Kaapernick and Not Standing for National Anthem Protest

[TheHuckster]

Indeed you can. That's what's great about living in a country where you have that freedom. Too many, though, think that particular freedom doesn't come with "consequences". That they can almost literally say whatever they want. They don't understand the 1st Amendment.

But what consequences? Fine, some people criticize him for it, and they are free to do so. Problem is, some from that crowd are upset that there aren't "proper" consequences. They want Kapernick and his entire team to be unprotected by the police. They want the NFL to suspend or fine him for his lack of participating in the anthem, and are pissed that they aren't doing it.

But guess what? The NFL is entitled to react to it whichever way they want. They chose to allow it. Quite possibly because they don't actually have a rule anywhere saying they must rise for the anthem. Therefore, had the NFL done anything about it, you bet your ass the players union would declare war on the NFL and commence a legal battle nobody wants to have. And as for the police officers, they have a duty to protect and serve, even if they don't necessarily like the people they're protecting.

Don't like what the players are doing? Make a stink about it, fine. But don't be upset that others aren't making a stink about it and are even supporting it. They're just as free to do what they want.

[mjr]

You'll get no quibble from me, about what you're saying.

[jackfaire]

Nope. There's no law whatsoever that covers the National Anthem. There's a code of conduct, but it's voluntary.

And it is their right. I can still find it hilarious though.

Well unless you're in military uniform. Back in the Army good Forbid you not turn and salute the nearest loudspeaker/flag (the former if the latter wasn't evident) when the national anthem plays.

[Kheldarson]

Well unless you're in military uniform. Back in the Army good Forbid you not turn and salute the nearest loudspeaker/flag (the former if the latter wasn't evident) when the national anthem plays.

True dat. Same goes for military brats too, lol.

[s_stabeler]

well yeah, but that's an employer's prerogative- the point is that it's the Army punishing you in their capacity as your employer, not the Federal Government punishing you in their capacity as the Government.

[jackfaire]

well yeah, but that's an employer's prerogative- the point is that it's the Army punishing you in their capacity as your employer, not the Federal Government punishing you in their capacity as the Government.

Lol I know I was mostly being funny. Typically the National Anthem starts playing about 6AM PT starts at 5. Getting to just stand there for a moment is a nice break before you hit the showers.

I don't think the people saying "this is an attack on our soldiers, our freedoms, etc" Actually believe this protest has anything do with this but they have to rush to convince their followers it does. My step dad has been putting a lot of "what this flag means to me" posts and I had to explain to him what this whole thing is really about.

I feel like they are basically shushing a kid back to bed whose woken up by mommy and daddy fighting.

MOM - "Damn it Bob I want a divorce!!!!"

Little Billy - "Mommy, Daddy, you woke me up did mommy say..."

DAD - "Oh Silly Billy Mommy and me were just arguing over whether you're a baby or a big boy"

Little Billy - "Mean Mommy I am a big boy"

Dad - "Well let's get our big boy back to bed shhhhh shhhhh"


Not a perfect analogy but basically they are trying to do what an old boss of mine did.

"Hey black people watch this Hey white person do our cops just kill you for no reason" "Well no" "See black people our cops don't kill people for no reason so you're just being silly"

It's a tactic used far too often in far too many places take a large group of people who aren't affected by the problem because they don't meet any of the conditions to be affected by the problem and then proclaim if the problem doesn't affect everyone then it doesn't affect anyone.

I am half expecting a media outlet to run a special on "Why black people from around the world aren't afraid of American police so of course you shouldn't be either" while pointedly ignoring that they aren't for the same reason I am not afraid I will fall off the Eiffel Tower this week. Because I am not there.

