Upset With Some Fans

[lilproUK98]

[Jload]

I served in military as did 3 uncles, one died at Guadalcanal, another was wounded in Vietnam. We all served our country with the belief we were protecting freedom. The right to peaceful protest is one of the freedoms. That said I find them Dispicable , and ignorant but nowhere does our Constitution say I must approve of how people express themselves. The culture war we have been in for at least 3 decades has spilled into sport , I don’t like that either but again nobody cares what I think. As for wether the portion of our fan base opposing this, is “ on the right side of history “ on this matter goes to the very heart of what ails us as a nation. We areNEVER going to agree on this issue, which is why I wish the team wouldn’t do it, I truely can’t see what good it will do, all it will do is divide people even further.

[KCKUKFan]

Bye.

[Joneslab]

We areNEVER going to agree on this issue, which is why I wish the team wouldn’t do it, I truely can’t see what good it will do, all it will do is divide people even further.

Probably true.

But there's another lens to look at this from, and it's not about the National Anthem. It's about the racial aspect of the thing, which is the whole point of the thing.

My black relatives seem to believe that the world is full of dis-unity anyway. They've never said this to me (nor would they), but just judging by their Facebook posts and so on some seem to believe that white people are either suspicious of them or simply don't like them period.

When that's your belief, you don't really care about unifying people because you likely think there's no way that's going to happen anyway. I don't know how these black players at UK feel but I highly doubt they think they're ever going to get many of these white UK fans to see things from their perspective.

[Matt Dillon]

I don't know how these black players at UK feel but I highly doubt they think they're ever going to get many of these white UK fans to see things from their perspective.

If that's true, Will, and I have no doubt that it is, why do the protest thing, to begin with, and stir up all this anger and bitterness toward the team?

[Joneslab]

If that's true, Will, and I have no doubt that it is, why do the protest thing, to begin with, and stir up all this anger and bitterness toward the team?

As I understand it these protests are more of a way to show solidarity.

But they do often come off a little as trolling.

I think the players know the people who get most incensed are going to get incensed over most any protest. We know that's true; somebody mentioned why don't they just boycott the games. Well, that happened last year in the NBA and some folks got totally ripped. So I think their feeling is to heck with it, let's go the whole way and just shake things completely up.

I don't think protests like this "work" necessarily if the end result is supposed to be unity and finding common ground. But I don't believe that's really the goal.

[Spiritof96]

I was more bothered by the vagueness of the UK protest. "There's a lot of stuff going on." I strikes me as childish play pretend, or teen angst FOMO, rather than an informed, thoughtful, act with a purpose.

Still after last week, maybe everyone needs to take a knee... then while we are at it drop the other knee and stay there a while.

[Joneslab]

I was more bothered by the vagueness of the UK protest. "There's a lot of stuff going on." I strikes me as childish play pretend, or teen angst FOMO, rather than an informed, thoughtful, act with a purpose.

Sarr and Jackson spoke today about why they did it. Sarr spoke a little about growing up in France and the trouble Europe has had with racial violence, and how that informs how he thinks about what's happening in America. Jackson specifically mentioned the situation at the Capitol and the noose hanging on the Capitol grounds.

I didn't read the gallows as racial. Stupid, yes, but not racial. It's interesting that Jackson did and it suggests a stark difference as to how different people see the world so differently.

[Matt Dillon]

Still after last week, maybe everyone needs to take a knee... then while we are at it drop the other knee and stay there a while.

Most definitely.

[Matt Dillon]

I didn't read the gallows as racial.

Nor did I. When I read that, my first thoughts were of Pence and Pelosi.

[Joneslab]

There was a Confederate flag in there. I also read an article where black officers were inecessantly called the n-word by some in the crowd.

And of course there's the fact that many have pointed out had that been a rioting black mob, things would've probably gone differently.

I get feeling outraged if you're a black person watching that the other day.

The question though is whether or not that helplessness is lessened in any way by taking a knee during the National Anthem. I can't quite get on that wavelength...but I'm not black and don't have to live in their skin. I've also never served so I don't "feel" the National Anthem with as much intensity as many veterans do.

[Matt Dillon]

In my opinion, a lot of the protesting, by high school students and college underclassmen, is more an act of emulating someone they look up to (ie: LeBron James) than actually trying to change this country.

[surveyor]

I don't have an issue with these kids doing this. Growing up I bristled at the idea that one had to be prodded, cajoled or coached to say the pledge of allegiance. That seems to be the stuff of Communist countries and dictatorships. If you feel positively about your country, it'll come on its own.

Would any of us criticize people of native American ancestry kneeling or otherwise protesting because they don't believe the ideology represented in the National Anthem represents them? I haven't been in theirs or African Americans' shoes, but I can empathize with where they are coming from.

For those who don't believe the actions in the capitol are unrelated to this "protest", I'd argue that it is every bit related. African Americans voted in record numbers and to many the storming of the capitol over those results is another instance of an attempt to nullify or diminish their votes.

[Dwight Schrute]

If the central tenant of this country is 'with liberty and justice for all' and that doesn't always ring true for a segment of the population (particularly the second part of that phrase), why wouldn't you feel you need to protest the flag of this country?

I think the capitol rampage lay bare how stark the divide is between white and black America.

[Dwight Schrute]

We areNEVER going to agree on this issue, which is why I wish the team wouldn’t do it, I truely can’t see what good it will do, all it will do is divide people even further.

The opposite could be said - that a portion of our fan base is never going to see things from their point of view, so why should they care if you find them divisive?