{"id":6688,"date":"2017-10-08T04:56:44","date_gmt":"2017-10-08T10:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/?p=6688"},"modified":"2017-10-12T23:44:02","modified_gmt":"2017-10-13T05:44:02","slug":"nfl-protests-butt-hurt-flag-huggers-are-unwilling-to-compromise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/nfl-protests-butt-hurt-flag-huggers-are-unwilling-to-compromise\/","title":{"rendered":"nfl protests: butt hurt flag huggers are unwilling to compromise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>the first time <a href=\"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/kaepernick-sitting-down\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">colin kaepernick sat down<\/a> for the national anthem during the 2016 nfl preseason, he aimed to passively shine a brighter light on police brutality against black citizens in the u.s. plenty of critcs didn&#8217;t like him using\u00a0the bright light of nfl celebrity as such.\u00a0 the loudest and most widely used\u00a0excuse for rejecting his dissent was that\u00a0he was disrespecting the police,\u00a0the flag, the military and the country as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>in order to appease these critics (and nfl officials) kaepernick modified his protest to a more acquiescent-looking genuflection.\u00a0 his courteous adjustment didn&#8217;t make much of a difference.\u00a0 detractors still saw him as <a href=\"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/2k18-hilarious-glitch-kd-celebrates-with-okc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dissing<\/a> &#8216;merica and the fact that no nfl team would hire him this year\u00a0is attributed to his social consciousness, or more aptly, to the unpopularity of his social consciousness with nfl fans.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6701\" src=\"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/c28fea9ef1f388dee702d2fa6024d026-american-soldiers-be-free-300x298.jpg\" alt=\"freddom didn't come free. it took guns. lots of them.\" width=\"275\" height=\"273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/c28fea9ef1f388dee702d2fa6024d026-american-soldiers-be-free-300x298.jpg 300w, https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/c28fea9ef1f388dee702d2fa6024d026-american-soldiers-be-free-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/c28fea9ef1f388dee702d2fa6024d026-american-soldiers-be-free.jpg 736w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6702\" src=\"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Police_Shootings_Tasers.JPEG-096cb-300x206.jpg\" alt=\"police shooting \" width=\"388\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Police_Shootings_Tasers.JPEG-096cb-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Police_Shootings_Tasers.JPEG-096cb-768x528.jpg 768w, https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Police_Shootings_Tasers.JPEG-096cb-1024x705.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Police_Shootings_Tasers.JPEG-096cb.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 388px) 100vw, 388px\" \/><\/p>\n<h5><em>freedom: brought to u &amp; taken away from u by a gun.<\/em><\/h5>\n<p>but kaep&#8217;s actions did gain attention and respect from a few other players in the league, and the handful of passive protests that were happening at the beginning of this season provoked an angry, patriotic, bluster from president trump.<\/p>\n<p>trump&#8217;s exhortation to fire any &#8220;son of a bitch&#8221; who kneels during the national anthem got nearly every nfl player and owner involved in the debate.<\/p>\n<p>nfl teams have painstakingly sought to find solutions that respect the rights of players to express their opinions but don&#8217;t alienate fans, and there have been sound bytes all over the media promoting the perspective that this is an opportunity to start a dialogue on a quest for common ground.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rhythm Corps - Common Ground\" width=\"758\" height=\"569\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/90Dt75MVtqw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>but if there was really going to be a &#8220;dialogue&#8221;, it would have started over a year ago. \u00a0and while &#8220;common ground&#8221; is a nice audio meme that evokes images of community and relief from this polarity, by definition it requires a <a href=\"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/lessons-from-the-canelo-khan-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">willingness<\/a> to <a href=\"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/jared-kushner-working-with-mexico-at-the-white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">compromise<\/a>, and one side simply recites &#8220;flag, troops, USA!!&#8221; and refuses to budge.<\/p>\n<p>last sunday\u00a0<u>before<\/u>\u00a0the playing of the national anthem at the <span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>baltimore ravens<\/strong><\/span>\/<strong>pittsburgh steelers<\/strong> game,\u00a0 an announcement inviting fans to join the players and the entire organization in a prayer for kindness, unity, equality and justice was roundly rebuked.\u00a0 the players took a knee, generating hearty boos that echoed throughout the stadium and into the living rooms of fans around the world; loud evidence of how much fans appreciate the players <a href=\"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/hotline-bling-english-practice-from-a-drake-song\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bending over backwards<\/a> to make their resistance friendlier for everyone and inoffensive to &#8220;patriotism&#8221;.<\/p>\n<h5><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6700\" src=\"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Steelers_Ravens_Football_56665.jpg-5bd34_c0-168-4016-2509_s885x516-300x175.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"362\" height=\"211\" srcset=\"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Steelers_Ravens_Football_56665.jpg-5bd34_c0-168-4016-2509_s885x516-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Steelers_Ravens_Football_56665.jpg-5bd34_c0-168-4016-2509_s885x516-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Steelers_Ravens_Football_56665.jpg-5bd34_c0-168-4016-2509_s885x516.jpg 885w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 362px) 100vw, 362px\" \/><\/h5>\n<h5><em>butt-hurt ravens fans\u00a0(ap photo\/alex brandon)<\/em><\/h5>\n<p>the original pretext for spurning the players&#8217; message was that the national anthem is not an appropriate time for staging a peaceful protest, but the fans&#8217; rejection of the compromise the nfl has offered illustrates why the anthem is in fact the perfect time for a protest.<\/p>\n<p>butt-hurt flag-hugging in the face of an issue that requires a nuanced understanding has become another barrier to unity, or is the same barrier it has always been. nationalistic sentiments are not more important than human rights. in other words, the idealized, comfortable and proud feelings that some derive from venerating a flag don&#8217;t supersede the desire of others to not be shot by police when they are unarmed. it should be obvious, but it&#8217;s obviously not.<\/p>\n<p>the nfl protests need to continue indefinitely as an uncomfortable reminder that american patriotic symbols don&#8217;t represent the same feelings for\u00a0everyone in a diverse nation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>richyrocks is a media consumer\/nfl fan.<\/em><\/p>\n<form name=\"s2form\" method=\"post\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ip\" value=\"216.73.216.105\" \/><span style=\"display:none !important\"><label for=\"firstname\">Leave This Blank:<\/label><input type=\"text\" id=\"firstname\" name=\"firstname\" \/><label for=\"lastname\">Leave This Blank Too:<\/label><input type=\"text\" id=\"lastname\" name=\"lastname\" \/><label for=\"uri\">Do Not Change This:<\/label><input type=\"text\" id=\"uri\" name=\"uri\" value=\"http:\/\/\" \/><\/span><p><label for=\"s2email\">Your email:<\/label><br><input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" id=\"s2email\" value=\"Enter email address...\" size=\"20\" onfocus=\"if (this.value === 'Enter email address...') {this.value = '';}\" onblur=\"if (this.value === '') {this.value = 'Enter email address...';}\" \/><\/p><p><input type=\"submit\" name=\"subscribe\" value=\"Subscribe\" \/>&nbsp;<input type=\"submit\" name=\"unsubscribe\" value=\"Unsubscribe\" \/><\/p><\/form>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>the first time colin kaepernick sat down for the national anthem during the 2016 nfl preseason, he aimed to passively shine a brighter light on&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":""},"categories":[1846],"tags":[2655],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Steelers_Ravens_Football_56665.jpg-5bd34_c0-168-4016-2509_s885x516.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6688"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6688"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6688\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6714,"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6688\/revisions\/6714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}