Education:The Sociopolitical Atmosphere
Starting as a quarterback his freshman year of college, as the first to rush 181 yards and pass for more than 10,000 yards and after landing multiple winning touchdowns for the 49ers, Collin Kaepernick let the world know how talented he is and how passionate he is about playing football. An action of his on the football field has led the media and several NFL officials to place him under a different, more political lense and scrutiny. Kaepernick protested against systematic institutional oppression of minorities. Protesting is a form of speech that is protected under the Constitution’s First Amendment. Kaepernick’s gesture sparked much debate from the ideological left and right and gained an enormous amount of negative criticism and backlash. The current president of the United States, himself, won the 2016 election by furthering that same institutional oppression by slandering, stereotyping, and dangerously offending minorities of color. Speech in its different forms, be it expressing one’s opinions on social media or on the field, has been a hot topic in the United States. But why has negative speech of those such as Donald J. Trump, most Fox News anchors and public figures such as Katie Hopkins, Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos been normalized, funded, and supported? Any publicity they make is at the expense of marginalized groups who lack average privileges, and media coverage, which increases the social injustice gaps.
The recent election and news cycles have led to a political spillage, making those who were not necessarily active or involved with politics understand how political decisions take effect in our daily lives. In light of the tensions yielded from discourses about the most recent election and First Amendment discussions, institutions that set societal standards and norms, such as higher education institutions, should be geared towards limiting hate speech alongside encouraging speech from marginalized groups. One’s voice can go a long way and a well functioning democratic society must encourage equal, tolerant engagement based on speech, at least at the educational level. Allowing hate speech on college campus grounds increases violence and disrupts what is an educational and united community that results in emotional exhaustion and fear, and any university should have a code protecting students from such turbulence. There should be an existing atmosphere where the sacristy of academics is respected and where students can maximize their learning experience.
The 49er quarterback Kaepernick refused to stand during the playing of the national anthem before a game as a sign of protest against wrongdoings done against African Americans and other minorities in the United States. He was the second to do so after NBA player, Mohamed Abdul-Rauf, did so and there were many others to follow. From high school football players, to cheerleaders, hockey players and even members of the audience, the sitting down or taking a knee during the playing of the anthem has been deemed a controversial use of platform. Each time, the backlash would be more than harmful to each individual’s life. Kaepernick is still blacklisted and remains unemployed by the NFL. Folks that took a knee or did not stand in a public setting get harassed and attacked for doing so. Meanwhile, the leader of the free world and current world superpower won the Presidential Election on platforms targeting minority communities and promising legislation built on prejudice and its reinforcement in institutions.
When folks protest, they are faced with heavy repercussion, when they do not, they are accused of being lazy and inactive in society. People of color lack representation and are rarely listened to. They are, however, spoken about, scapegoated and unfairly prosecuted often for just existing. To accept, normalize and intertwine hate speech and its preachers within educational premises is offensive to the people it targets and tarnishes the sanctity of education as a whole. It is a duty of each educational institution to not only boycott such figures and ideologies, but also condemn each individual who supports such divisive and problematic mindsets. The pursuit of education should humble a person and enlighten them enough to understand human connection and appreciate, respect and help the lives of others when possible, not the other way around.
