First of all, who is Five-Deferment Donny to speak about what is proper respect for the flag or the anthem? I mean, look at this shit from April.
The subtle nudge from Melania reminding Trump to put his hand over his heart for the National Anthem pic.twitter.com/iswL9YMVWv
— Lis Power (@LisPower1) April 17, 2017
Or this, from the GOP primaries.
So who's the son of a bitch? pic.twitter.com/UQewWjrz0O
— David Hoffman (@atDavidHoffman) September 23, 2017
In fairness, it could just be senility with Trump, but the bottom line is this guy has NO authority to decide what is proper conduct. And neither do the (overwhelmingly white) armchair warriors who try to claim that the anthem or the US flag is "respect for the troops" 1. If you gave a fuck about the troops you wouldn't elect morons like Trump who would throw us into a random war to make up for his...uhhh... inadequacies. 2. You don't give a damn about "freedom" or "diversity" in what you constantly claim is The Best Country in America.
Your talk of freedom is THE FREEDOM TO IMPOSE YOUR VALUES ONTO OTHERS. You love America if YOU get to set the agenda and morality. But everyone else in this great nation can go to hell, can't they? This comment from one-term fluke Congressman Joe Walsh sums up this white privilege mentality.
If u are a pro athlete and u take a knee during the Anthem cuz u think America is racist, I don't care what color u are, you're ungrateful.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) September 24, 2017
SO much wrong in this statement.
1. You DO care what color the person is. These people have been taking knees because they are not being treated equal due to the color of their skin. Which means America IS racist. And you don't want to think about that unpleasant truth because you don't have to deal with those bad things, and it reminds you of your white privilege.
2. Why are athletes of color supposed to be considered "ungrateful? Making money doesn't mean you are immunized from being given second-class treatment, and it doesn't mean you shouldn't accept second-class treatment. Go ask Seahawks Defensive End Michael Bennett if you don't understand that.
There is also a common theme of those who complain about Trump's disrespect to "shut up and play football." Which to me is completely backwards, and conjures up images in my mind of this sign from the past.
Far too many meatball fans want players to do nothing more than entertain them, and entertain them on their own (mediocre white guy) terms. But when the game ends on Sunday and/or their careers end later on, they couldn't give a flying fuck about those people. It's very much in the "Dance fool, Dance!" type of vein, and maybe athletes playing a violent game at the highest level deserve more than that.
Locally, the Packers have stepped up to the plate, and continued the Lombardian tradition of standing up against inequality and having the backs of their players and other team employees.
Strong statement from the @Packers. pic.twitter.com/d6A60Wn7c8
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 24, 2017
Now that's another reason why the Packers are the REAL America's Team. And if any of you small-minded, symbol-addicted posers want to turn in your tickets because that hurts your snowflake feelings- there's tens of thousands of us that will replace you in a heartbeat. And unlike you, we'll respect the players that represent the Green and Gold on the field.
While I'm cool with guys taking a knee or sitting on the bench during the anthem on their own, it looks like a common theme of what might be done today on NFL sidelines is a locking of arms or taking a knee in team unity. I think that may be the best message of all in light of our "divide and conquer" president trying to pass over injustices being inflicted far too many of our fellow Americans.
Aaron Rodgers just posted this on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/ngpvgmZmCZ
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) September 24, 2017
We can have athletes say things on their own and it serves a purpose in breaking people out of their comfortable cocoons and make some aware that far too many Americans are given second-class treatment. But having all 53 players and the coaches saying "WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND WE ARE ALL TOGETHER IN THIS, AND NONE OF US WILL BE TREATED UNEQUALLY" seems more powerful.
Follow up point- I saw ex-NFL coach and outspoken Trump backer Rex Ryan say today that he found Trump's comments "appalling."
ReplyDeleteOh NOW Trump is appalling, Rex? You didn't care when Drumpf and AM radio was sliming every other group of Americans, but now that he's singling out NFL players that you know, this is a problem? Typical Republican fuck- doesn't give a damn about anything or anyone that they're not personally connected to.
Side note- what it is about white football guys that makes so many of them back a racist Republican Party? Is it some shriveldicked macho poser thing? Is it just a reflection of some of them being small-town rednecks and/or Southern? Either way, given that a majority of their teammates are of color, you'd think these guys would draw a line given how GOPs are constantly treating minorities as 2nd-class citizens. But they don't.
It's a shame that a low-talent sack like Colin can divide this country on something that used to be such a unifying, politics-free zone. Not to mention that the NFL and NBA are some of the most integrated, merit-driven 'workplaces' on Earth. Get better taste in girlfriends, Colin.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it suck when real life has to intrude into athletics, and we have to view athletes as people? Damn, that's so inconvenient.
DeleteActually, the NFL wasn't merit-based for decades. It's why Warren Moon had to start his career in Canada despite winning a Rose Bowl for Washington in the 1970s, and how the league didn't have a black head coach until 30 years ago (Art Shell, hired by "renegade" Al Davis). It's also a league whose owners are overwhelmingly rich white Republican billionaires. Lombardi was truly a mean ahead of his time in the League in more ways than one.
That, and the coverups of players' injuries have made it harder for me to get fired up for games on Sundays. Well, along with the pictures of "yah-hey-dere" Packer fans on broadcasts, which reminds me how simple-minded dopes have allowed this state to go down the tubes in the last 6 1/2 years through their awful voting habits.
In some people's minds, if you point out a problem, you're a problem.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to think of a more respectful protest than simply taking a knee rather than participating in the expected pregame pseudo-patriotic ritual. With giant field-sized flags, fireworks, flyovers, skydivers - it's all become such a pageant. It's a little too much like the old footage of the Soviet military parades or the even more disturbing black and white footage of Nazi torchlight gatherings. I'm not playing Cassandra here - only pointing out that, carried to extremes, patriotism, nationalism and militarism can go to bad places.
I'm with you on the team unity protest notion; it's just sad that the message is getting lost in the medium.
It's frankly shocking to hear people accuse athletes of dividing a nation when the protest centers around pointing out that the nation is in some ways still divided.
The irony is thick in that.
People don't want to have their Bubbles burst, and seeing athletes bring attention to inconvenient truths about white privilege isn't something the average dope wants to deal with.
DeleteOf course, if you look at polls from 55 years ago, the average dope didn't like seeing black people do sit-ins at diners in Jim Crow land. Didn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do, or that it didn't have an effect on changing minds and attitudes.
I also take issue with the Paid Patriotism BS that infects football and baseball (especially) these days. Why is a GD football game a reason to have a 100-yard flag and a flyover, or to sing "God Bless America" in the 7th inning stretch? We don't see that in other forms of entertainment. If these protests get that political crap out if our sports, I'm down with it.