Standing for the National Anthem
First a little background on the national anthem. The song itself was written to commemorate a military victory when we withstood a British attack and “Old Glory” continued to wave over the battered fort during the War of 1812. In 1931 Congress officially decided listeners should stand when “The Star Spangled Banner” is played. Congress also gave suggestions for the behavior of people listening to the song. Which is to formally stand at attention, hand over your heart, and men should remove their hats and place them over their heart. (Dempsey, Martin). So even Congress men believe this is what a respectful citizen needs to do. However, Congress can’t make someone do these things due to the 1st Amendment …show more content…
One opportunity is by standing and respecting the national anthem when it is played at any event. We are not saying our country is perfect, but we know it is better than most. “In everyday life there are few opportunities for the people of the United States to come together, pause and reflect on the hope that is only possible with freedom and democracy. Our national anthem is a statement of respect hope, not a declaration that those present agree with everything our nation does or fails to do.” (Dempsey, …show more content…
Colin Kaepernick was the first to publicly show his disrespect for our country. His reason was because he could not stand for a country that has oppressed black people or people of his color. Good reason-maybe, but not a good way to try to bring about change. If he wants respect and wants people to respect people of his color, then disrespecting a country that has made him a millionaire is not the way to get it. As Jasmine Levine states it so eloquently, “ours is not a perfect country. At the same time, if every citizen followed Colin Kaepernicks’ stand--there would go our sense of unity, our sense of nation.” Without those common bonds, what hope do we have to join hands and achieve progress? While there are differing points of view in regard to his behavior at recent games, for many men and women who have risked their lives for this country-regardless of their race Kaepernick garnered little applause. (Levine, Jasmine) Even though he has that right to not stand, it is still not a very respectful thing to do. If someone wants to bring about changes in America, disrespecting the flag and all it stands for is not the way to achieve this goal. As Jasmine Levine said if we don’t stand together, we don’t stand for anything. It is our standing together during all wars that
First a little background on the national anthem. The song itself was written to commemorate a military victory when we withstood a British attack and “Old Glory” continued to wave over the battered fort during the War of 1812. In 1931 Congress officially decided listeners should stand when “The Star Spangled Banner” is played. Congress also gave suggestions for the behavior of people listening to the song. Which is to formally stand at attention, hand over your heart, and men should remove their hats and place them over their heart. (Dempsey, Martin). So even Congress men believe this is what a respectful citizen needs to do. However, Congress can’t make someone do these things due to the 1st Amendment …show more content…
One opportunity is by standing and respecting the national anthem when it is played at any event. We are not saying our country is perfect, but we know it is better than most. “In everyday life there are few opportunities for the people of the United States to come together, pause and reflect on the hope that is only possible with freedom and democracy. Our national anthem is a statement of respect hope, not a declaration that those present agree with everything our nation does or fails to do.” (Dempsey, …show more content…
Colin Kaepernick was the first to publicly show his disrespect for our country. His reason was because he could not stand for a country that has oppressed black people or people of his color. Good reason-maybe, but not a good way to try to bring about change. If he wants respect and wants people to respect people of his color, then disrespecting a country that has made him a millionaire is not the way to get it. As Jasmine Levine states it so eloquently, “ours is not a perfect country. At the same time, if every citizen followed Colin Kaepernicks’ stand--there would go our sense of unity, our sense of nation.” Without those common bonds, what hope do we have to join hands and achieve progress? While there are differing points of view in regard to his behavior at recent games, for many men and women who have risked their lives for this country-regardless of their race Kaepernick garnered little applause. (Levine, Jasmine) Even though he has that right to not stand, it is still not a very respectful thing to do. If someone wants to bring about changes in America, disrespecting the flag and all it stands for is not the way to achieve this goal. As Jasmine Levine said if we don’t stand together, we don’t stand for anything. It is our standing together during all wars that