I haven’t watched any football games this season or last. Not because of protests, but for two purely non-political reasons. Both the Giants and the Jets suck. And, I have a 6-year old and a 12-year old, and I don’t get much TV control. I would rather watch Sponge Bob with them than Eli Manning by myself.
The protest started a little over a year ago when Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the national anthem, his explanation was, “I refuse to honor the flag of a country that oppresses it blacks and minorities.”
OK, that’s pretty straightforward. His belief is that the USA is a nation of racists. I can understand that. If I sincerely believed that I were living in a country comprised of 300 million racists I would refuse to honor that flag also. Although I would probably stand, but do so with hand raised and middle finger extended. That is a horrible country. However, I don’t agree with Mr. Kaepernick or his opinion of my country.
Kaepernick walked back his statements over the next few weeks and decided that he was really protesting against police brutality against blacks. He claimed that he loved his country, although he made that claim while wearing a Fidel Castro tee. Fidel was the oppressor-in-chief for 50 years in Cuba, so this certainly confused the message. He also wore socks depicting police as pigs, which, I guess, was to emphasize how he was refocusing his protest.
Over the past week, hundreds of NFL players, “took a knee” during the playing of the anthem, coaches of Peewee Football teams are forcing their 8-year-old players to kneel and turn their backs on the flag when the anthem is played, and the entire faculty and many students of the Georgetown University School of Law posed for a photo-op “taking a knee” to protest Jeff Sessions speech promoting free speech, so the protest has grown from protecting rights of some while eliminating the rights of others.
The left immediately applauded the heroics of not only the players, coaches, students and faculty, but also the owners, for standing against something or other. The only message that I received was that one side is protesting against the flag and the national anthem although the purpose is still not clear. What is the protest against?
The other side, the right, sees this protest as disrespectful of the flag, the country, the military, the veterans, motherhood and everything that is good and holy. Clearly there is not a meeting of the minds.
Stop reading this and do a Google search of, “Why are the NFL players protesting the national anthem?”
There are dozens, perhaps hundreds of opinion journalists who offer “The Real Reason that the NFL Players are Protesting the National Anthem.” Each one has their opinion of why this is taking place, why they are doing it and what it means and doesn’t mean? Actually, they are all wrong and, in my opinion, rather pompous and arrogant, as no one really knows the “Real Reason” because perhaps there are many, and perhaps there are none.
Those on the left, attribute it as a protest against nearly every liberal point and the perceived bigotry, racism, homophobia, LGBTQ2DR-phobia etc., etc., and of course, fascism.
Some on the right, such as myself, admit that they don’t understand it. To me, if this is actually about police brutality why then is no one talking about police brutality? Add to that that nobody is out there supporting police brutality. Bizarre.
And why the flag and the national anthem, symbols of America and all Americans? Seems like some form of referred anger. It is like a guy punching his wife in the nose because he is mad at his boss.
Does anyone on the left have any comments? This is really one of those issues that I sincerely don’t understand.
Why is the protest taking place? Are we a nation of racists as Kaepernick believes? And, why is refusing to stand for the national anthem an appropriate form of protest against (_______________) fill in the blank?