To kneel or stand? What's your opinon with the national anthem protests in America?

Hahaha dude, we made posts about this at the exact same time

 

I’d stand and do it like normal. Just like I did back in elementary school. No biggie.

 

It so weird to me that that's what's considered normal, when it actually makes a pretty significant statement.

 

I believe in the 1st amendment. It's a peaceful protest. Let them kneel if they want to. As for me, this country clearly has many problems, but I would stand in honor of what the flag represents and those who died for the freedom I'm fortunate to have.

 

It just feels strange to me, being so used to doing something that actually makes a statement. It's strange that we are taught to do that before we are even old enough to understand what we're doing. People have issues with parents teaching kids about religion and stuff when they're too young to get it, but nobody has a problem with that? Seems weird to me.

 

I’m not religious and I never had a problem saying “under god” in the pledge. Who cares? It’s just words. It doesn’t mean anything to me personally, it’s just a tradition.

 

I mean I guess it doesn't matter, if it doesn't mean anything to you and it's just words. But in that case, it's stupid that it's so offensive to people when people don't participate, when half the people who participate probably don't even care about what they're saying anyway. So if they just sat down and didn't say it, who cares?

 

That’s fine too.

 

I am not surprised that these guys are protesting about the awful racism that continues to thrive in America. A, so-called, advanced nation that condones repeated and unnecessary shootings of black people by white police officers: that is sick!

 

Condones? I guess all the outrage and protests by the people who live in America doesn’t reach the news feed on your side of the pond.

 

Under the flag code it is proper etiquette to stand. Technically there is no law regarding ones posture since such laws would be considered unconstitutional:The U.S. Supreme Court in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943) ruled such laws were a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. constitution. This ruling and others applies to not just the flag, but to the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance as well. It was also recently ruled unconstitutional to prohibit anyone from burning the flag.

This then means these players can sit, stand, kneel, or bend over and spread their butt cheeks if they wish to do so. They just need to accept that their actions will be met with consequences from citizens who do follow proper etiquette out of respect for the flag and anthem.

 

Gross, you didn’t need to include that comment to emphasize your point.

 

I felt it really tied everything in together nicely.

 

Sure you did.

 

Stand. Kneeling is a disgrace.

 

Exactly

 

I'm white. Nobody in my family has been shot by a policeman. I never felt a need to tell my son how to act if he were to be stopped by a policeman. I do not think that any of my white neighbors or friends have ever been mistreated by any uniformed agents of our government. I wish that all the friends and neighbors of color that I have known could say the same. I hope that at least some of them feel the same way I do.
The posture in front of a flag is not the issue. The issue is that people are treated differently because of their color. A white policeman can be found innocent, because he feared for his life when a black man was running away from him, so he was justified in shooting him in the back.
If we know no victim of racial injustice, we cannot imagine that it happens. That does not mean it isn't happening, just that many are oblivious to it.
May the protests be seen as a sign of the need for change, and may we change in positive ways.