He did not have to say it. The standing part was about that long before he was born. I am not saying his reasons are not valid, either.
My whole point here is that he chose his vehicle of protest poorly, assuming he wants people to be sympathetic to his cause.
It is not a great comparison, but I am reminded of the Westboro protests at military funerals. They have some kind of religious message, but nobody cares what it is. They cannot get past the idea that the time and place of their protest is offensive. Of course I suspect just making people angry at them is part of their goal. Like I said, not a great comparison.
But if you decide to protest at a ceremony already strongly associated with memorializing the sacrifice of military KIAs, It is reasonable to assume that you are protesting, at some level, what everyone else is standing for.
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When the fuck did football games become military funerals
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How the fuck is that Colin Kaepernick’s fault
And while we’re at it, and forgive me if I’m echoing here,
- When did kneeling - kneeling, for Christ’s sake - become some kind of display of flagrant disrespect?
No, electing a fascist to the White House was ridiculous. Having the national anthem and standing for the flag before every sports event is also ridiculous, save it for international games like most of the rest of the world.
For some, I suppose, but far from everyone. I’ve been to my share of sporting events over my life and it’s only been in the last 15 years or less that it “co-incidentally” became about honouring the troops, then about memorialising the KIA, and then a “ceremony” (which you’re now further equating with a military funeral).
Most people over age 30, including veterans, are old enough to remember a time when we thought the last words to the anthem were “play ball!” and when we didn’t live in a society that made everything about militarism in order to help us swallow a war of choice started on false pretexts.
If people want to treat part of a day out at the stadium as a solemn ceremony (apparently one when where hawkers are selling hot dogs and participants wearing the flag as apparel or using it as a blanket are acceptable to them) that’s their business. However, they also have to accept that many people (again, including veterans) at best see it as a brief expression of patriotism before the game. And there are few things more patriotic in America than protest.
I read through this thread and want to simply say this directly and forthright…
- FORCED Patriotism IS fascism.
- I am a soldier, and kneeling before the flag is NOT disrespecting my sacrifice. Assholes who did not serve in uniform can shut the fuck up and stop speaking for me. I can do that just fine on my own.
- Kap knelt BECAUSE he spoke to and listened to a soldier, more specifically a RET USAR Special Forces.
And lastly and most importantly…when I see someone burning their sneakers in protest to Nike having Kap in their advertising I think two things…1) it is their right to do so and I have no issues with it. 2) They are fucking morons. That is not stereotyping, it is deductive reasoning. I enjoyed Binging with Babish to no end and supported all his endeavors, until he posted imagery glorifying gun culture and gun violence. I unfollowed him on all platforms, told him why, got trolled by his followers and called a pussy, a bleeding heart liberal, etc etc. I didn’t go out and burn his cook book that I own. I will most likely donate it to the library where someone else may get use from it or bring it to a used book store where they can potentially make a small profit from it. But setting it ablaze is just plain fucking stupid. And those that do that shit are idiots.
Not to mention that playing the anthem before football games is explicitly military marketing.
Yes it is. And I for one HATE it. Serving in uniform should not be about getting a pat on the back or having public support.
You know it was a former Green Beret that suggested he take a knee in the first place, right?
A green beret? How have they ever served their country? /s
With stylish headgear, natch.
I always preferred the more traditional uniform…
Just another out-of-touch Coastal liberal elite who doesn’t understand the concerns of Real Americans™ in the Heartland and who’s never actually met a veteran. Probably a regular reader of BoingBoing.
That is one of the most disingenuous bullshit false equivalencies that I’ve seen on this site in quite some time.
It is not the game. It is just the anthem, which is essentially a “colors” ceremony. I am not even claiming that the anthem should be part of the game. It has apparently not always been so.
True and agreed. I know that Nate Boyer convinced him that kneeling was less offensive than sitting.
I also think that burning shoes that you have paid for is stupid.
All I have done in this conversation is try to translate why I believe a large number of people are very upset at his method of protest. Convincing me of the nobility of his actions will not change their minds. Probably a lot of people with strong opinions about this issue have completely different reasons for feeling the way they do. I have quite a few friends and family who oppose his protest for the reasons I have tried to describe. Most of them are combat veterans. Some are people who have lost a family member in combat. About two weeks ago, I sat in a discussion they were having on this particular issue. Not the shoe thing, yet, but the protest.
So I guess I should finish with this: The reaction to the protest that I have tried to describe is based on listening to people I know very well, translated through my own experiences as a combat veteran who grew up in a military family. It is my personal belief that the same reasoning applies for many of those people who oppose CK’s protest. There are certainly lots of people who have completely different reasoning behind their beliefs. Doubtless some are racists. or hypocrites, or just want attention.
I just think it is wrong to state that everyone upset at his method of protest is a “halfwit”, or racist,
That is what I am trying to address. The reaction is not about why he is protesting. It is how he is protesting. In the view of a large number of Americans, that one minute when the anthem plays is supposed to be a time when we stop what we are doing, set aside our differences, and show some respect. Then we can “play ball” or whatever. CK would like to turn the playing of the anthem into the time when we reflect on police violence.
But that is pretty unlikely to happen, at least in the short term. There is space in our lives to both show respect for the flag and those who have died for us, and to address the issue of police violence.
I only make the comparison in the respect that most people are never going to get past the fact that it is the wrong time and place for that protest, so whatever they are actually protesting about becomes irrelevant.
For the people angry about CK’s protest, there is literally never a good time, place, or manner for black people to protest anything.
