Tuesday, August 15, 2017

An Open Letter to Michael Bennett

Mr. Bennett, I have been a fan of you and the Seahawks for years.  I want to remain a fan.  More importantly, I want to get Americans working together to address serious problems we face as a nation.  That’s why I must write this letter.  It is not the “negative backlash” you said you expect in response to your national anthem protest, but it is an expression of a different perspective that I hope you will try to understand.

I respect you as a player and as a person.  I believe you are acting with good intentions when you protest.  Although I respect you I do not approve of the disrespect for our country(and the majority of citizens) that is implicit in your protest.

I share your aversion to racism, violence, and injustice.  We should by rights be allies in this struggle.  But when I see your protest I do not feel a connection with you and your values.  You may not have realized it, but when you refuse to respect our nation I feel your disrespect personally.  When any citizen disrespects our nation, that person implicitly disrespects himself, his own family and community.  We are all Americans. 

We all know the United States of America was not born perfect.  We are not perfect today.  Yet throughout our history one of our greatest strengths has been the ability to improve ourselves.  That was true in 1787, in 1865, and in 1964.  Whether it remains true in 2017 is yet to be determined.

You indicate that you were motivated to sit with a towel over your head during the national anthem, at least in part, by the riots in Charlottesville.  Your words seem to demonstrate that you equate the alt-right racists in Charlottesville with our nation as a whole, or perhaps with ‘white America.’  If so, you are wrong about that.  Every society has members who offend, victimize, oppress others, who generally act in contradiction of the values of the society.  The presence of racism does not make America racist.  It makes America a nation that is contending with racism.

Numbered among the citizens of this nation are some who have committed crimes including theft, slander, rape, treason, and even murder.  Should we refuse to honor the United States because some citizens have committed crimes?  Of course not.  Numbered among the citizens of this nation are some who are racist.  We should no more disrespect our nation because of these flawed individuals than because of thieves and murderers.  Racists are not acting on behalf of the United States of America.  They are in fact contradicting centuries of true American values.A  merica is not racist.  Racists are racist.

The United States was founded on principles of equality.  We didn’t get it right at first, of course.  That’s why we had to fight a war among ourselves to end the evil institution of slavery.  Later we extended citizenship and the vote to African-Americans, Native Americans, and women.  The struggle for civil rights continued a century after the Civil War and in some ways continues to this day.  But progress has been made, and improvement should continue.  Please do not blame racism on the nation that has enshrined your freedom in the Constitution.  Our United States government and our society are not the enemy.  This nation and its people should be your (our) greatest allies in the fight to make real the promise of liberty and justice for all. 

NFL National anthem protests do not improve our nation.  They do not bring us together.  They divide us.  They disrespect the nation and direct contempt toward institutions that exist to preserve and promote justice.  They direct contempt toward some of us who work day in and day out to promote equality among all people.  They create antagonism between groups and persons who should be allies in this struggle.

We will not solve problems by blaming each other, or the nation as a whole, for faults of the past.  We will not solve problems by blaming each other for the faults of a few.  We will not solve problems by disrespecting the nation for the unjust or criminal activities of some.  We will not solve problems by separating ourselves into factions and blaming each other.  We will only solve problems by working together as people of goodwill.We are all America. 

You say you want to encourage bridge building, not separation or hate. I believe you.  So do I.  You should know that the national anthem protests are creating big walls and resentments on all sides.  Is the message you intend the message that is actually being received?  I don’t think it is. 

You say you want to speak out against injustice?  Great!  Please do!  The problems you are trying to highlight are important, and I commend your desire to bring attention to these issues so that our nation can become more just and equitable.  Can we find another way to focus awareness and effort?  A way that will make all Americans of good will feel empathy rather than frustration, motivate them to cooperate rather than turn away?

Let’s please stop this flawed tactic and begin to improve justice and equality in America by working together.  Let’s recognize that the vast majority of American people of all races and ethnicities are really on the same side in this struggle. 

Sincerely,
Adelaar Gryphem