If people are listening, should we speak up?

 

 

What is a right? It is a principle of freedom or entitlement based legally, socially, or ethically. A right is something that is owed and cannot be taken away. What is a responsibility? It is something that someone must do in order to be a good citizen. Responsibilities are duties, obligations or burdens for which we are responsible. That is clear. What is not always clear is which are which. One of the issues that has had a great deal of debate this past year, in fact since the Dixie Chicks spoke out against the invasion of Iraq, is whether highly-paid athletes and entertainers have the right to make their voices heard on political issues, or whether it is in fact the responsibility of those who have a voice to make that voice heard.

American magazine GQ came down clearly on the side of speaking out when they put protesting athlete Colin Kaepernick on the cover of their magazine by proclaiming him 2017’s Citizen of the Year not only for choosing to put his beliefs ahead of his paycheque but for sharing his position as someone who has a built-in audience to be heard. There have been many voices on either side of this issue. Some say that he does not deserve the attention and should be fired for disrespecting America, its anthem and flag. However, as a protesting athlete, willing to put his ideas ahead of what was, or what could have been, a successful career, he is clearly showing his care and respect for his country and all the people within it. Athletes and entertainers, those who have the public attention, have the responsibility to speak, and to protest, when an issue affects them deeply. It is the public who have the right to decide whether or not they will pay attention. That is in fact, part of the free speech that they are speaking up for.

Colin Kaepernick and those who are ‘taking a knee’ with him, are doing their jobs. This is his job and no, athletes like him do not need to be fired because they are interfering with revenues, advertising rights and even pizza sales. Instead the owners and fans could choose to let them have their say and then move on to play the game that the fans came to watch.

GQ magazine says that they admire him because those against him want him to stop protesting, and remain without a voice. But, if his detractors had not wanted his voice to be heard, in fact if they had in fact wanted people not to listen to what he was saying, they could have not twisted it into a show of anti-patriotism and changing the focus of the issue into one of respect or disrespect. Kaepernick’s protests have been for others. He has been protesting in an area where he would have once been supported by his country in the past. He is not protesting for higher wages, but for others who have suffered police brutality and injustice, and he has brought these issues to global attention. Whether they agree or disagree, those who are watching his actions are hearing his message. That alone makes him a citizen of the year.

He is not the first athlete, or entertainer to bring attention to an opinion through protest.  Muhammad Ali made sacrifices to his fame and career by refusing to fight in the Viet Nam war. He was certainly not the only US citizen who did so. Many Americans moved to Canada over this issue.

People listen to what famous people have to say and take note of why they say it. Those who agree with that opinion nod, and those who disagree tell them that they have no right to speak. ‘We don’t pay them to talk,’ they say. ‘They get paid to look pretty, or to sing, or to throw the ball. Tell them to shut up and do that’.  They don’t just have the right; they have the responsibility. People need to do more than just speak. They need to do. They need to walk their talk.