The Anthem

[BigSqwert]

The ad on the site blocked the title and says "Colin Kaepernick to donate $1 to charities that aid communities".

 

Hey, every dollar counts.

[Bananarchy]

Playing it at every single sporting event, every single day is a slap in the face to the meaning of the song.

 

It gets routine and loses some of its meaning after awhile.

That's the crux of it. We as a country need to learn the difference between Patriotism and Nationalism. Patriotism is significantly more meaningful. Playing a song during which a crowd in made to stand is Nationalism. A standing ovation for an honored veteran is Patriotism. Taking a knee in protest is patriotism. Revealing that your government of the people, by the people, and for the people is trampling on the rights of its people is patriotism.

 

Besides, the National Anthem has no real meaning. It's a crap stanza that ends in a question mark with a tune from Great Britain. American, The Beautiful should be the national anthem anyway.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Deadpool

[greg775]

Read this and tell me you support Colin. I know. I know. It's made up. It's not true. This story is made up by the media. Blame the messenger, Colin is a hero.

 

http://conservativetribune.com/cop-shot-mi...nds-kaepernick/

[DrunkBomber]

You dont have to support him but its wrong to not support his right to protest.

[Brian]

I'm fine with his peaceful protest but he lost me with the socks.

[Rowand44]

I've seen quite the opposite and I haven't been looking for any information on this story.

There's been both.

[Quin]

There's been both.

 

All depends on which echo chamber FB gives you.

[greg775]

Colin said to USA Today:

 

"The media painted this as I’m anti-American, anti-men-and-women of the military and that’s not the case at all,’’ Kaepernick said after playing the first half of the 49ers’ 31-21 victory over the Chargers. “I realize that men and women of the military go out and sacrifice their lives and put themselves in harm’s way for my freedom of speech and my freedoms in this country and my freedom to take a seat or take a knee so I have the utmost respect for them.

“I think what I did was taken out of context and spun a different way.’’

 

 

That's cause in Colin's initial statement he said NOTHING positive at all about anybody, just about the cops killing minorities. He said nothing about the military for a long time.

At any rate, sports teams should stop playing the anthem at games. Our country is so divided now, we ought to just make the Anthem as P.C. as everything else and stop playing it. Colin has kind of ruined the experience so just play the theme song from Benny Hill show instead. No more anthem.

Or to be really P.C., just have a haters group of the week come out and complain about the USA for a few minutes, then play ball.

Edited September 3, 2016 by greg775

[Quin]

Colin said to USA Today:

 

"The media painted this as I’m anti-American, anti-men-and-women of the military and that’s not the case at all,’’ Kaepernick said after playing the first half of the 49ers’ 31-21 victory over the Chargers. “I realize that men and women of the military go out and sacrifice their lives and put themselves in harm’s way for my freedom of speech and my freedoms in this country and my freedom to take a seat or take a knee so I have the utmost respect for them.

“I think what I did was taken out of context and spun a different way.’’

 

 

That's cause in Colin's initial statement he said NOTHING positive at all about anybody, just about the cops killing minorities. He said nothing about the military for a long time.

At any rate, sports teams should stop playing the anthem at games. Our country is so divided now, we ought to just make the Anthem as P.C. as everything else and stop playing it. Colin has kind of ruined the experience so just play the theme song from Benny Hill show instead. No more anthem.

Or to be really P.C., just have a haters group of the week come out and complain about the USA for a few minutes, then play ball.

 

OK Kap. Blame the media, because it's not like The Media™ is made up of thousands with views across the political spectrum.

[harkness99]

I'm fine with his peaceful protest but he lost me with the socks.

 

Yes this is me also.

 

I hate political correctness and censorship and I am a big believer in freedom of speech, although ugly things can come from it, is incredibly important.

 

Standing at attention the flag is really almost some type of thoughtless, action by many people in the stands. Most likely thinking about if they want to buy nachos or beer after its over.

In certain moments, during certain times the anthem can be quite emotional.

 

The problem with not standing to the flag because of injustice that you feel or see - it's too much of a generalization, and it really doesn't do anything to change the status quo.

 

Sure there are bad things about the US, but there are also many great things. So when you kind of say F*** you flag" you aren't really making any sense.

 

Basically its just a symbolic contradiction.

