Kaepernick Sits for National Anthem

[Ernest Jones]

13 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

Would those actors make more people aware of their issue by wearing a random color ribbon instead of saying something?  Of course not.

Same with Kaep.  The reason people suggest he should have done something differently is just so it would make them easier to ignore what he has to say.  It would be considerably less effective.

Right. Don't make me think about uncomfortable things while I'm trying to watch football. It's unAmerican!

[Groucho Valentine]

#kneelforkaep

[Tee2Trees]

Since Kaepernick claims he is protesting against cops who get away with murder, I wish some reporter had the nerve to ask him which cops and cases he actually has a problem with?  Is he protesting against the federal DOJ and Eric Holder who aquitted Darren Wilson after determining there were numerous lies in the BLM narrative?  Is he protesting against the city of Baltimore Grand Jury who aquitted the Freddy Gray officers after also determining there were numerous lies in the BLM narrative?  Is he protesting the Chcago Grand Jury who sentenced police officer Jason Van Dyke to prison for murder?  Why is our useless media so afraid to ask for specific details about these athletes' self-proclaimed righteous cause?

The the dimwitted suits for ESPN Berman and Young decide they need to credit Kaepernick "for opening up a discussion" for the TV audience.  Well that should include some mention of Tim Brackeen, just the latest police officer murdered by a criminal he was serving a warrant to, shouldn't it?  A perfect example of why criminals often need to get shot by the police and acting indecisively costs them their lives.  Instead, it is a non-story that gets no coverage specifically BECAUSE of the conversation we should be having that Kaepernick's antics have managed to stifle!

[14ledo81]

14 hours ago, Ernest Jones said:

That's what I said. Care more about people and less about symbols. To quote George Carlin, leave that to the "symbol minded."

But how do we show care about people?  By doing something that many (again some that would be sympathetic to the message) consider offensive?

[Ernest Jones]

 

1 hour ago, 14ledo81 said:

But how do we show care about people?  By doing something that many (again some that would be sympathetic to the message) consider offensive?

I wrote several responses, but in the end, if that's a serious question, then none of my possible responses will make a difference. Our sense of priorities simply don't mesh. 

[14ledo81]

12 minutes ago, Ernest Jones said:

 

I wrote several responses, but in the end, if that's a serious question, then none of my possible responses will make a difference. Our sense of priorities simply don't mesh. 

It was a serious question.  Again, this has never been about his cause to me.  He could be protesting for something I firmly agree with, and I still would have an issue with how he is doing it.

 I also think there are enough people that feel that that flag and anthem represent us all.  Good, bad, and ugly, it is something that we can all agree on.  When someone does not want to support it (our nation) they (me) take it as a personal attack.  Maybe he (probably does not) mean it that way, but that is the way it comes off to many.  That is how I see it anyway.

 

[Groucho Valentine]

3 minutes ago, 14ledo81 said:

It was a serious question.  Again, this has never been about his cause to me.  He could be protesting for something I firmly agree with, and I still would have an issue with how he is doing it.

 I also think there are enough people that feel that that flag and anthem represent us all.  Good, bad, and ugly, it is something that we can all agree on.  When someone does not want to support it (our nation) they (me) take it as a personal attack.  Maybe he (probably does not) mean it that way, but that is the way it comes off to many.  That is how I see it anyway.

 

Maybe you shouldn't take a protest from somebody you likely will never meet so personally. 

[Ernest Jones]

12 minutes ago, 14ledo81 said:

It was a serious question.  Again, this has never been about his cause to me.  He could be protesting for something I firmly agree with, and I still would have an issue with how he is doing it.

 I also think there are enough people that feel that that flag and anthem represent us all.  Good, bad, and ugly, it is something that we can all agree on.  When someone does not want to support it (our nation) they (me) take it as a personal attack.  Maybe he (probably does not) mean it that way, but that is the way it comes off to many.  That is how I see it anyway.

 

You and I feel differently about flags.  We place them differently in the hierarchy of what we believe really matters. 

[drmevo]

43 minutes ago, 14ledo81 said:

It was a serious question.  Again, this has never been about his cause to me.  He could be protesting for something I firmly agree with, and I still would have an issue with how he is doing it.

 I also think there are enough people that feel that that flag and anthem represent us all.  Good, bad, and ugly, it is something that we can all agree on.  When someone does not want to support it (our nation) they (me) take it as a personal attack.  Maybe he (probably does not) mean it that way, but that is the way it comes off to many.  That is how I see it anyway.

 

If you figure he probably doesn't mean it that way, then why do you take it that way?

[Gunther]

http://ijr.com/2016/09/692190-the-washington-redskins-make-america-proud-by-holding-the-american-flag-during-national-anthem/

To each his own; I'll take this.

