We Need More Than Awareness

By Sarah Snebold on September 27, 2016

To all of those who feel sickened by things going on in the United States, and the world as a whole, I understand and relate to your frustrations. I applaud you for caring about what is going on in the world around you. I respect anyone who is voicing their concerns and is compelled enough to make a stand.

However, I believe that in this place and time, we need to do more than “raise awareness.”

While I enjoy going onto Facebook and Twitter, to share the ideas and current events I think others should know about, I recognize I need to do more. I am writing to urge you to join me. I also recognize that I am one individual, I am not a high public figure, nor am I this highly impressive and influential person. I do not have the funds or means of lobbying like popular interest groups. But, within these past months, I have mobilized myself, and carried my voice along with others, to create an impact.

Please hear me as I intend: I am in no way condoning a riot as a function of action. Personally, I grow overly frustrated by the amount of people who support or condone violence as a way of protection. Let’s think logically. If an issue you are passionate about has any sort of opposition, perhaps like the Black Lives Matter movement, what you say and do needs to be thought out thoroughly. There must be a rhetoric that addresses the issue in a clear and moving way, but with respect. Yes, considering the frustrations one may feel, this could be very hard to do. But, if someone were talking to you, but in a matter of violence or disrespect, would you even bother to listen?

This is my issue with the Charlotte, North Carolina riot and others, such as what happened in Baltimore and Ferguson. I feel that it is worth noting that those who find themselves in the position of feeling threatened by police, no matter their actions, also typically feel that their voice is ignored and unheard. They feel that there is no other option but to react in a violent protest. Do I condone these actions? No. But, do I understand what state of helplessness and affliction they feel? Yes.

Protest Against Police Brutality [Credit to: By Fibonacci Blue (Flickr: Protest against police brutality) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons]

If you have been watching the news, especially ESPN, over the past month, I am sure you are aware of the platform athletes are taking to voice their concern with police brutality. Although I applaud these athletes in caring enough to use their platform in such a manner, I have been growingly frustrated in their lack of awareness for rhetoric. Public actions and statements undoubtedly create a rhetorical discourse that will then influence the listeners and take on a life of its own. This is so critically important to recognize.

Although controversial actions may amplify your voice, it clouds the message you are attempting to send. The violence from protests will be the central message taken by media, and thus the general public. The actions Kaepernick and others have taken, of sitting/kneeling during the national anthem, have completely blurred the issue they are meaning to bring awareness to. Instead of facilitating a conversation about police brutality, the rhetoric Kaepernick created is about if he “respects our flag” or the military.

On the other hand, Richard Sherman used his press conference this week to talk about police brutality. I think this was a smart move, as it was an action that would be less likely to be seen as controversial or offensive. However, he highlights the other end of the spectrum I initially brought up. He believes that the issue of police brutality is being “ignored” and “needs more awareness.”

At this point in time, awareness is present. It has consumed the media since 2014 or earlier, as a popular talking point. Unless someone has utterly avoided all media since then, most, if not all people, are aware of the controversy over police brutality. Sherman, I applaud you for taking the initiative to use your public platform for an issue you are concerned with. But, we are at the point of needing more. Anyone can stand up and say, “This is not right.” It is much harder to act on this diligently and in a rhetorically conscious matter.

Sherman specifically states, “And so when a guy takes a knee, you can ignore it. You can say, ‘He’s not being patriotic, he’s not honoring the flag.’” You can see the transcript here.

But, this is the issue, Kapernick is not being ignored. He chose a controversial action that masked the issue of police brutality, and instead redirected the discussion to a negative rhetoric.

I am sure I sound overly pessimistic, saying one acts in the wrong way and the other doesn’t do enough. But, as others have proven, it is possible to mobilize voices of a common cause to create a positive discussion and bring about change. An organization I think does this best is The Borgen Project.

This non-profit organization works with innovative methods to fight global poverty. They mobilize individuals throughout the United States to speak to their local congress members regarding particular foreign policy legislation. They have proven this to be effective and efficient, and are successfully making strides toward their goal of urging the United States to do more in this fight (learn more here).

And so, I believe the Borgen Project can stand as an example of ordinary, every day citizens, acting in rhetorically effective ways to bring about change. With this in mind, I urge us all to do so as well. If you feel passionate about a cause, act on it. Call/e-mail/write to your Congress members regularly. Attend town hall meetings. Get involved with the issue at the grassroots. Be in the community, participating with those affected by/working within the issue you care about.

The bottom line is, actions speak louder than words. Be conscious of what you are doing, so then your actions don’t hide the original message. Acting in controversial ways may give you more attention, however ultimately the conversation will be centered on that: the controversy of your actions.

Don’t provide another reason for others to resist your message. But, do act. Be aware, active and passionate. Consider what is going on in your community, state, country and world as a whole. Because ignorance and arrogance are not bliss: they are irresponsible and negligent.

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