Toni Smith's A Leader Is More Than A Messenger

Lately, many issues about expressing political views publicly have surfaced. People have been protesting during the national anthem, this, in turn, is causing an uprising about when should people be allowed to protest. People should be able to protest whenever they feel like because that is part of their constitutional right to freedom of speech. Toni Smith author of “A Leader is More Than a Messenger” writes about how everything is advertised during major events. She goes on to explain how sports are filled with political messages even though they relate nothing to the sport itself. She then gives insight about how an unpopular action she did, turning around during the national anthem, caused an unexpected uproar. This action caused her to be ridiculed by many people across the United States. Examples …show more content…
When she wrote the article, she could have included more evidence of people that had been ridiculed or forced against their will to go with the popular opinion. These examples would have only made her writing stronger because it would have more evidence supporting her conclusion that people should be able to express what they want. Finally, if Toni would have bluntly stated her opinion multiple times through the article the readers could fully understand what her message clearly was. I firmly believe that Toni Smith had the constitutional right to turn away from the flag while the national anthem was playing. Even though people may disagree with what she did, they shouldn't try and force their opinions on her. The freedom of expression was meant for all opinions, not just the most popular one. When the minority is oppressed , change that is not in their benefit will occur without a second thought and make their lives and views change. In order to be a civil society that is true “freedom for all,” we must accept others outlooks and views on life even if they are not the same as our