 

 

I love the "now its got people talking" line. As if that really means anything. I've had so many conversations about police/racism issues of the past couple years.

What he did changes absolutely nothing on a broad spectrum.

 

I'm a teacher and I remember having a conversation with a young black student. He was basically condemning police officers and doing much of what CK was doing.

We had a pretty good discussion about prejudice and how judging anyone, a black man or a police officer, before you know them or their actions, is prejudice. Everyone needs to be treated on their own merit and not lumped

in some big pile of ideology.

 

He understood what I mean't and most kids do.

 

Then sports figures go out and wear socks with pigs on them. It's his right. But that does nothing productive... especially for kids that look at these athletes as who they want to be.

Edited September 3, 2016 by harkness

[greg775]

Yes this is me also.

 

I hate political correctness and censorship and I am a big believer in freedom of speech, although ugly things can come from it, is incredibly important.

 

Standing at attention the flag is really almost some type of thoughtless, action by many people in the stands. Most likely thinking about if they want to buy nachos or beer after its over.

In certain moments, during certain times the anthem can be quite emotional.

 

The problem with not standing to the flag because of injustice that you feel or see - it's too much of a generalization, and it really doesn't do anything to change the status quo.

 

Sure there are bad things about the US, but there are also many great things. So when you kind of say F*** you flag" you aren't really making any sense.

 

Basically its just a symbolic contradiction.

 

 

I love the "now its got people talking" line. As if that really means anything. I've had so many conversations about police/racism issues of the past couple years.

What he did changes absolutely nothing on a broad spectrum.

 

I'm a teacher and I remember having a conversation with a young black student. He was basically condemning police officers and doing much of what CK was doing.

We had a pretty good discussion about prejudice and how judging anyone, a black man or a police officer, before you know them or their actions, is prejudice. Everyone needs to be treated on their own merit and not lumped

in some big pile of ideology.

 

He understood what I mean't and most kids do.

 

Then sports figures go out and wear socks with pigs on them. It's his right. But that does nothing productive... especially for kids that look at these athletes as who they want to be.

 

He's not that good a player. I'd release him and let some other organization deal with his distraction. Last time I looked this was a "team sport" and he has grasped all the attention on that team. Good luck to them winning anything of note this season.

[Y2Jimmy0]

He's not that good a player. I'd release him and let some other organization deal with his distraction. Last time I looked this was a "team sport" and he has grasped all the attention on that team. Good luck to them winning anything of note this season.

 

 

The Niners will probably be 3-13. That has nothing to do with who sits or stands for the National Anthem though. He can do whatever he wants. I don't care. Stand. Don't stand. Whatever. It did a good job of exposing stupid people on the internet and stupid people that I encounter on a daily basis though. Where is the Josh Brown thread? Oh wait there isn't one.

[Balta1701]

White people: "Black people should protest peacefully!"

*Black person sits quietly during national anthem*

White people: "No not like that."

— Charlotte. (@charlotteirene8) August 31, 2016

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8">

[lostfan]

The oath of enlistment I took said "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same..."

 

The words in that oath are specific. The allegiance is to the Constitution, which at least in theory guarantees peoples' rights and certain freedoms, not your ideas about what you want it to mean. I don't have to necessarily like or agree with what people do with that freedom so long as nobody else is being directly harmed by it. Nowhere in that oath did I swear to defend a flag. Or a song. The symbols mean absolutely nothing to me without belief in the ideas behind the symbols. Beware anyone who shows blind loyalty to symbols but completely ignores the meaning behind them.

 

I didn't just stop believing this because I was discharged from active duty, so if we are going to talk about who is disrespecting me because I'm a veteran, I feel much more disrespected by you, if you fail to understand this and instead use me (to you, a faceless entity and not one of a diverse group of people) as a buffer for your own views. Stop patronizing me and pretending to be offended on my behalf.

 

Besides, I didn't join the military so everybody can think, believe, and behave exactly how I want them to. That's fascism, and I'm not a fascist. Maybe you are, if you thought that's what it was about.

[Quin]

The oath of enlistment I took said "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same..."

 

The words in that oath are specific. The allegiance is to the Constitution, which at least in theory guarantees peoples' rights and certain freedoms, not your ideas about what you want it to mean. I don't have to necessarily like or agree with what people do with that freedom so long as nobody else is being directly harmed by it. Nowhere in that oath did I swear to defend a flag. Or a song. The symbols mean absolutely nothing to me without belief in the ideas behind the symbols. Beware anyone who shows blind loyalty to symbols but completely ignores the meaning behind them.

