National Anthem 🇺🇸

[siena2003]

An unnamed team 🙄
has stated they are unsure if they will stand for the national anthem!

“NBA’s Ratings Drop Not Due To Blowback Over Players’ Activism, Poll Suggests.”
-Forbes

[saints22]

I was hoping this post was going to propose that the Star Spangled Banner be replaced by a different song, one that could be sung more easily by most of the people. That has been suggested more than once, and I thought this was an effort to do so again. Guess not.

What difference does it make if members of teams choose to stand, kneel or stay off the floor during the playing of the anthem? Not going to affect the outcome of the game. It has a stirring melody, and it’s nice to hear before important events, but why is it played so often (for example, before virtually every sporting event in this country) when I would be willing to bet that less than one-quarter of the people in this country know the words to the first stanza (forget the other verses!).

[siena2003]

Wow!! Typical liberal BS!! 🙄🙄

I’m a #ProudAmerican! Always have been! And always will be! 🇺🇸🇺🇸

[saints22]

Dec 4, 2020 15:52:43 GMT -5 siena2003 said:

Wow!! Typical liberal BS!! 🙄🙄

I’m a #ProudAmerican! Always have been! And always will be! 🇺🇸🇺🇸

What are you saying is “Typical liberal BS!!”? Didn’t think anything I said was that big of a deal. Wasn’t challenging your manhood or inferring that you aren’t a “#Proud American”, though none of us would have any way of knowing if that’s true or not. Since you brought it up, though, exactly how does someone (anyone) prove that they are a “#Proud American”? By standing when the National Anthem is played? Sorry. You’re going to have to better than that.

I proudly stand whenever the National Anthem is played, with my hand on my heart. But I can understand why many athletes have been kneeling while it is played, and I support them in their statement of protest. You do know why they are kneeling, don’t you?

[gorvy]

Call me a fiscal conservative Republican because I hate the kneeling. Fix the underlying issues but let's all stand for the flag.

[siena2003]

Stand for the Flag, Kneel for the Cross‼️

[saints22]

Dec 4, 2020 21:50:54 GMT -5 gorvy said:

Call me a fiscal conservative Republican because I hate the kneeling. Fix the underlying issues but let's all stand for the flag.

I don’t disagree, but those “underlying issues” have been issues for much too long without having been fixed.

The kneeling has brought much needed attention to those issues, though many people can’t (or won’t) look beyond the gesture of kneeling to see the real problem, and focus only on the kneeling itself.

[siena2003]

Ha Hah! 🙄🙄🙄

[IndianSaint]

I couldn’t care less what people do (stand, sit, kneel, lay down, dance, sleep, shit their pants, etc.) all I know is that I’ll be standing during the anthem. I can’t control what others do but I can control what I do. Why worry about this stuff? It’s a FREE country, people can do whatever they please as long as is not against the law.

[saints22]

Dec 5, 2020 15:21:37 GMT -5 siena2003 said:

Ha Hah! 🙄🙄🙄

Incredible, insightful response. Adding greatly to the conversation. Thanks for your contribution. 😇

[sky]

58,000 American flags covered the bodies of American kids killed in Viet Nam. I was a combat medic with the 1st. Cav. When I came home I was spit on..
.after watching hundreds of my friends die anyone that doesn't stand will get some of my spit. Not standing is a sign that the person doesn't respect themselves.
Some of the comments here shos exactly what is wrong with this countty.

[Deleted]

I think part of the "problem" is due to the fact that "taking a knee" during the anthem is "read" in one of three major ways - 1) a lack of respect for the Flag, 2) recognition of the "basis" of the protest, or 3) no big deal, a harmless non-violent message sent. Some have twisted/extended the first item into a disrespect for the Armed Forces, which is totally baseless and, IMO, which has risen due to a level of discomfort with the message that racism exists in our society and the viewer wishes to get it off the screen creating that more marketable myth.

If we look at how and why it was first used, we have to recognize that about the only place we actually stand for the anthem is at sporting events, political conventions, or military funerals. Recall the "Black Power" fists raised years ago at Olympic Medal presentations - no one got the message then but the message was being sent albeit in a very singular distasteful way.  The sporting venue provides the greatest exposure; that exposure has been increased as more tv coverage shows the anthem primarily due to the "newsy" aspect associated with the possibility of players kneeling. For what it's worth, I'm not a fan of college basketball teams standing with their arms around the players on either side and rocking side to side in a kumbaya like stance. Perhaps that is also a related "unity message" tied to racism but that hasn't been conveyed in a clear way - it looks more like party time to me. Interesting how we all see things differently and then try and get everyone else to see it the same way instead of trying to understand their views.

Many people, especially in the current world of the coronavirus, have very negative views of the Black Lives Matter protests in the streets. Here again, in a way similar to the anthem kneeling reflection on our military myth, many link the violence that has occurred during or in the shadow of BLM peaceful protests and claim the violence is driven by the BLM movement - nothing could be farther from the truth, IMO.

