Youth Football Team Kneels for National Anthem

[TAC]

What might be an acceptable or effective way for people of the black community to express what they consider to be very real concerns regarding their dissatisfaction with the racial injustices that they experience in their everyday lives, and/or their fears that they have regarding how they, or their friends and family might be unfairly treated because of the color of their skin?

 

Many whites consider the BLM movement and their demonstrations to be loud, threatening, and civilly disruptive, and only stand to widen the divide of the races, and while very possibly an unintended result, black folks are scrambling, and understandably so, to find some or any way to let their voices and concerns be heard.

 

Is it possible that they might have a legitimate gripe or concern?

 

Is it possible that if people don't want to hear or face these concerns, that this only magnifies the need that these concerns be voiced and heard?

 

So now some blacks are taking a silent approach during the National Anthem that speaks louder than words, and it's still not good enough, or by many considered to be disrespectful.

 

With all of this in mind, I'll pose the question again....

 

What might be an acceptable or effective way for people of the black community to express what they consider to be very real concerns regarding their dissatisfaction with the racial injustices that they experience in their everyday lives, and/or their fears that they have regarding how they, or their friends and family might be unfairly treated because of the color of their skin?

 

Disrespecting the flag is wrong. You really think kneeling for the National Anthem is helping any type of race relations?

[B-Ball-fan]

Not commit violent crimes and domestic terrorism while trying to make their point.

 

I think that we can all agree on what you're saying.

 

Let's say that BLM isn't the way.

Let's say that taking a knee during the National Anthem isn't the way.

 

Considering that both of these approaches have been met with disapproval from some white folks, can you suggest an approach for them that might be effective while also being acceptable to white people?

[jericho]

Okay, I'm going to ask the first question that automatically popped into my mind upon reading this. (And quite frankly, I'm surprised no one else has asked this...so, maybe I'm totally in the dark.)

 

They play the national anthem before 8-year old football games?!?!?

 

Yes because its so important to them.

[CincySportsFan]

Yes because its so important to them.

 

I'm being serious. Do they actually play the national anthem before 8-year old football games? I've never seen it for basketball, and certainly never for baseball, at those age levels.

[atm10]

I'm being serious. Do they actually play the national anthem before 8-year old football games? I've never seen it for basketball, and certainly never for baseball, at those age levels.

 

Yes they do!

[B-Ball-fan]

Disrespecting the flag is wrong. You really think kneeling for the National Anthem is helping any type of race relations?

 

The problem here is that some consider disrespectful to the flag, while others see it as an opportunity to silently make a statement toward injustices.

 

IMO flipping off the flag or burning it would be disrespectful. Simply quietly taking a knee to make a statement for some is not at all disrespectful, nor is it the intent.

 

The intent is magnify just what that flag means in this "And Justice for ALL" country that doesn't always live by those words, but should.

 

Before we can solve the problems with race relations we first must face them. Sweeping them under the rug and carrying on with business as usual, only leads to business as usual.

 

Though it may hard and unpleasant to think about, what they're doing by taking a knee is furthering discussion, and prompting people to face our country's race problems head on.

 

If that's an inconvenience for some, then it should be, and screams that they first and foremost are the ones who need to give it some thought.

[bugatti]

I love you B-Ball-fan, but you have taken this thread in a whole other direction.

 

Regardless of injustices of this world, was this the correct platform and means to protest? That is what is at hand here.

[StrongSide]

I love you B-Ball-fan, but you have taken this thread in a whole other direction.

 

Regardless of injustices of this world, was this the correct platform and means to protest? That is what is at hand here.

 

Thank you, we all know life isn't peaches are cream. What got me is the 8 year olds being used as media grabs.

[B-Ball-fan]

I love you B-Ball-fan, but you have taken this thread in a whole other direction.

 

Regardless of injustices of this world, was this the correct platform and means to protest? That is what is at hand here.

 

And by all that I have said it's clear that I'm fine with it, and even with the kids (which I believe makes their silent approach even louder and more poignant), and have been asking others who aren't fine with it, to suggest an effective and acceptable way for the black community to go about voicing their concerns.

[B-Ball-fan]

Warning: Some Language

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPVG4vgPWAc

[B-Ball-fan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE1KszEGyK0

[UKMustangFan]

And by all that I have said it's clear that I'm fine with it, and even with the kids (which I believe makes their silent approach even louder and more poignant), and have been asking others who aren't fine with it, to suggest an effective and acceptable way for the black community to go about voicing their concerns.

 

And quite a few have said they have no issue with the method chosen, but that 8 years olds aren't capable of comprehending the totality of the issues at hand.

 

In the story posted, this came about because of one of the players asking about what was happening in St. Louis. What's happening in St. Louis is a police officer killed a black man and as a result of the verdict, idiots have decided to riot, destroy property and businesses, and engage in criminal activity.

[B-Ball-fan]

I love you B-Ball-fan, but you have taken this thread in a whole other direction.

 

Regardless of injustices of this world, was this the correct platform and means to protest? That is what is at hand here.

 

And quite a few have said they have no issue with the method chosen, but that 8 years olds aren't capable of comprehending the totality of the issues at hand.

 

In the story posted, this came about because of one of the players asking about what was happening in St. Louis. What's happening in St. Louis is a police officer killed a black man and as a result of the verdict, idiots have decided to riot, destroy property and businesses, and engage in criminal activity.

 

In addition to my previous response, let us also be clear that the police topic is only part of the picture regarding that which people of color have concerns.

 

The kids taking a knee about what has happened in St. Louis is just one example, and no matter how much people believe that 8 year old kids can't have any real understanding or true concerns in the matter simply are kidding themselves.

 

Sure I get that maybe their capacity for understanding everything completely is limited, but in some ways they're way more keen to stuff in a more pristine raw and basic way than even some of us so called intelligent adults.

[UKMustangFan]

In addition to my previous response, let us also be clear that the police topic is only part of the picture regarding that which people of color have concerns.

 

The kids taking a knee about what has happened in St. Louis is just one example, and no matter how much people believe that 8 year old kids can't have any real understanding or true concerns in the matter simply are kidding themselves.

 

Sure I get that maybe their capacity for understanding everything completely is limited, but in some ways they're way more keen to stuff in a more pristine raw and basic way than even some of us so called intelligent adults.

 

Kids that age will take the opinion of those that explain something to them as truth, especially when that person is in an authoritative position such as a football coach.

[B-Ball-fan]

Kids that age will take the opinion of those that explain something to them as truth, especially when that person is in an authoritative position such as a football coach.

 

That may be true of some, or maybe even many of them, yet I have clear recall of myself at that age, and I am certain that I was already forming, and very much had a mind of my own.

 

If an 8 year old black kid feels pained when thinking about these type of injustices I'm not going to just write it off as them repeating what they've heard adults say.

 

They feel this way because it's wrong, and in a very basic human way they know it's wrong.

 

Kids can sometimes have very valuable things that they could tell us adults who might be full of misguided junk in our heads, when they haven't yet already been ruined.

 

It's an unfair and shortsighted assessment of kids to simply think that there's nothing going on inside of their young minds other than echoing what they've heard from adults.

 

Certainly the stimulus that they are presented is highly effective, yet their own minds too are stimulus that accepts or rejects that which they are presented with, and the assumption that they are otherwise brain dead is a grave misconception.