Missed the edit window. Let me expand on that a bit:
Even with this particular act, on could argue that what CK did was either respectful or disrespectful depending on what you you are focusing on:
He is showing respect for the individuals who suffer injustice at the hands of the police
He is showing respect for what he thinks this country ought to be.
He is showing disrespect for the system that allows injustice to continue.
He is showing disrespect for the ritual of standing for the singing of the national anthem (and you might argue that the disrespect he is showing is justified and a good thing).
Saying that kneeling always is an act of respect flies in the face of everything we know about how communication works.
And stating that it was obviously disrespectful was nothing but propaganda, seized upon and promoted by those who opposed black players and/or they worthy cause they supported.
That first part is simply not true, but even if it were, that would not preclude the act actually being used as a sign of disrespect. Bad used to always* mean bad until people started using it to mean good.
*probably not true either, but used for illustrative purposes only.
You are certainly welcome to show examples where going down on one knee with head bowed was considered a sign of disrespect, to counteract the many examples I have shown it to be a sign of reverence and respect.
I see it as an effort to* respectfully* protest. There are all manner of gestures that could have been employed to clearly show disrespect, and they were not used.
Who decided that standing was the sole mode of respect? Who decided that this unsingable song demands the same respect as a flag? Who is empowered to make that decision? Rich guys who can afford really expensive toys? Sanctified by the power of the Dollar Almighty?
A football game is a commercial event, an entertainment where young men crush each others brains. For money. Who gets to say that they will play this music, then this event is suddenly a patriotic demonstration? That its not about selling Budweiser? Play the magic music and its transformed from tinsel and rhinestones into solemn allegiance? If they played “Amazing Grace” it would be elevated to a religious experience?
If I were in a strip club, as I have never been and most likely won’t…and the stage lights up before the show begins and someone announces “Ladies and gentlemen, our national anthem” then suddenly, magically I am in a solemn ritual of patriotic allegiance?
You, sirrah, obviously never watched porn back in the days immediately after Miller v California.
*Obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment and thus can be regulated by the state. However, the state must conform to the three-part test of Miller v. California:
Whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest;
Whether the work depicts or describes, in an offensive way, sexual conduct or excretory functions, specifically defined by applicable state law; and
Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.[13]*
Porn not only had the anthem played, they displayed flags and had the actors pledge allegiance to same. Whilst fornicating.
Post #388? You are also welcome to come up with examples where bending one knee and bowing one’s head is taken to be a sign of disrespect to counteract all that I have posted that shows it is a sign of reverence and respect. You can say that it is a sign of disrespect until the Mighty Mississippi dries up, but that is just yackity-yack unless you’ve got actual examples to show us.
You would think that “a country that oppresses black people and people of color” is a greater sign of disrespect than quietly going down on one knee and bowing your head.
At least I would think that-How about you?
The claim was, kneeling “has always been a sign of respect”, which I said was not true. A person might kneel to beg for his life if he is about to be murdered, but that is not a sign of respect. Kneeling can show respect, but it can also show fear. It does’t “always” show respect.
And I never said that kneeling, in and of itself, was showing disrespect. I said it was context dependent like all communication.
I posted the words spoken by the person starting this. It’s standard protocol to stand during the national anthem. These 2 are facts and not open for debate. kneeling is not standard protocol for the national anthem. It is a deviation from this protocol and as stated was a sign of protest showing a lack of pride.
If you want a picture of Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem you can look it up yourself.
Then they’re going to face the same issue in Minnesota, since;
Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority
The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, the successor organization to the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, is the entity created in 2012 by the Minnesota Legislature to control and operate U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Three of its five members are appointed by the governor, with the remaining two being appointed by the mayor of Minneapolis.
Wait, is the NFL being fair here? You see each helmet has the American flag on it. For those who object, helmets should be optional. Then maybe the other players could knock some sense into them.
Players have days off. No one is paying to watch some uniformed jock take a knee. The anthem and flag means something to at least half the population. If a player wants to protest, why not do it on an off day, say in front of a police station. I think they’d get better coverage.
I wouldn’t recommend holding your breath, since I never claimed it was (see post 387). It may have, and it may not have. That does not affect whether this act, in context, can be considered disrespectful.
Besides, whether something is “respectful” or “disrespectful” is largely subjective anyway. There is no respectometer you can take a measurement from.