Assertion-The True Measure of America’s Freedom
The True Measure of America’s Freedom: Sudhir Venkatesh
In this article the author, Sudhir Venkatesh, tells a story about a night that he attended a New York Yankees baseball game. Venkatesh decided that he was going to protest the war in Iraq in a small way, by not standing when the song “God Bless America” was sang at the game. After the song was over, people criticized him, threatened him, and gave him dirty looks. Is it our right to protest something that we feel strongly about?
The 1st amendment of the Constitution clearly states that everyone has the right to protest peacefully. What Venkatesh did was peaceful. He did not harm anyone nor did he insult anyone, he just expressed his views. In no way did he misuse his 1st amendment right. Although Venkatesh had the right to do that, people did not feel that he did.
Those that insulted Venkatesh and threatened him did not look at the other side of the story. One man was offended because his uncle died in the war, and felt that he was dishonoring his uncle. Clearly, Venkatesh did not intend to insult anyone or their families, he just expressed his right and showed his views. All of the people who looked poorly upon him did not take into consideration that it is his right as an American to protest in that manner.
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It may have been his right to sit and not honor the mamories of the fallen at the baseball game, but just like the other people around him didn't look at his side of the protest, neither did he look at their side of the issue before preforming the act. He did not take into comsidration how this would affect the people who were personally affected by the war in Iraq. He only focused on the fact that he thought the war was corrupt and wrong, wihtout plain consideration for those who had loved ones that were currently fighting to maintain his certain right to peacefully protest. One of the facts of the matter is that if you do not take others people views and beliefs into condieration before acting on one of your rights, then you should not deserve that right at all. I am not saying he was abusing the right to protest, he was abusing the thoughts and feelings of others by excersizing that right with neglegence.
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