Free speech in the ?Home of the Blues,' singing over ?the brave' in national anthem disrespects veterans more than silently kneeling
St. Louis AmericanOct 18, 2017
As a 30-year
Yet despite my personal views, honoring veterans has been cited by
A great number of sports fans fervently demand communal display of patriotism before the opening faceoff or kickoff or pitch. That the display is natural and unforced is preferred. But if necessary, it should be compelled. For them, the nexus between the sports and patriotism is unquestioned. And according to Trump, the failure to adhere to this norm during the national anthem "disrespects" those who served the country in uniform.
It is noteworthy, therefore, that of the 80 words in first verse of the Star Spangled Banner which we regularly sing (there are four total verses), only one word directly "respects" or "honors" those who served, the final word in the final line: "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
Of course, every Blues home game starts with the national anthem. Yet despite
Using Trump's respect-disrespect standard and looking at these facts dispassionately, one must concede that NFL players who wordlessly kneel and in their silence do not interrupt those who wish to sing the anthem as written are more respectful to veterans than the hockey fans who replace the only word that honors them with "Blues."
Unfortunately, this harsh assessment begs the question how to square the loud condemnation of NFL players with lack of censure against offending Blues fans without resorting to some malevolent explanation such as racism or, at a minimum, racist-tinged hypocrisy.
Of course, the