[Golfingdad]

3 hours ago, Ernest Jones said:

Right. Don't make me think about uncomfortable things while I'm trying to watch football. It's unAmerican!

And I read a nice sarcastic quote in another article discussing this situation that is similar to your comment:

Quote

Back when it was announced that Randy Moss would be joining ESPN, some people (me!) were pretty pumped about it. Today's the first Sunday of the new NFL season and already those people (again I'm talking about me!) have been vindicated. During a segment discussing the ongoing Colin Kaepernick protest saga, Trent Dilfer tried to walk a fine, fine line by saying that while he respected Kaepernick's stand and his passion for this important issue, Dilfer didn't respect that he was putting himself above his team. This is a dumb take for a lot of reasons. For one thing, if you actually think the issue is as important as you're claiming it is, then you would recognize that the few minutes of awkwardness around the national anthem is a small price to pay for the awareness that Kaep has been able to bring with his protest. It's also the same kind of anti-distractions at all costs take that keeps homosexual players in the closet while simultaneously enabling domestic abusers to sweep their bad behavior under a rug. It's a view of the game that is toxic and dangerous.

---

1 hour ago, 14ledo81 said:

Maybe he (probably does not) mean it that way, but ... That is how I see it anyway.

As @drmevo pointed out, that doesn't make any sense at all.  You are contradicting yourself here.  You're saying you know what he means, but are taking offense anyway where you know it isn't intended?

Okie dokie.

6 minutes ago, Gunther said:

http://ijr.com/2016/09/692190-the-washington-redskins-make-america-proud-by-holding-the-american-flag-during-national-anthem/

To each his own; I'll take this.

I don't disagree, I think this is nice ... but I cannot help but see the irony, especially in this statement:

Quote

"For three minutes, for us to take our helmet off and stand up and give respect is how we treat it here with the Washington Redskins."

[Fourputt]

On 9/8/2016 at 11:13 AM, DeadMan said:

I believe we started doing the national anthem before games during World War II, as a way to stoke up patriotism.

I'm personally not a huge fan of doing the national anthem before games, because it cheapens patriotism to me. It becomes routine, and it loses its impact.

I disagree strongly.  It serves to remind us of what the flag stands for and the principles upon which the United States was founded.  Without those reminders, most of the country would never see or participate in any real patriotic ritual throughout most of their post school lives.  Really, how often do you see or hear the anthem outside of sporting events?  

[Dave2512]

I don't need a reminder but if that's the point maybe they should encourage those singing it to not turn it into a warbling mess.

[Ernest Jones]

6 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

It serves to remind us of what the flag stands for and the principles upon which the United States was founded. 

Whenever I've been to sporting events it just seems to remind everyone to stand up when they are told to. I doubt many are thinking about anything. 

[Fourputt]

3 hours ago, 14ledo81 said:

But how do we show care about people?  By doing something that many (again some that would be sympathetic to the message) consider offensive?

I agree in part with this.  Respect goes farther than just to a cause.  Respect should be shown to all, and although the flag and anthem seem to be meaningless to some here, they still represent all of us.  Showing disrespect for that shows disrespect for me, and for my neighbor, and for all kinds of folks throughout the US of A.  Even though most probably agree with his cause, we don't react to him in a favorable manner because he has, in effect, done something which resulted in pissing us off at him, not at the perceived injustice of his cause.

2 hours ago, Ernest Jones said:

You and I feel differently about flags.  We place them differently in the hierarchy of what we believe really matters. 

It's not the flag, it's the principles behind it that count, and those principles should be high on everyone's list.  It's those principles that give him the right to protest as he did.  That still doesn't make it the most effective statement he could have made, simply because it caused more discussion about the act itself than it did about the cause he was supposedly espousing.

[Golfingdad]

57 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

... simply because it caused more discussion about the act itself than it did about the cause he was supposedly espousing.

Well that's telling.

[Fourputt]

21 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

Well that's telling.

Hey, he came into the league and he was all about himself, and I don't see any real evidence that he's changed his stripes.  He talks a good line, but I don't see anything else from him aside from sitting on the bench during the anthem.  I take most causes championed by sports figures with a few grains of salt until I see any real signs of passion or compassion.  Talk is cheap.

[drmevo]

3 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

Hey, he came into the league and he was all about himself, and I don't see any real evidence that he's changed his stripes.  He talks a good line, but I don't see anything else from him aside from sitting on the bench during the anthem.  I take most causes championed by sports figures with a few grains of salt until I see any real signs of passion or compassion.  Talk is cheap.

Have you bothered to look?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/colin-kaepernick-announces-million-donation-part-plan-protest/story?id=41822972