A Response to Three Friends I Will Never Meet

It only takes a little nudge to latch onto a pro sports team. I was still in junior high school when one Larry Kenon played for my own hometown junior college before transferring to Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). After a couple of seasons with the Nets, he became a San Antonio Spur and from that time forward, the Spurs bandwagon has been my bandwagon. As a native Texan, I had a choice of two teams to follow. Since 1980, I have had a choice of three, but to my knowledge, neither the Mavericks nor the Rockets have ever started an Amarillo College alumnus.

As a Spurs fan, other Spurs fans abide under the umbrella of my general affection. That is why it is troublesome that in recent weeks and months, my lack of intelligence and my inability to think freely have been blasted by three folks that I like. It’s as if I have been wounded by friends. Coach Gregg Popovich (Spurs head coach), Coach Steve Kerr (clutch three-point shooter and gritty defender at one time for the Spurs, now Golden State Warriors head coach), and Michelle Beadle (fellow Texan, die-hard Spurs fan and ESPN talking head) have each blasted President Trump against the ongoing backdrop of the NFL/National Anthem protest saga. They are free to criticize the president, but I wish they would be a little more careful to consider others that they might be insulting in the process.

You see, the crux of the criticism has suggested that Trump has MADE the anthem protest that is ABOUT racial and social injustice ABOUT other things like support for the military and patriotism. The implication seems to be that those who agree with him can only be sheep who follow in lock-step, hence, the danger of him being vocal on the matter.

Coach, Michelle, and Coach – Is it just possible that some folks could figure out that they are offended by the nature of the protest with or without the president’s help? Of course, he is going to throw red meat to his base. That’s what politicians from both sides of the political aisle do. Trump may very well be exploiting the controversy, but he did not create it. He has not influenced my thoughts on the matter one iota. I don’t care for the protest, and I am pretty sure that would be my posture with or without our president’s input.

Coach, Michelle, and Coach - Whether the USA adopted the right anthem or not is a matter for debate, but the one we have for now is about a flag surviving a battle from the War of 1812. Can you really not see why I and others might most easily connect the dots so as to conclude that the anthem is about support for the military and allegiance to the flag, and that a protest during the anthem is going to communicate aversion to those themes? (I know that there is a troublesome second stanza to the song, but it is never used.) I am not enraged by the protests as some clearly are. My reaction would probably be even more offensive to the protesters themselves. I think it’s dumb. The dots do not connect. It does not make the statement that I am told it is making. Ever since the Supreme Court gave flag-burning a pass, speech is protected, apparently, no matter how hurtful it is to some or how little sense it makes to others.

Coach, Michelle, and Coach – Do you realize how easy it is to speculate about what ticks in a person’s heart and mind with whom you disagree fiercely? I have some pretty clear thoughts about why the three of you might have said the things you did. In writing this, I agonized over how to articulate those thoughts without sounding snarky and without agitating those that come down on the other side of the anthem issue than me. These theories tend to suggest that I do not trust your ability to think for yourselves, or, that your agendas differ from what you put forth publicly. Then, I had an epiphany. My speculations could only come across as insulting, and since they are only my own uninformed and cranky imaginings, it is probably more useful not to speak them at all.

Coach, Michelle and Coach - It is very unlikely that any of the three of you will ever see this, but I still cannot articulate my idle, know-nothing speculations without offending someone I do know and care about. For the record, these speculations are real “zingers,” if indeed merely zinging one another is what the debates of this age are about. Instead I will only say, “Go Spurs!” We remain on that page together.

My mom and her sister were as far apart politically as two individuals could be. One was a Republican. One was a Democrat. One was liberal. One was quite conservative. My aunt was a Kansas City Chiefs fan. My mom was a Dallas Cowboys fan (I suspect that was more just a matter of being a contrarian as I am not convinced that Mom knew the difference between a quarterback, a switchback, fatback or the band Nickelback). But, I had the sense … in fact, I am quite sure of it … they would always have each other’s back.

Political discourse in America has always been vitriolic. Before the days of the Internet and social media, it was pretty much relegated to the politicians themselves. They would figuratively beat each other to a bloody pulp before accompanying one another to dinner or to the golf course. Now, they never seem to let up on one another. Perhaps, they really do hate each other more than they used to. However, another possibility is that they know that there are more eyes on them than ever before and they are convinced that strident bickering for the agendas of their respective constituencies is what we really expect of them.

I guess my greater point on this Memorial Day is this: Is it even possible that folks these days can disagree on political and social matters without utterly despising each other in the process? If we really love our nation, perhaps, we should consider what we as individuals might be contributing to the ripping asunder of its very fabric. There are causes I am ready to fight over. There are others that I should probably meet with a shrug. From time to time, I have to just step away from learning, ruminating on, and eventually stewing about current events. I figure that if I am a little bit in the dark, that is probably preferable to being in a chronic foul mood.