 

I didn't just stop believing this because I was discharged from active duty, so if we are going to talk about who is disrespecting me because I'm a veteran, I feel much more disrespected by you, if you fail to understand this and instead use me (to you, a faceless entity and not one of a diverse group of people) as a buffer for your own views. Stop patronizing me and pretending to be offended on my behalf.

 

Besides, I didn't join the military so everybody can think, believe, and behave exactly how I want them to. That's fascism, and I'm not a fascist. Maybe you are, if you thought that's what it was about.

 

[DrunkBomber]

The more I think about it this really is a brilliant way to protest. There's some merit to what some people joked about in here where when people burn cities down we chastise them and are so appalled that they cant protest peacefully and then when they kneel during the anthem we still bite their heads off. Its also something that pisses a lot of people off so it will keep their message in the news and is gaining some steam as athletes in other sports and on other teams are doing it now too.

 

I still dont know what else it can do besides raise awareness but its a peaceful message on an important topic. Id also imagine it doesnt offend people in the military because they are fighting for his freedom to protest.

[greg775]

The more I think about it this really is a brilliant way to protest. There's some merit to what some people joked about in here where when people burn cities down we chastise them and are so appalled that they cant protest peacefully and then when they kneel during the anthem we still bite their heads off. Its also something that pisses a lot of people off so it will keep their message in the news and is gaining some steam as athletes in other sports and on other teams are doing it now too.

 

I still dont know what else it can do besides raise awareness but its a peaceful message on an important topic. Id also imagine it doesnt offend people in the military because they are fighting for his freedom to protest.

It's a horrible way to protest. Some talk show last night discussed this and a couple military guys called in and are furious. They've had buddies die in war. Why would you imagine it doesn't offend military people when so much of their daily routine involves the flag? There's so much respect toward the anthem and flag. My opinion is Colin is a punk for doing this. That's my personal take and as far as sports it's about the most selfish thing he could do to a team, thrust all the attention on himself. Disgraceful.

Edited September 9, 2016 by greg775

[StrangeSox]

stop listening to talk radio

[DrunkBomber]

Your reaction is why its brilliant. He is getting a response without hurting anyone or destroying anything.

[Jenksismyhero]

It's a s***ty way to protest because the act got more coverage than the message.

 

 

[DrunkBomber]

What is a better way to protest? Do people really want roads being blocked and businesses being burned down? If he just said he's against police brutality it wouldnt have reached anyone.

[lostfan]

It's a s***ty way to protest because the act got more coverage than the message.

I mean, from conservative types and a loose assortment of white people who were never actually listening to the message in the first place, sure. That is to be expected. MLK even touched on this.

[Jenksismyhero]

What is a better way to protest? Do people really want roads being blocked and businesses being burned down? If he just said he's against police brutality it wouldnt have reached anyone.

 

I don't know the answer to that. I'm just saying, you poll 100 random people and I would guess that 90% wouldn't have a clue about what he's protesting against other than some general anti-black/racism/discrimination complaint. All of the talk is about the protest, the flag, whether he's s***ting on the military, etc. We're debating the meaning and role of the Anthem, not police brutality.

 

But truthfully i'm cynical any of these protests mean anything. He did it before anyone noticed and no one cared. He had to be asked why he's kneeling. Top stars of the NBA actually used words in protest and it didn't do anything. "We" praised them for speaking out, but that was about the only thing that came out of it.

 

Raising awareness is one thing, but we all know police brutality is an issue and no one agrees with it. His protest didn't add anything to the conversation.

Edited September 9, 2016 by JenksIsMyHero

[Jenksismyhero]

I mean, from conservative types and a loose assortment of white people who were never actually listening to the message in the first place, sure. That is to be expected. MLK even touched on this.

 

So liberal types and minorities needed a bench player in the NFL to kneel during the Anthem to learn that police brutality is a problem that we as a society need to discuss?

[lostfan]

So liberal types and minorities needed a bench player in the NFL to kneel during the Anthem to learn that police brutality is a problem that we as a society need to discuss?

Not sure what you're getting at. He gave his specific reasons for doing what he did, when did he mention this as one of them?