Boebert’s Anger About the Black National Anthem May Be Calculated

Feb 15

Business Insider headline: Rep. Lauren Boebert raged against historic performance of 'Black National Anthem' at the Super Bowl

Maybe “raged” is too strong a word for what happened but Rep. Boebert did seem annoyed, at the least, and possibly disgusted when she tweeted:

“America only has ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Why is the NFL trying to divide us by playing multiple!? Do football, not wokeness.”

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” was written as a poem by the NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900 and used as a rallying cry for Black Americans during the civil-rights movement, reported Mia Jankowicz.

This Communication Intelligence article takes a look at what really could be happening with Rep. Boebert in her upset about a song that means much to many Black Americans — players, coaches, officials, the league office and fans.

“We first have to ask if the anger Lauren Bobert expressed is authentic or manufactured,” says Patty Bates-Ballard, CEO of WordSmooth and the author of “ACE-ing Conflict: Three Steps for Resolving Conflict Across Differences.”

“Anger is a derivative of fear. When we feel angry, it is because a boundary has been violated. Yet underneath our anger is a fear of being harmed. So, Bobert is either motivated by her own fear or she’s trying to spread fear, or both.”

Which one is more likely depends on perspective and accurate analysis. Ballard says signs she sees might provide an answer.

“We can find clues in her recent comments about the U.S. projecting weakness over the Chinese spy balloon and in the weaponization of the term ‘wokeness,’” Ballard says.

She explains what likely could be possible political speech machination or merely Boebert’s personal ideology.

“I see wokeness as a positive, valuable skill that African Americans and others have developed to help identify and remedy injustice,” Ballard says, adding, “Fearmongering is a classic authoritarian strategy that scapegoats a minority group as a boogeyman and then portrays the authoritarian as the strong savior. I’m inclined to believe Bobert’s statement was more about accumulating power than an expression of authentic anger or fear.”

Boebert communicated what she communicated yet could she have, if she cared about impressions and empathy, done so differently and maybe less hurtfully? Ballard says that’s not the point.

“Unfortunately, the comment seems to have been strategically designed to provoke a negative response and to exacerbate polarization,” she concludes.

“But if she truly wanted to communicate without hurting feelings, she could have asked for more information about why the Black National Anthem was originally written and why people continue to feel passionate about singing it even today.”

Choosing to inform and educate herself more could have helped change Boebert’s belief, Ballard asserts.

“She might have studied the beautiful lyrics of the song... But if not, once she had gathered more information, instead of issuing harsh judgments, she could have expressed her genuine feelings and beliefs about the situation.”

Publisher’s Note: Patty Bates-Ballard has also written an article on this particular story — “What’s Really Behind Lauren Boebert’s Super Bowl Tweet.” It’s smart and you can read it here.