Letter: Anthem controversy points to a bigger problem
Washington State players kneel during the national anthem before an NCAA college basketball game against Arizona State in the first round of the Pac-12 men’s tournament Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
March 16, 2021
I write to comment on Andrew Lang’s piece, “Stop playing the national anthem at every sporting event.”
We need to normalize not feeling proud of our countries all the time and stop labeling people who decide not to sing the national anthem as unpatriotic. Patriotism is the act of supporting your country, and one of the best ways to do so is acknowledging when it has committed a wrong. It is those who are committed to fighting for what is right that one should be most proud of.
I disagree that the overuse of a national anthem devalues it. If you think that playing a national anthem at every single event is too much, imagine having two, the Puerto Rican and the American. However, the national anthem in Puerto Rico is valued so much that no one dares to clap after it’s played as an act of respect. In the Dominican Republic, the anthem is transmitted three times a day on the radio.
It’s important to understand why we’re having this conversation. The Dallas Mavericks decided not to play the national anthem. What’s even more important is the reason why.
“In listening to the community, there were quite a few people who voiced their concerns, really their fears that the national anthem did not fully represent them, that their voices were not being heard,” said Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks.
The fact that enough people don’t feel represented in the national anthem that executives decided not to play it says a lot of this nation’s current environment, a country known for its patriotism. In fact, a recent Gallup poll showed that only 42% of adults are extremely proud to be American, the lowest number since the measurement started in 2001.
As Lang said, the goal of playing the national anthem is to feel national pride. Pride is defined as a feeling of being pleased or satisfied that you get when you or people who are connected with you have done something well or own something that other people admire. Many Americans are unsatisfied with their nation right now, and that’s ok. It doesn’t make them less patriotic, it doesn’t make them less American. Loving your country doesn’t mean you have to be proud of it all the time.
Ken Frayer • Mar 21, 2021 at 4:21 pm
It doesn’t mean you have to shit all over its traditions either. If those folks who are taking the knee are interested in “fighting for what is right” tell them to join the military and actually FIGHT for something other than their own self preceived idea of all the horrible injustices that have been committed against them. Their idea of “going to war with my buddies” and “fighting” consists of competing in a freaking game and pretending it is a war and real fighting.
If they want to experience the true results of war and actual injustices incurred so they are free today to play their stupid games have them contact me. They can help me and other Veterans mentor to the true heroes who put their lives on the line to give what these self-indulged players believe is their right to bitch without sacrifice. Many of the Veterans my buddies and I mentor, regardless of race, have come back broken men and women because of the trauma of their service to this great country.
It might interest them to know that the vast majority of Veterans do NOT subscribe to the in vogue adage of ” I served/fought to give you the right to disrespect our National Anthem and the flag”. That is NOT why most of us served so put that notion out of your heads!