So I'll open it up for discussion - if you were a person of color (many of you are, of course) and wanted to make a statement aimed at raising social awareness and effecting change relative to the racism that today exists, how would you go about it? 

The Premier League (English Soccer) and Champions League (European Soccer) have taken many steps to raise social awareness and effect change - the player's kits (uniforms) all have BLM logos on their sleeves - teams stand for their national anthems and then, after taking the field for the kickoff, the referee blows his whistle and ALL players and the ref take a knee for a short time, the whistle is blown and players stand, the next whistle starts play.  While kneeling, the PA system announces "There is no place for racism" - very effective and the message clearly delivered with NO controversy.  Perhaps that could be implemented in our sporting world.

[Deleted]

Dec 6, 2020 0:11:38 GMT -5 sky said:

58,000 American flags covered the bodies of American kids killed in Viet Nam. I was a combat medic with the 1st. Cav. When I came home I was spit on..
.after watching hundreds of my friends die anyone that doesn't stand will get some of my spit. Not standing is a sign that the person doesn't respect themselves.
Some of the comments here shos exactly what is wrong with this countty.

Thank you for your extraordinary service to both our country and the soldiers you helped in less than ideal situations for sure. There is no excuse for a fellow American to spit on any veteran in any of our wars or peacetime service. Their spitting is disgusting and offers a view into their likely guilt for having not served. I never understood why anyone would take our involvement in any war, popular or not, as a reflection on the troops themselves - draftees or volunteers all stepped up to answer the country's call for help - they didn't start the wars they served in.

[siena2003]

Herschel Walker on kneeling during national anthem: ‘Everyone needs to stand’

[IndianSaint]

Dec 6, 2020 6:39:21 GMT -5 @misspractice said:

I think part of the "problem" is due to the fact that "taking a knee" during the anthem is "read" in one of three major ways - 1) a lack of respect for the Flag, 2) recognition of the "basis" of the protest, or 3) no big deal, a harmless non-violent message sent. Some have twisted/extended the first item into a disrespect for the Armed Forces, which is totally baseless and, IMO, which has risen due to a level of discomfort with the message that racism exists in our society and the viewer wishes to get it off the screen creating that more marketable myth.

If we look at how and why it was first used, we have to recognize that about the only place we actually stand for the anthem is at sporting events, political conventions, or military funerals. Recall the "Black Power" fists raised years ago at Olympic Medal presentations - no one got the message then but the message was being sent albeit in a very singular distasteful way.  The sporting venue provides the greatest exposure; that exposure has been increased as more tv coverage shows the anthem primarily due to the "newsy" aspect associated with the possibility of players kneeling. For what it's worth, I'm not a fan of college basketball teams standing with their arms around the players on either side and rocking side to side in a kumbaya like stance. Perhaps that is also a related "unity message" tied to racism but that hasn't been conveyed in a clear way - it looks more like party time to me. Interesting how we all see things differently and then try and get everyone else to see it the same way instead of trying to understand their views.

Many people, especially in the current world of the coronavirus, have very negative views of the Black Lives Matter protests in the streets. Here again, in a way similar to the anthem kneeling reflection on our military myth, many link the violence that has occurred during or in the shadow of BLM peaceful protests and claim the violence is driven by the BLM movement - nothing could be farther from the truth, IMO.

So I'll open it up for discussion - if you were a person of color (many of you are, of course) and wanted to make a statement aimed at raising social awareness and effecting change relative to the racism that today exists, how would you go about it? 

The Premier League (English Soccer) and Champions League (European Soccer) have taken many steps to raise social awareness and effect change - the player's kits (uniforms) all have BLM logos on their sleeves - teams stand for their national anthems and then, after taking the field for the kickoff, the referee blows his whistle and ALL players and the ref take a knee for a short time, the whistle is blown and players stand, the next whistle starts play.  While kneeling, the PA system announces "There is no place for racism" - very effective and the message clearly delivered with NO controversy.  Perhaps that could be implemented in our sporting world.

+1

I too do not believe any of these national anthem actions (kneeling, sitting, etc.) have anything to do with disrespecting the “flag”, country, service men & women, etc., rather it’s those individuals way of trying to bring to others attention their feeling for a cause (I.e., peaceful protesting). I think where some are offended is when it’s interpreted as disrespecting the “flag”, country & military personnel because of their strong beliefs to view those three as scared as say religious books.

My patriotism is in my heart & mind not in inanimate objects like a flag. That’s way “flag burning” doesn’t negatively impact me the way it does to people that put all their patriotism into inanimate objects. Don’t get me wrong, I love people showing their patriotism by flying their flags and if I had one I’d probably fly it too.

I view flag burning not as disrespecting our country or service people but rather as an attention getter for their protesting ideas.

It comes down to people trying to instill their beliefs, morals, patriotism, religion, add any other adjective here, etc., onto others as if their ways are correct and anyone that doesn’t have those ... are incorrect or somehow less of a person.

Never more have I believed this to come to the forefront as it has w/in the past 4 years with the two political parties at such odds and even hatred of the other side (POV’s).

JMO