Right vs. Right
From the Cheap Seats
by Chris Hahn
Does having the right to do something mean that doing it is the right thing? This question, integral in the debate of American life, was brought into the sports spotlight this week by Toni Smith. Smith is a senior on the Manhattansville women’s basketball team. However, what makes her newsworthy is that she refuses to face the American flag during the playing of the national anthem.
Smith’s reason for turning her back on the flag during pre-game ceremonies is to protest the inequities of the United States and the unfairness that exists within this country’s borders. When asked in interviews about living in this country, she responds by essentially saying it’s not great, but it does for now. Even though she admits there are many other places that would be worse, America is just OK and not much more.
There are really two pieces to the debate this story raises. The first, however, is straightforward. Does Smith have the right to continue doing what she has been? As a citizen of the United States of America, she absolutely does. That freedom is what our nation is based on, and whether we like what she is doing or not we should acknowledge her right to do it. But whether her actions are the right ones to take is the more volatile piece, and plenty of demonstrating proponents on both sides have shown that there is very little grey area for opinions on the question: Is Toni Smith right in what she is doing?
The American flag stands for a lot more than the politics of the country. Ironically, it stands for the freedom not to have to face it during the national anthem. More importantly, considering the uncertainty in the Middle East, it also stands for hundreds of thousands of soldiers that died to keep that freedom associated with the flag. The truth of the matter is that there are few countries where she would even be allowed to take such a stance.
By turning her back on the flag, Smith isn’t doing anything to actively help correct the problems she sees in the system. Furthermore, she is upsetting and insulting a large population of people that have been and could be important in the efforts to make change occur. Although there are plenty of things Smith could do in attempt to influence change, she is taking the easy road. She can grab attention and publicity by doing something ridiculous while never really attempting to help America improve. Working at solving the problem would be too much work. Even worse, it may happen, and then she would have no reason to ignore the flag and therefore no more publicity.
Unfortunately, I must admit that even writing this article makes me part of the problem, since it gives her the attention she is looking to get because of her actions. Therefore, as soon as I have typed the last period in this paragraph, I’m not going to talk about this again. The best way to get Toni Smith to realize she is putting her rights to the wrong use is for us to turn our backs on her story.