Opinion
9/11: A day for remberance, not protest
By Paul Giuliano ’19
September 15, 2016
Tags opinion
September 11, 2001: As I was rushed out of preschool in Garden City, NY, an affluent New York City suburb a couple of towns over from my own, my father and aunt were chased in downtown Manhattan by a cloud of smoke and debris from the collapse of the World Trade Center. I vividly recall my own mother, along with the rest of the mothers, in tears as we left the dated church where the preschool was located. Understandably, I questioned this unusual circumstance in which my mother replied, “get in the car.” It wasn’t until later that I fully understood that magnitude of the events that had unfolded that day.
These mothers and fathers had lost spouses; my friends had lost parents. My father and aunt were missing, unable to be contacted via cell phone or pager. It wasn’t until 2:00 a.m. the next morning when a call from a payphone reached my house that we knew my family had been some of the lucky ones. Many more, some I knew personally, had not been so lucky. 15 years ago this country was brought to its knees. Ironically, that is exactly where some public figures positioned themselves during the national anthem on this infamous anniversary. Ignoring their motivations, this undertaking by some NFL players to kneel during the national anthem, 15 years to the day of this horrific tragedy is nauseating and deplorable.
A movement, commenced by San Francisco 49er backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick, was started in order to protest what he believes to be racist police actions that have been stressed by the news during the past months. In the previous week this movement has received significant media attention, with some
fellow players deciding to join Kaepernick’s crusade. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the inspiration behind their movement or whether or not kneeling during the national anthem is an appropriate method of protest, one thing is clear: kneeling during the national anthem on 9/11 is a disgrace.
The last time September 11 fell on a Sunday was in 2011, the 10-year anniversary of the tragedies. I remember attending a New York Jets game with my father. Before the game, a grand ceremony was held honoring the innocent people who fell victim on that cruel day. Fans formed two diamonds of light that beamed into
the sky asthe towers did 10 years previously, after which a flag as large as the field was unveiled. Members of the FDNY and NYPD lined the outline of the flag, honoring their fallen friends. Chants of “U.S.A.” roared from the crowd as the band Lady Antebellum sang the national anthem. The vehicle through which the victims were remembered and honored was patriotism. This past Sunday, the victims weren’t met with such reverence.
Some members of Kaepernick’s following continued to kneel, completely disrespecting the victims and their survivors. Being anti-American doesn’t help their movement in the first place, it simply polarizes the issue even further. Nevertheless, they fail to recognize that 9/11 is not a platform in which to exploit national issues. Some players elected to lock arms, with some even holding up their fists to refer to the Black Power movement of the past and the anti-police brutality movement of the now.
While I still believe 9/11 shouldn’t be used as a platform in which to display a protest, a change in the presentation of their protest that also honors the victims is clearly better than some of their kneeling counterparts. I’m left wondering how their actions have damaged their protest. Those who may support the Black Lives Matter movement or any movement against police brutality or racism are left choosing between the movements themselves or loyalty to their country. To some this may seem like Kaepernick and others are against the country, and a lot of people don’t like that.
In in the months after September 11, 2001, a rejuvenation of nationalism overcame the country. People came together, despite individual hardships, to protect the one thing they all shared, the United States of America. I don’t believe it is too hard to do the same every September: put aside individual differences in a country filled with diversity and unite under the one thing we all have in common in order to honor the victims and protect our neighbors from the evils that are out there. Is it too hard to ask for one day a year where we stand together as Americans? Internal issues can be debated and protested the other 364 days of the year.