In the late ’60s, Daniel Patrick Moynihan authored a famous, or infamous, phrase: “benign neglect.” He said that the race issue could use some benign neglect. (And he was absolutely right.)
I recommend the same with regard to Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback who won’t stand for the national anthem. That is, he won’t stand up for it. Fine. Let him stay seated. And let’s get on with life. Most stand, a few won’t. So what?
From all appearances, Kaepernick is a profoundly ignorant man, whatever his athletic prowess. He damns the United States as oppressive and celebrates, on a T-shirt, the Castro dictatorship. “You’ve got to be carefully taught,” said Oscar Hammerstein. Kaepernick has been carefully taught — by someone. Who? Our culture? Particular teachers? Other mentors? In any case, he has been cruelly mistaught.
When I was a kid — seven or eight, I would say — I was at a wrestling tournament. Our high-school coach would not stand for the national anthem. It was explained to me that he was mad at the country. Race was the issue. Okay. Most stood, he sat. No big deal. All part of freedom.
There has been a huge amount of commentary on Kaepernick, at least in the media I have come across. There has been much condemnation and some praise. I say, neither praise nor condemn: Just let the guy be, and don’t elevate him to some kind of social guru.
By coincidence, I think, my mother sent me a news article out of our home state, Michigan. The freshman football team from Lapeer took it upon themselves to sing the national anthem. (Lapeer is in the lower part of the thumb. Michigan is shaped like a mitten, remember.) They had no band, no recording, no nothing. The anthem was not scheduled. They just saluted the flag and sang.
Which is nice.
P.S. I have counseled benign neglect. But may I put an asterisk after that? On our home page, we have pieces by Jim Geraghty and David Harsanyi. And a related piece by David French. I would not miss those. (If I write a piece — a further piece — on Kaepernick, please skip it.)