Protesting is so much easier than actual work

My freedom to sit through a public performance of the national anthem, without being jailed or executed, is guaranteed and defended by a system which that very anthem symbolizes. I insult a system that gives me the right to insult it. This is the opportunity.

But what is the motive? My protest gives me a nice, warm, self-righteous, sanctimonious feeling. It broadcasts to the world my self-perceived moral superiority when the very system I insult has given me a chance to make millions using my skill set involving a ball! I have not used my money, fame, influence or time to actually do anything positive about the issues which apparently outrage me enough to engage in protest.

Had I volunteered to mobilize those resources in an organized positive way, I may have realized that it is by giving of my time, talent and treasure (rather than by reacting to a symbolic piece of music) that I can produce positive social and political change. But that is hard work; displaying outrage is a lot easier.

But please don’t feel sorry for me. I am rich, famous, and now perched on a higher moral ground than the rest of you.

This story was originally published September 10, 2016 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Protesting is so much easier than actual work."