As football season rolls in, I’m reminded of how strongly people felt, on both sides, when some NFL players took a knee during the national anthem. I remember the feelings and opinions being so intense that it ruined friendships, dominated social media and gave the impression that these highly paid athletes, mostly Black men, were unpatriotic.
I have a different view of that.
Back home in New York, you can ride the subway two inches away from people struggling with severe mental health issues. Ride the train long enough, and you’d likely see someone urinating or defecating in the stairwells. Some of those people would walk the dangerous tracks, flirting with death by electrocution or being struck by a train. You’d see the homeless people asleep, with pungent body odor, sometimes talking to themselves. And the levels of violence vary. After some time, any New Yorker would tell you that they’ve become accustomed to and even indifferent to a mental health system that seems to be failing and social workers who are overwhelmed.
