Text-To-Text Article

After reading the text-to-text article, Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem Protest and Frederick Douglass’s ‘What to the Slave is the 4th of July?’, by Katie Harris and Tracey Barrett; I come to the really strained conclusion that Colin Kaepernick's way of protesting is not the best way at going about it. Within the article, we are given a basic summary of the life of Frederick Douglas' life and what his writing embodied regarding patriotism in a torn society. We are also provided with a comparison of our society today and if patriotism is being used the in the same sense then as it is now. In Douglas' writing he claims that the Fourth of July is just a reminder of the "gross injustice" of the country that they live in. In the more recent David Brooks article, Brooks claims that "pulling a Kaepernick" is just "extremely counterproductive". In my opinion, I agree with Brooks more than Douglas. This is NOT because I think that there isn't a problem within the United States regarding the topic of equality, but because the article does make some really good points. The first has to do with national symbols and abolitionism. For instance, the national anthem describes the flag and the article takes the time out to highlight the fact that only abolitionist states prided on that flag throughout the civil war. Anti-abolitionists even took the time to create their own in order to defy freedom of all. Brooks spoke to me on a deeper level because he claims that the national anthem has nothing to do with whats going on within in the country but is solidifying our "foundational creed". It is really hard for me to not feel hurt when I see my fellow and equal Americans kneeling before our flag and national anthem because I have lost family members because they were serving our country. I currently have a brother that is leaving for the Marines in June as well. I understand the anger that comes from not having your voice heard within our country, but if I lose my brother because he was fighting to keep us safe; it would break my heart to know people don't look at the flag and our anthem as a symbol for that.