Bret Stephens, a conservative New York Times columnist, recently lamented in a speech the shortcomings of civics education in the United States.
“Younger Americans seem to have no grasp of what our First Amendment says, much less the kind of speech it protects,’’ Stephens said.
The NFL stepped into the void this past weekend with a civics lesson on free speech with its protests during the national anthem about racial inequality and police violence against African-Americans.
The protests ramped up after Donald Trump criticized the protests, and many Americans agreed with Trump even though America was founded on dissent and sprotesting is part of our way of life.
Critics say protests during the national anthem are not American, but they are very American. The players aren’t showing disrespect, but respect for American ideals.
Continue reading “NFL’s defense of free speech can’t be a short-term thing”