Stop trying to be the voice of a group of people. They can defend themselves. because all I see is someone defending their position.
You keep saying things like “most people” “this is what they think” …did you do a survey or some statistical analysis here? please provide the data for your independent research.
Again…you do not need to be their voice or defend them unless you are defending yourself.
And here is where the misunderstanding arises.
In police questioning, in traffic stops, a signifigantly disproportional amount of black people are being killed because they are not being given a proportional amount of respect as US citizens by agents of the law.
When people are dying for exactly the wrong unconstitutional reasons, anytime and any venue is acceptable for civilized protest.
What the fuck? How is loudly protesting with signs like “god hates fags” at funerals for dead soldiers to supposedly promote some “religious message” compare with a silent and respectful protest about people being murdered by police, at a football game?
Yup, and for Mr Kaepernick, that space was during the anthem ceremony.
I understand that you are trying to articulate the view that the “space in our lives” to “show respect for the flag and those who have died for us” and the space to “address the issue of police violence” should be separate spaces and that there are some people who feel aggrieved that someone tried to bring one into the other.
I would point out that even as a white European, I can understand how that sentiment must be pretty incomprehensible to many black Americans given that there is apparently no space in their lives where the issue of police violence does not already reach.
…which I see a bunch of people have already pointed out in the time it took me to type this…
I would say he has done a bang-up job of doing just that. See this whole thread/topic. See Trump’s et. al.‘s tweets. See your friends and family members’ discussion about it.
I would also add…
Please by all means show me the LAW that states any and all private citizens must “stop what you are doing and show respect for the flag, country, and thereby the military of this country both living and dead when the national anthem is being played.”
The US Code says should…it does not require it however.
And funny how the US Code also states the flag’s colors and symbol shall not be used as a prop or worn…but those same people who hate Kap kneeling during the anthem seemingly are ok with this…
Exactly. Even @ArchStanton’s example of the car show, where some attendees left their hats on, was a sign of greater disrespect than kneeling.
Which they were convinced of through right-wing propaganda. This interpretation of the protest was started and spread directly from the conservative wing of the GOP and the POTUS himself. It’s not grass-roots; it’s organized political counter-activism.
By embracing and passing along the conservative propaganda, they are showing a lack of critical thinking. And, since the counter-activism message is racist, embracing it represents, at the very least, passive racism.
Well, aren’t you lucky to have such PRIVILEGE to even think like that?
It’s very fucking relevant to everyone who constantly fears for their lives and safety because police officers can and DO kill us at will, and they get away with it scott free. It matters very much to anyone who has ever lost someone they love due to police brutality.
It doesn’t.
Just this morning, I read an article where an 18-year-old black guy was pulled out of the backseat of the car he was riding in and handcuffed. He was coming home from church with his grandmother and her friend, who were both white. The cop claims that a couple flagged him down and told him this kid was robbing the white women.
Despite his grandmother’s protests, he was still put in a police car for several minutes.
I’m a regular reader of The Root on Gawker, and there’s a new article every day about how a black person has been harassed by police simply for existing.
Well, if you believe that the best way to educate those people on the real meaning of his protest is to call them names and impugn their intelligence, then that is absolutely a tactic you should try.
Possibly so. But it is not totally unreasonable to suggest that a protest is more effective if it draws people towards learning about and joining your cause, rather than just angering them about something not really connected to the protest.
It seems pretty closed minded to not even consider that anyone could oppose his method of protest for reasons other than just being an ignorant racist with no critical thinking skills. If you read the letters of Nate Boyer, he admits that his first reaction to the protest was anger and offense, and some of the service members he has spoken with still feel that way, and for reasons that have nothing to do with racism or ignorance.
Honestly, just read Nate Boyer’s letters. An open letter to Colin Kaepernick, from a Green Beret-turned-long snapper
NFL 2017 - Ex-Green Beret Nate Boyer writes open letter to President Donald Trump, Colin Kaepernick, NFL and United States of America - ESPN
He certainly expresses his views better than I ever could, and he has actually sat down with CK to discuss the issue in depth. If you read his words and still believe name calling is the best way to resolve this disconnect, then go for it.
More like definitely.
If it seems “not relevant” to you, that’s likely because you have no skin in the game.
People who are angry about the protests- I just ask you one question- and I beg of you to ask yourself this question and have an honest moment of reflection.
Are you angry about the protests because you think it’s disrespecting of the flag, or are you angry about what is being protested?
These people you speak for, there are OTHER protests by black men that do NOT upset them?
I’m not sure about that. If you consider that it is likely that the people who have embraced the manufactured narrative that the protest is meant to disrespect veterans will not be swayed, then who is one trying to convince? The undecided. And one tactic is to say “it’s stupid to think that it’s about veterans,” since the undecided don’t want to be seen as stupid. Kinda like saying that falling for one of the fake IRS phone scams is stupid. It’s going to make the folks who have already succumbed angry, but it would certainly deter others from falling for it.
I’m not sure this supports your argument well. Nate exercised his critical thinking skills to overcome his emotional reaction and worked towards a solution.
If it’s about the anthem, I have an idea that will resolve the problem. If that’s an inconvenient time and place for a protest of police brutality, then let’s set up a calendar where you and others who feel the same way can schedule 5 minutes to be protested to by an African-American athlete. You can schedule it when it is convenient for you, and once you and [looks at NFL viewership statistics] 100 million other people complete all the appointments, we can cancel the NFL anthem kneeling protests. Sound good?
I suspect that many of the people who are upset might moderate their views if they also had a chance to speak to CK about the issue. But that is unlikely for most, so it has to remain speculation.
I don’t see it that way at all. What I learned about proper respect shown for the flag and during the anthem predates all of this. Many of us were taught that we stand for the flag to show respect for those who have given their lives for the country, a category which goes beyond just the military. I am not sure that too many people will buy the argument that “my pointedly refusing to stand for the anthem has nothing to do with a rejection of the reasons people stand and are respectful”.
Not inconvenient, just inappropriate. Almost any other time and place would be fine. Funerals as well, I suppose, unless you are trying to make a protest statement about the deceased. Probably not in church during mass or the equivalent solemn ceremony in a temple or mosque. Once again, unless you are trying to make a statement about the ceremony or church. If you choose to primarily protest during Shabbat services by removing your yarmulke during prayers, the congregants will probably assume that your protest has something to do with Judaism, or that particular prayer.
A guide to flag etiquette: U.S. Senate: 404 Error Page
Also, the Nike slogan about “sacrificing everything” seems to tie into this. From one perspective, it can almost be seen as satire. Certainly CK has not sacrificed everything. Those we honor by standing have literally made that sacrifice.
