How national anthem protests bring out worst in people

For three weeks now, the emails have come fast and, mostly, furious.

“If (Colin) Kaepernick really cared about black lives he would be in Chicago telling those primates to stop killing each other.”

“What the players should be focusing on are bigger issues … dealing with  the problems of the inner cities such as black men killing other black men, black children without fathers,” read another.

And this gem.

“You Nazi (expletive). Patriotism is not defined by protest or reaction to protest. Patriotism is an individual feeling and experience. When these (expletive) take a knee they are spitting in the faces of soldiers like Pat Tillman. They are spitting on the graves of everyone killed on 911. That may not be their intention but that is reality. (Expletive) you and (expletive) them. … I hope you die of AIDS. That is my right as an American.”

That’s just a sampling of the more than 200 emails I’ve gotten in response to three columns I’ve written about Colin Kaepernick and his and other athletes’ protests during the national anthem to draw attention to police brutality and racial inequality.

I can take the vitriol and insults. That comes with the job, and I’ve grown accustomed to it.

What I can’t understand is that the protests and the words I’ve written have not infringed on anyone’s constitutional rights, or directly impacted anyone’s life in any way, and yet some people can’t contain their hatred. Or their hypocrisy, demanding respect for this country’s institutions and symbols when they refuse to show it for their fellow citizens.

“(Kaepernick) is a piece of (expletive). hope when he gets to play, someone breaks his back or neck.”

In almost three years as a columnist for USA TODAY Sports, the only other piece I’ve written that’s gotten a comparable response is one on Cam Newton and my belief that much of the criticism of him last season was rooted in racism.

Funny how that works.

I understand people have passionate feelings about the flag and the anthem, particularly those who served in the military. But, with all due respect, patriotism and honoring this country is simply a convenient cover for the vehemence and volume of the reaction to Kaepernick and his fellow protesters.

If this truly was about patriotism, where was the outrage during all of those decades when NFL players weren’t required to be on the field for the national anthem? It wasn’t until 2009 when that changed. Where is the indignation that the anthem is rarely shown on broadcasts of any game, in any sport? (Although the anthem has appeared on TV before most NFL games this season. You can thank Kaepernick for that.)

What about all those people texting, talking, taking photos or trying to catch Pokemon during The Star-Spangled Banner? Or the singers who “perform” the anthem as if they’re looking for a recording contract? When are we going after them with pitchforks and torches?

And since we’re all so fiercely patriotic these days, there’s going to be a huge increase in voter turnout this fall, right? Voting might be the most powerful way to show gratitude to America and the men and women who have served it, yet less than two-thirds of this country can be bothered to do it during national elections.

But yeah, let’s get irate about someone not honoring a song so intrinsic to the fabric of this country that it wasn’t even adopted until 1931, 155 years after the republic was founded. A song that includes a verse celebrating the deaths of slaves, I might add.

“Colin Kaepernick’s protest links up with something that has haunted the nation since its founding and that is the presumed presence of disloyal black people,” said Eddie Glaude, chair of the Center for African American Studies at Princeton and author of Democracy in Black.

“You can go back to (Thomas) Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia and he’s concerned about divine retribution for the sin of slavery. He was paranoid about what these folks were going to do,” Glaude added.

“The moment (Kaepernick) takes a knee, it triggers that long-standing fear of the dangerous and disloyal.”

Another theme in the emails I’ve gotten is that if Kaepernick and other athletes are so concerned, why are they not addressing violence in Chicago and other cities? As if that somehow excuses police brutality.

Some have also said that blacks aren’t oppressed, they just need to work harder and be more responsible. Because a white person has any clue what it’s like to be black in America, where some people still can’t see anything beyond the color of someone’s skin.

Where liberty and justice still do not exist for all.

A large segment of our population is saying it does not trust law enforcement officials to protect it, and that ought to be enough to give all of us pause. And yet some still aren’t convinced even after seeing videos of the deaths of Terence Crutcher, Philando Castile, Laquan McDonald, Alton Sterling, Walter Scott – shall I go on?

“Every time we see something, every time something happens in the black community, we have to convince white America that it happened, that it’s for real,” Glaude said. “And white America is always surprised.

“Until we say that this is who we are, we will never be in the position to get beyond this.”

Oh, we’re saying who we are, all right. Doing it with our real names and company emails, too.

“These United States Of America have given him much more than he deserves. His Afro hair does not help in his message!”

But please, tell me again how it’s Colin Kaepernick and the other players who are so disrespectful.