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How the NFL Watered Down Colin Kaepernick’s Protest

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Sep 26, 2017.

  1. Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    Jamil Smith, writing for The Washington Post:


    No true protest assuages those who are already comfortable. Athletes, especially those who wear a helmet for a living, must know that they have limited windows for communicating their truths to the American public. Protests during the anthem are their best avenue. They know that there are many people in America who don’t give a damn about black people outside of those three hours when their team is on TV. Last weekend, at least for those linking arms, that time was annexed, repackaged and sold.

    And Michael Baumann, writing for The Ringer:


    That’s what this debate is about: Some say cops shouldn’t be able kill people of color with impunity, and others want everyone else to shut up and go back to watching football. There aren’t two worthwhile viewpoints here, and there’s no greater condemnation of our culture than the idea that both sides deserve equal consideration.

     
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  2. Ska Senanake

    Trusted

    I'm typically pretty liberal / moderate but have to say I love Ben Shapiro's take on this whole matter. I highly recommend listening to his podcasts from the last 2 days. Probably preaching to the wrong audience, but I find it important to really listen to all sides before forming an opinion.
     
    Raku likes this.
  3. sdub

    Newbie

    I agree with Ben's point of view as well.
     
    Raku likes this.
  4. He's a disgusting and horrific bigot. Why are you listening to that shit?
     
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  5. Zip It Chris

    Be kind; everyone is on their own journey.

    The all sides argument works in a lot of places but not when it comes to inequalities, racism, and when one side is chalk full of fucking nazis/nazi sympathizers. Get outta here with that bullshit.
     
    littlejohn and Aaron Mook like this.
  6. Wharf Rat

    I know a little something you won't ever know Prestigious

    Ben Shapiro is the single dumbest person that millions of people think is a genius
     
  7. Zip It Chris

    Be kind; everyone is on their own journey.

    What education/life experiences do you have to support this stance?
     
    littlejohn likes this.
  8. cwhit

    still emperor emo Prestigious

  9. littlejohn

    Prestigious Prestigious

    What specifically do you like from his take on this?
     
  10. Ska Senanake

    Trusted

    I agree with the idea that Trump's comments and the subsequent kneeling that occurred was a result of trump baiting the left to protest him "and the flag" which only strengthens his core base's feeling towards him and divides the country further. I dont think the kneeling on sunday was for african american social justice (as it was initially when colin did it) as much as it was to oppose trump's facist statements. I also don't think the majority of people who elected trump are able to see anything other than the left being disrespectful to the flag, which i dont think is true, but i dont see how playing into trumps immature (not just because they are small) hands helps anyone resolve anything or allows the dems to gain back power. Trump thrives off off controversy and polarizing the nation because he is a narcissist and its the only way he will maintain his core base. Maybe i just want to see everyone stop playing into his game. He has house majority and the idiot cant even get basic legislation passed. He is a fool, but his core base and those in the middle thst may have voted for him wont see that unless we take the high road and stop feeding the culture war he is waging on america. I listen to Ben sometimes because Im from MA and around the left all the time and i like to see how the other side thnks. Ben does a good job dissecting issues from both sides even though he can be extremely snarky (infuriatingly so) and his target audience is clearly the republican demographic. He is an absolute prick, but he is fairly rational and at the very least allows me to gain some insight into how the other half of this divided country thinks.
     
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  11. clucky

    Trusted Supporter

    I agree with this Ben's point of view as well.
     
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  12. Jason Tate Sep 27, 2017
    (Last edited: Sep 27, 2017)
    Transphobic bigots are not rational! He is a hateful bigot that does not deserve praise or any kind of “highly recommended” platforming of his abhorant views. Recommending this man is so gross ... this is not “another side.” This is a man that uses hate speech toward trans individuals!
     
  13. littlejohn

    Prestigious Prestigious

    Sharing one popular opinion of the current issue at hand makes him rational? Everything he's said in the past negates his opinion and should keep people from applauding him when he says something that might make sense.

    Would you say trump is rational when he has 1 tweet that actually makes sense, even after tweeting 30 times about nonsense? Id hope not.
     