[Estil]

I'm most suspicious about the timing of his eh, gesture. Why did he just come out of the blue to do this? Did he even say or do anything on social media or whatnot about this issue? It was one thing when those guys at the 1968 Olympics did their Black Power salute, they didn't care about jumping on bandwagons or getting attention or whatnot...they felt they uniquely struck a blow for civil rights. I also feel the same way about Ali willing to have his title stripped and/or going to prison for avoiding the draft...after all why should he be forced to fight against people who "never called him n-word?"

As for that crap about the IOC President (forget the name) insisting politics doesn't belong in the Olympics...he didn't utter a peep regarding all those Nazi salutes at the 1936 games. Now as for Colin and those Saints(?) players doing that don't shoot pose (which was based off the Brown/Wilson incident, and it turned out Officer Wilson was innocent!), I think that was done more to jump on the bandwagon and only did so because they thought it was fashionable. Big difference.

[Kheldarson]

I'm most suspicious about the timing of his eh, gesture. Why did he just come out of the blue to do this? Did he even say or do anything on social media or whatnot about this issue?

All he's said is

"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. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

And he sat for at least one or two games before he was asked about it. That was when he told it was in protest.

So that sounds to me like somebody who came to a personal decision on how they wanted to do things and wasn't going for mass protest. Just personal.

The rest may be jumping on a bandwagon, but that happens in any protest. Doesn't mean that they care any less about the issue or doing it as a fad: just that they weren't going to do something first.

[jackfaire]

I'm most suspicious about the timing of his eh, gesture.

Actually it's not suspicious. Football season just started. He's done this at pre-season games and he didn't say anything about it until he was asked.

And it's not just him this kind of thing happens all of the time all over the country. People protest in small ways without going "OH MY GOD LOOK AT ME LOOK AT WHAT I AM NOT DOING"

A good example is boycotting some people turn it into a movement others yell about it on Yelp but a lot of people just decide "I disagree with you" and stop doing business there. I would be suspicious if he had done a big Twitter thing of "hey everyone I am going to do this" but he didn't.

[mjr]

Actually it's not suspicious. Football season just started. He's done this at pre-season games and he didn't say anything about it until he was asked.

And pro golver Bubba Watson didn't think anything about his replica "General Lee" car having a Confederate battle flag on the roof until...

Well, you get the idea.

[wolfie]

As for that crap about the IOC President (forget the name) insisting politics doesn't belong in the Olympics...he didn't utter a peep regarding all those Nazi salutes at the 1936 games.

One thing that a lot of people fail to note is that the Nazis stole a lot of symbols from other organizations. Before 1933, what people today recognize as the Nazi salute was actually the Olympic salute - and at the opening ceremonies, at least one team hadn't got the message that the salute had taken on a different meaning (they gave the salute as they entered the stadium).

The first group of U.S. soldiers (coming from a base in the Southwest) to be sent to Britain during WW2 faced a mad scramble shortly before embarkation to get their unit patches replaced. The original patch included a Navajo good-luck symbol (the second most commonly used symbol among cultures worldwide, with the sun being the most common) which would not have gone over very well with the British. If this had been a deployment in WW1, there would have been no problem regarding the symbol in question.

[jackfaire]

And pro golver Bubba Watson didn't think anything about his replica "General Lee" car having a Confederate battle flag on the roof until...

Well, you get the idea.

Exactly! See if Kapernick was trying to make a big deal he would have done something loud and obvious like driving the General Lee that gets noticed right away instead of the Kneeling protest that goes by a couple of games before anyone catches on.

[s_stabeler]

And pro golver Bubba Watson didn't think anything about his replica "General Lee" car having a Confederate battle flag on the roof until...

Well, you get the idea.

Considering the actual on-screen car has the Confederate Battle Flag on the roof as well, IIRC, then this is one situation where it probably isn't a big deal, since I put it under the same category as someone owning nazi memorabilia that has nazi symbols on it. the flag- in this case- has a legitimate reason other than to show any form of agreement with the historic Confederacy.

[Estil]

And no one on that entire show (Dukes of Hazzard) had a racist bone in their body.