Kaepernick said, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." Of course, a country has millions of flaws and of achievements. I propose not feeling pride or shame or identifying with a country or national government at all. I propose identifying with humanity and with smaller communities.
I also propose taking notice of the fact that the United States now bombs several nations at a time, none of which contain primarily people labeled "white." "Why should they ask me," said Muhammed Ali, "to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?"
Why should they ask you even if people in Louisville were treated well? Protesting racist violence but not militarism is a million miles better than nothing. But it is still a major failure to protest racist violence.
Dr. King said we needed to take on racism, militarism, and extreme materialism together. He told the truth.
In a lyric that was sung at the Olympic opening ceremony, John Lennon advised: Imagine there are no countries. It isn't hard to do. He lied. For most people it is very hard to do. But it is something we very badly need to work on.
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