Darrell Davis: Equality, anger and being uncomfortable

When people get angry at NFL players for not standing during their American national anthem, I remember I used to get angry at the Francophone, Quebec-based reporters inside Montreal press boxes who didn’t stand for the Canadian national anthem before sporting events.

I asked the reporters why they didn’t respect O Canada. They told me, in English, they didn’t feel like they were part of Canada because Quebec wasn’t being treated like an equal partner. They felt neglected, so they didn’t honour the Canadian anthem.

The Quebec reporters didn’t inflict their views on me and my anger subsided, but it’s still uncomfortable to think Canadians don’t feel like Canadians. Now there are Americans who don’t feel like Americans.

Black NFL players are protesting because minorities aren’t treated equally in their country. They sit, kneel or pray during the Star Spangled Banner. Their white teammates are joining them. There’s lots of anger because nobody likes being uncomfortable.