No, they protesting because this country is not upholding the ideals it claims to stand for.
They’re protesting because they respect the country and want it to be what it claims to be.
Protests do not have to be disrespectful. I think part of the problem with Americans today, is that too many of them believe that any disagreement is a hostile act. Kneeling during the National Anthem is respectful disagreement.
If they were out there flipping off or mooning the flag, I’d think you have a point.
Kneeling, though, not so much.
I’ve been part of minutes of silence which involved the whole factory stopping and any who wanted going outside to the street or the factory’s yard to take part in it. “Minutes” because it was more than once, in more than one location.
We weren’t protesting anything political, but still, it was something that was big enough and supported by enough people that the company owners and/or factory managers were in the line with everybody else.
And the fact that so many on the right are spinning a respectful, peaceful protest agianst systematic racism as “disrespecting America” is a large part of the reason those on the right are looked upon as hating black people.
I came in to post just this. I don’t call sitting quietly or kneeling with your hand over your heart to be disrespectful, as long as you’re not being disruptive. Although some might call this disruptive in and of itself, I disagree. And they are exercising their Constitutional rights to peacefully protest in order to redress their grievances, so I don’t see anything unpatriotic in that act.
The reason the right is looked upon this way is because the left makes it their mission in life to demonize their opposition in order to retain voters.
kneeling during the national anthem has nothing to do with football and is not a respectful protest. Trying to spin it politically is the reason Democrats keep losing in the polls.
“…the left makes it their mission in life…” Isn’t that demonizing language?
Right of left; conservative or progressive - the people who are against this sort of thing are saying things like “it IS offensive” or “they** ARE** disrespecting the flag” while the people who are not against it are saying “I am not offended” or “I do not find it disrespectful”
If YOU find it offensive and disrespectful then that is a perfectly valid response for you and others who are like minded; but you don’t get to decide what is and isn’t offensive or disrespectful for everyone. It’s not your (or anyone’s) place to say how others should feel about anything.
I do not find it disrespectful or offensive; and, up until the President had to put in his to cents, I felt it wasn’t very effective either - it was a short lived news story which may or may not have put an albatross around Kaepernick’s neck. Now, of course, it’s a national debate. The Streisand effect writ large!
mc
based on what kaepernick said about it the intent was disrespectful. So I’ll leave you to your goal posts.
What DID he say? And what about it made you feel was disrespectful?
If kneeling is disrespectful why do you do it in church?
“Patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings.” BDylan
You know where they have absolute, 100%, nothing BUT observant respect for the flag? North Korea. Check it out for yourself.
On Aug 27, 2016, Kaepernick said:
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way”
And he choose to sit.
The 49ers had this to say:
. . .“we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem.”
Teammate Eric Reid was thinking along the same lines:
"In early 2016, I began paying attention to reports about the incredible number of unarmed black people being killed by the police. . .I felt furious, hurt and hopeless. I wanted to do something, but didn’t know what or how to do it. All I knew for sure is that I wanted it to be as respectful as possible.
A few weeks later, during preseason, my teammate Colin Kaepernick chose to sit on the bench during the national anthem to protest police brutality. To be honest, I didn’t notice at the time, and neither did the news media. It wasn’t until after our third preseason game on Aug. 26, 2016, that his protest gained national attention, and the backlash against him began.
That’s when my faith moved me to take action. I looked to James 2:17, which states, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” I knew I needed to stand up for what is right.
I approached Colin the Saturday before our next game to discuss how I could get involved with the cause but also how we could make a more powerful and positive impact on the social justice movement. . . . We also discussed how we could use our platform, provided to us by being professional athletes in the N.F.L., to speak for those who are voiceless.
After hours of careful consideration, and even a visit from Nate Boyer, a retired Green Beret and former N.F.L. player, we came to the conclusion that we should kneel, rather than sit, the next day during the anthem as a peaceful protest. We chose to kneel because it’s a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy."
and here’s the clincher:
"It baffles me that our protest is still being misconstrued as disrespectful to the country, flag and military personnel. We chose it because it’s exactly the opposite. It has always been my understanding that the brave men and women who fought and died for our country did so to ensure that we could live in a fair and free society, which includes the right to speak out in protest.
It should go without saying that I love my country and I’m proud to be an American. But, to quote James Baldwin, “exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
Amen
You’re calling your political opponents un-American while insisting that it’s the left that demonizes their opponents?
I don’t have a political opponent. If it were up to me every member of Congress would be in jail for fiduciary malfeasance.
“I don’t have political opponents,” is not logically compatible with, “I want to lock up all the politicians.”
It does when it’s combined with the idea of fiscal responsibility.
Fox will no longer play the National Anthem
If kneeling quietly during the national anthem is disrespectful, it has got to be mega-offensive to not air it all! And heaven forbid they show Viagra commercials during that spot! LAWS NO, PLEASE DON’T SELL NO PECKER PILLS DURING THAT SACRED, TIME-HONORED SPOT!
My prediction: You won’t hear a peep about this from Trump or his supporters. And if you do, they will somehow spin it as a victory rather than an act of cowardice.
(Here’s what I don’t get: If kneeling athletes are the problem, why not pan over the reverent folks in the audience for the entire 2 minute interval? Or just lock the cameras on the waving flag? Not showing it at all accomplishes what exactly? It certainly doesn’t foster more patriotism.)
I’d stand at attention for pecker pills.
Yes, because as we all know, Democrats don’t care about such things.:dubious:
The reason they don’t pan over to the reverent folks in the audience is because they’re booing the athletes and the networks are already losing viewership.
If you feel it doesn’t foster more patriotism then you do in fact understand it’s offensive in the first place.