There are two major issues underlying the dialogue surrounding Colin Kaepernick’s decision to remain seated during the national
anthem: 1. Race and 2. Symbolism.
1. Our society
questions the American-ness of People of Color more readily than the American-ness
of white people.
I can't count how many times I've heard Asian Americans
asked, ‘
OK, but
where are you REALLY from?”, when their family has lived in the US longer
than mine has. Or heard
fans
of Mexican soccer criticized for a lack of patriotism in a venomous way
that fans of European soccer are not. Remember when even elected officials
questioned
the American-ness of a US-born black presidential candidate, but uttered
nothing about his white opponent who was actually born abroad? Or perhaps when
a
former president suggested administering loyalty tests to Muslim Americans.
In our society, if you aren't an English-speaking white
Christian, you have the burden of proof to show your American-ness.
2. Americans are
fiercely protective over our symbols: the flag, the Constitution, the
pledge of allegiance, the national anthem. Our Founders are held as not wealthy
aristocrats who bright and ambitious, but prophets, bestowing upon us words and
ideals beyond the tampering of mere mortals. We have been uniquely hesitant to modify our Highest Law, having only done so on 18 occasions since 1787. While others insult America and its military,
like
Donald Trump, they are careful to not deviate from reverence of national
symbolism. When any public figure denies the sanctity of these symbols, they
face quick reproach from many corners.
Both of these issues are symptoms of the same sickness:
insecurity. Americans are insecure about
what it means to be American. Like a paranoid lover, we desire uncritical
loyalty. Like a worried child we clench tight the words of our Founders as
though they are the strands of our safety blanket.
This insecurity is at least partly caused by the many
Americans who provide demographics as the identity of American-ness:
Anglophone, white, Christian. And as those demographics dwindle, anxiety rises.
Unfortunately for them, demographics are transient; human migration is the most
stable truth of our short history.
As Americans continue to react to the contemporary model of
globalization—which has temporally trailed reactions in the Middle East, Asia, and
Europe—our collective identity must be more resilient than demographics and
more flexible than worship of parchment from a horse and buggy generation.