Is Kneeling the Right Thing to Do

Collin Mullanaphy

College Writing Workshop: Professor Young

19 September 2017

Is Kneeling the Right Thing to Do

The date of August 26th, 2016 marks the day in which a movement would be started throughout the nation. This was the day in which Colin Kaepernick took a seat during the National anthem. When confronted about it later by an NFL.com reporter, he did not hesitate and stated, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." As stated in the  article "The Perilous Fight" by Sean Gregory, the criticism came hard and fast. Many were outraged by this, one congressman saying he was, "sympathetic to ISIS" while an anonymous NFL executive stated he wanted Kaepernick no where near his team and that he was a "traitor."

But, with hate, there was also support. Athletes and teams across the nation were starting to take a stand, or rather, take a knee as well to support Colin Kaepernick and the cause. The likes of big name athletes followed his lead, such as Eric Reid, Jeremy Lane, Megan Rapinoe, and more recently Michael Bennett, along with many others. Some athletes even lost big endorsement deals because they kneeled during the national anthem. Brandon Marshall, a Denver Broncos linebacker, lost two endorsement deals because of his actions. Younger sports teams, such as colleges and high schools are starting to do this as well. Woodrow Wilson high school in Camden, pre teen football teams, Minneapolis South High School girls volleyball team, etc. The movement was astonishing, and all it took was one man to stand up and start it.

With all this commotion, the question arises, was this the right thing to do? In my opinion, it was not the right thing to do. The workplace and your political views should not mix, no matter how hard you may feel. It does not matter if you are a businessman working in a cubicle, or a professional football player making millions of dollars. There are plenty of other ways to get your view across, but not during a game. It is a family game, and is meant to be watched so people can relax and almost get away from the problems in the world at the time. When players bring political views into their respective sports, it simply makes it not as enjoyable with all of the added tension. A message sent out to players and athletes in the 70's should be used and followed today while in the work place, stating, "Say little and offend no one. Be grateful for the opportunities you have. Doing otherwise could cost a player dearly..."

                                       

Now this is not me saying you shouldn't stand up for what you believe in, as I am all for it. But, keep it off the field, court, etc. Some alternatives could be using twitter, running campaigns, protests, wearing clothing expressing your feelings, etc. There are countless other ways to do so. Also, this is disrespecting families of veterans and veterans themselves, because they aren't getting the respect they deserve for fighting for our country. Military protestors called the protestors unpatriotic, while police forces threatened to stop providing security at NFL games. Even a NFL Hall of Famer and a civil rights activist Jim Brown stated, "I would not challenge our flag. I would not do anything that has to do with respecting the flag or the national anthem. I don't think it's appropriate." Overall, I do not think this is a just way to deal with the problem, as there are plenty of other ways to deal with it outside of your sport, and disrespecting the national anthem is just not the right call. 

Watch This Jim Brown Interview on Colin Kaepernick! 

                                                    
Reply to the comment:

Can you elaborate on this point: "Say little and offend no one." How does this point connect and/or relate to Kaepernick?

This relates to Kaepernick in the sense that, when on the job, you should very simply put, do your job. There is no need to speak, or show, your political stance when working. Essentially, say little so you do not offend others while playing the game everyone loves to watch. This brings unwanted stress and tension to the game. Whatever Kaepernick says off the field is up to him. However, when he is on the field, he should keep it to himself.

Do the Right Thing Quotes

Collin Mullanaphy

College Writing Workshop: Professor Young

6 September 2017

Do the Right Thing Quotes

     Dr. Martin Luther King's quote states how violence solves nothing, and all it does is makes things worse. Even if you think it is effective, in the end it will just turn on itself. Meanwhile, Malcolm X's quote may not be saying be as destructive as possible, but he is all for using violence where you see fit. He is implying that if it can end a situation, you should use it. Both of these quotes can be tied into the script of Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee, as these quotes allow the viewer to sit back and realize which quote was favored more by the neighborhood, and whether the people in the play were really doing the right thing.

     When relating the script to Martin Luther King's quote, you can relate it on a smaller scale than with Malcolm X's, however, it is still recognized. When the mob burned down Sal's Pizzeria, it created bitterness within the survivor. In this case the survivor was Sal. If he did not have a strong distaste for the black neighborhood before this, it would not be surprising if he does now. His hard work was destroyed, all because of an act of violence in a community. Violence also created brutality in the destroyers. Now, after burning down the building in an act of rage, it just shows the brutality in all of them, and the savagery that was drawn out. Some may see them as the ones at fault, and not the police for the murder now. Although the community may have gone against what MLK preached, it may have been the only way to get there feelings out to the world.

     Now, when relating Malcolm X's quote to the script, it is obvious which of the two leaders this community followed at this particular moment. Malcolm X preached violence whenever one saw fit. He was in no way against it, unlike MLK. Dating back to the incident of Michael Stewart, when he was killed in police custody. This must have certainly put a toll on many people. Now, after this neighborhood just first-hand witnessed the murder of another black man, Radio Raheem, in the hands of a cop, that took them over the edge. To them, violence may have been the only way to make their voices heard. As MLK once stated, "A riot is the language of the unheard." They had to do something, they could not just sit around and let another incident like that happen, so they made a stand. That night of the mob could definitely make people stand back and realize how others feel about the whole situation.

     All in all, both quotes of these famous leaders were represented in Do the Right Thing. However, Malcolm X's was clearly the more dominant, and related much more to the actions of the community than did the words of Martin Luther King Jr. Did these people "do the right thing" at the end of it all? With all the interpretations analyzed, it is safe to say that they did indeed do the right thing. They did not want to stand around and let something like that happen, so they took action. They wanted to make their voices heard, and that seemed to be the only way to make it happen.


Destroying Sal's Pizzeria

Questions and Clarification on the Blog:


Did Malcolm X advocate for violence whenever he wanted as you point out in paragraph 3? When *did* he say use violence?
     
     To clarify this, what should have been said is Malcolm X found violence was needed only if completely necessary, and it should be used in an act of self-defense. That is when he said it should be used. In the play, the neighborhood kind of skewed the words of the quote and acted violently in a form of a revolt, rather than self defense. But, the neighborhood may have been acting off the first part of the quote, where Malcolm stated, "I have to preserve the right to do what is necessary to bring an end to that situation..." They could have taken this and thought, the only way to end the violence on minorities from cops is to revolt, in which case they followed the Malcolm X quote correctly. It is all a matter of how you interpret the quote, and which part you look at. 
   
Can you think of any other quotes where MLK's quote could be applied?

     Another quote in which MLK's quote can be applied is when Buggin' Out gets into an altercation with Clifton. After Clifton accidentally scuffs Buggin' Out's Jordans, he gets extremely annoyed and mad. He confronts him out of hatred. Doing this would solve nothing, as MLK says, but he does it anyways. As MLK states, "It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers." Although it is on a much smaller scale, it still relates to what happens. Clifton no doubt feels attacked, and probably feels a bit of distaste for Buggin' Out and the neighborhood for pushing him around. All that did for Buggin' Out was make him look like a bit of a fool and he seems like a bully. It was unnecessarily brutal.