couple minutes for them. The people who sit or kneel for the pledge do not realize how disrespectful they are being and it needs to stop.
Megan,
I really liked how you designed your found poem by using the colors of the American flag and different size text. As a reader, I can tell what you are trying to emphasize and the purpose you are trying to make. All though I am a fan of the NFL, I don’t agree on the actions of Kaepernick and some of the other players in the league when the National Anthem is being played. This is because I think they are just showing disrespect to our troops who are serving or have served for our country. I believe that their are other ways of protesting rather than kneeling for the National Anthem. Although they have a right to protest and speak freely; I believe that they are no only making themselves look bad, but they are making the NFL look bad as well.
Our troops fight for our freedom of speech and our right to protest. King Kaepernick was approached by a vet who told him it’s more respectful to kneel than sit down. Many troops have defended the people kneeling saying they fight for our right to be able to do so. Standing with hand over heart for a countries anthem (that’s racist, written by a racist btw) when you’re more likely than your white teammates/fans/peers to get shot holding a cell phone just because you’re black (studies show); and then, reading things like “I understand what they go through but…” really baffles me. This country does not care about black and brown bodies the way that it should. Our troops choose to protect us and endure socialization, stripping them of everything they ever were and becoming someone else all to come back and beg for money on the streets because we care too much about a song and not the actual well being of our vets when they come home. Troops don’t kill themselves because of someone taking a knee, troops aren’t poor because of someone taking a knee, troops don’t abuse substances because of someone taking a knee, troops don’t have poor healthcare because of someone taking a knee. When we as a country start saying things like “the least you can do is stand for the anthem” we trivialize the more important things like troops having a sustainable life when they come home from war.
I liked how you brought a topic that I too feel very passionate about. I agree with you in every aspect that we should be paying all respects to our veterans. Although, it seems that people tend to concern themselves more with the fact that these players, who feel as if their fellow Americans are being treated unfairly, are kneeling rather than the whole message behind why they are kneeling. I agree that many people may view it as disrespectful, but how else do you get attention in this country without getting people a little angry? I feel as if we should not be demanding the players to stand, but instead be asking our government to stand up for them.