That's Kind of the Point

Protest: (noun): a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something.
Synonyms: objection, complaint, exception, disapproval, challenge, dissent, demurral, remonstration, fuss, outcry.

Some football players have decided to stage a protest during the National Anthem.  It started with one guy, Colin Kaepernick, and has grown to include a few more.  I talked a while back about the free speech aspect of this. But over the past weeks I have noticed that perhaps we need to discuss the basic idea of a protest and what it is and what it is supposed to do.  I may have jumped the shark in discussing constitutional rights and such before establishing the simple nature of why we might want to exercise our right to speak and act.
Let's use nice numbered lists.  First of all, let's define what you can protest:
1. Anything and everything that bothers you

Okay that was a short list, let's now define what would make your protest illegal under our current laws:
1. Violence towards other people.
2. Destruction of property (that does not belong to you).
3. Treason
4. Inciting a riot or the violation of rules 1-3

There may be some other disqualifying acts, however, I'm pretty sure that Kaepernick and those who have joined him are not in violation of any of them.  Now let's look at things that people have found objectionable about protests and think on the idea of whether or not that invalidates the protest:

1. It is offensive to some people: that seems to be the crux of this particular issue. Sitting, raising a fist, or kneeling during the anthem seems disrespectful to a certain segment of the population. Maybe to veterans (though many Vets have supported this particular protest). Maybe to Police, maybe just to everyday patriotic types.  But the fact that a protest offends someone does not invalidate the protest, in fact, it may be a necessary component of a protest to challenge complacency and create awareness, even if it is uncomfortable.
2. Timing: This weekend being the anniversary of 9-11 created a particular firestorm over the players engaged in this protest.  At a time when patriotism was running high, people seemed to want a week off from thinking about all the problems we have among ourselves, but again protesting even now brought back visibility and discussion.
3. Ad Hominem Attacks: This is one of our current favorite rhetorical fallacies.  So much of our public discourse is based around discrediting the person rather than actually addressing the ideas.  It is essentially playground name calling, no matter how well you dress it up.  Example: Trent Dilfer, quarterback turned TV talking guy (who is white, not surprisingly) criticized Colin Kaepernick whose job as a backup QB is to "be quiet and sit in the shadows and "tearing at the fabric of the team"  The argument was that the backup quarterback (something Dilfer actually knows a bit about), is supposed to know their role and shut their mouth.  His critique of Kaepernick was essentially that he was being selfish or self aggrandizing (things that I honestly don't see in Kaepernick very much at all).  Kaepernick responded quite well, as he has done pretty consistently, "To me, he's telling me that my position as a backup QB and being quiet are more important than peoples lives?" As the kids say, "wicked burn."

Look, I'm a protestant, which means that the church I serve and the tradition of faith that I stand in was born because some people: Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, Philip Melancthon, et al found the theology and behavior of the Roman Catholic church to be objectionable, and they started what has become known as the Reformation.  The link between protest and reform is important in this situation as well.  These players are not protesting something silly or something that is really even in much question: we have a problem with race in this country and people are dying because of it. They are not whining about not making enough money, they are not campaigning for better negotiating powers with the league, they are displaying their discontent with a system that is not going to change or reform itself voluntarily.
They have a place in our public awareness because we have given it to them as men who are good at playing a game.They are on TV because we are collectively obsessed with their exploits. If Kaepernick and his fellows were not football players, would we hear them?  No stinking way.
The aim of protest is to challenge us to think about things. Despite all the ways in which we try to let our outrage at their methods wipe away the message, there is evidence that it is actually beginning to get through.  More and more people are hearing it even as critics continue to rant and rave.  It may have even passed a tipping point where reasoned responses to critics allow those not blinded by their rage and fear to maybe open the doors of their mind to something that might just help them grow.