The Irony of Protest
In 1773 Colonists boarded a ship of the East India Company (British owned) and dumped all the tea on that ship overboard as a protest over taxation without representation. That act let Great Britain know they had a problem brewing in Colonial America and was a significant event that led to the Revolutionary War.
Today people are moving toward increasingly polarizing ideological camps. With this gap in ideology there is a gap in how to express ourselves through protest. My struggle came to a crisis when I heard a white man with black children challenge my own views. He said one man yells in the street and another kneels quietly on the field and both are condemned. I struggled with people destroying cities as a means of protest and then I struggled watching a man quietly kneel in protest. So a man can violently protest or quietly protest and I still had a problem.
I found myself facing an irony of protest. I ask the violent person to calm down and I ask the calm person to stand up. I found myself struggling with my own competing ideas and ideals. Would I have been swimming in Boston Harbor trying to salvage tea while complaining about taxes? It sure is how I began to feel.
I wish I had a resolution to my incongruity. I do not believe it is morally right to destroy someone’s business and take what they are trying to sell. However, I do believe that we have the right to disagree publicly with our government. Since I can’t justify violence in the street I have found myself being more patient with the Colin Kaepernicks of the world. Yes, they may have to face the consequences of lost endorsement deals and the revenue that comes with it but our founding fathers lost a lot more to gain freedom. Could it be that our best ideals, beliefs and thoughts survive protest? I believe they do. Being too concerned about quiet protests makes our beliefs appear weak.
Colin, I don’t like what you are doing. I don’t like how it makes Veterans feel. However, I thank you for not burning down a city block or stealing from a local business man in your protest. I thank you for your commitment to your beliefs, however different from mine they may be. I thank you for helping me stop to ask how those of other races may feel.
I wish there was a way to protest without making people feel bad. I am not sure that is possible though. I think I may go brew a cup of tea because have a lot to pray about.