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  14. Ska Senanake

    Trusted

    Shapiro has said many things that are rational, he wouldnt be a great debator if he didnt have a somewhat rational way of thinking. I was specifically talking about his take on the news article jason posted. I dont listen to him religiously or anything, someone recommended his 2 cents to me regarding the nfl and it got me thinking about the issue from different perspectives which is a much needed thing in this country right now. so im curious as to what he has said about transgenders that makes him a bigot. Im not doubting any of you, i would just like to know what makes him and all of his opinions an absolute poison to society.
     
    Raku likes this.
  15. Zip It Chris

    Be kind; everyone is on their own journey.

    I shared this in the politics thread but it is absolutely something u need to watch, and please watch all of it. With what we are talking about here there is only 1 moral side...if u don’t feel that way then you’re not getting The point. When Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus, she wasn’t protesting public transportation...

     
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  16. Aaron Mook Sep 27, 2017
    (Last edited: Sep 27, 2017)
    Misgenders and deadnames consistently and delibrately, equates being trans with having a mental illness, praised Trump for the military ban, generally spends his time degrading and being condescending to trans individuals...these are the qualities of a bigot. Need more detailed examples?
     
  17. iCarly Rae Jepsen

    run away with me Platinum

    [​IMG]
     
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  18. littlejohn

    Prestigious Prestigious

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  19. Ska Senanake

    Trusted

    I agree with everything that was said in this clip 100%. Unfortunately a lot of people dont understand this perspective and see the mass kneeling as being disrespectful which ultimately just causes more divide.
     
  20. Ska Senanake

    Trusted

    I shall be doing some research. Obviously all those things are terrible... i will note i have yet to hear him go off on the transgender community in his podcasts. He ripped into the ontario laws regarding children and social services but i did agree with his perspective in that instance.
     
  21. The_Effort

    Regular Supporter

    They don't understand the perspective because they refuse to hear it.

    Also, this concern about the divide seems misplaced a lot of the time. Poc are literally dying. Being brutalized by police officers every day. If protesting that divides us then maybe we need to have that difficult discussion about why that is. Avoiding division just allows injustice to continue. It's choosing your own comfort over the lives of fellow humans.
     
  22. Wharf Rat

    I know a little something you won't ever know Prestigious

     
  23. Ska Senanake

    Trusted

    And i TOTALLY agree. I just think in this instance people took the bait and played right into trumps hands which does not help the larger issue at hand. The method of protest by kneeling wasnt making headlines and wasnt being done by EVERYONE until trump said that facist bullshit that everyone who kneels is disrespecful to the flag and is an SOB and should be fired blah blah blah. I feel that folks were protesting him in that instance more than social intolerance and injustice. If i was in the nfl and a poc i would have had the same instinct and would have said "fuck this guy, he can't tell me i can't stand up for my people and social justice in one of the only real platforms available to me." However, the point im trying to make is maybe there is a better venue and way to protest Trump's comments and social injustices so that it makes Trump's base and A LOT OF IGNORANT AMERICANS see that kneeling for the flag is in fact not a sign of disrespect. I'm trying to find any way to end this cultural divide that is waging in this country and i think protesting in another way (the cowboys kneeled before the anthem as a sign of protest) would be more beneficial. Trump feeds off attention and causing conflict on the left (rather than even trying to heal the divide). He thrives on it. He is a text book narcissist. If you stop fueling his fire and take the high road, he will truly destroy himself. He is a manchild that can't obviously always be ignored, but should be more often or at least should be responded to in a way that exposes him for the child he is.
     
    Raku likes this.
  24. KyleK

    Let's get these people moving faster! Supporter

    Then there's just the blatant hypocrisy every time Trump defends a white supremacist group as having equal right to protest, including when protesting against the removal of confederate flags or monuments, considering the civil war was literally an act of treason and these athletes are simply kneeling during a playing of the anthem (yes I know, the "confederate flag" wasn't even the official flag of the confederacy). It's an absolute joke that athlete protests (or anything of a similar sort) is deemed by anyone as un-American, and then out and out racism and bigotry is defended by the same people as an American right.
     
    littlejohn likes this.
  25. littlejohn

    Prestigious Prestigious

    giving people like shapiro credit for when they make a rational argument leads to more people thinking that they know what they are talking about, which leads people to think that the bigoted shit they say has credit as well.

    listen to the other side, don't give them credit for making a simple sentence that makes sense.
     
    Aaron Mook likes this.