Ungrateful American??🤔

[Unregistered]

All have the right to protest, but these people picked a stupid and lazy way to do it. Stupid because their actions can be easily misinterpreted as disrespectful and unpatriotic. Lazy because it took virtually no effort on their part. They would all be taken more seriously if they organized a rally, a march, or a letter writing campaign. But they took the "easy" way and opened themselves up for well-deserved criticism.

Kneeling has a long history in nonviolent protest movements from Ghandi and MLK, Jr. on. It's a posture of prayer. The people who misinterpreted it as disrespectful and unpatriotic are ignorant of the inspiration for the act. There is nothing "easy" about opening yourself up for public condemnation. It probably requires more courage to take a solitary knee than it does to organize a march. A shame you don't grasp that.

[Unregistered]

Kneeling has a long history in nonviolent protest movements from Ghandi and MLK, Jr. on. It's a posture of prayer. The people who misinterpreted it as disrespectful and unpatriotic are ignorant of the inspiration for the act. There is nothing "easy" about opening yourself up for public condemnation. It probably requires more courage to take a solitary knee than it does to organize a march. A shame you don't grasp that.

There is a big difference between kneeling in prayer during a non-violent protest event and kneeling during the national anthem. Protesters need to be aware of how their protest will be interpreted.

I would agree that opening yourself up for public condemnation takes courage. But why open yourself up for more than you deserve because of the way you chose to do it?

I like the reference to Ghandi and MLK. Today's protesters should study and learn from them.

[Unregistered]

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I like the reference to Ghandi and MLK. Today's protesters should study and learn from them.

LOL! They do. That's why they piss people off....just like Ghandi and MLK, Jr. did.

[Unregistered]

LOL! They do. That's why they piss people off....just like Ghandi and MLK, Jr. did.

Ghandi and MLK knew the right time/place/methods for protest. There was never any ambiguity in their message. Today's protesters have NOT learned that lesson.

[Unregistered]

Ghandi and MLK knew the right time/place/methods for protest. There was never any ambiguity in their message. Today's protesters have NOT learned that lesson.

Apparently you haven't learned some history lessons. Try looking up MLK, Jr.'s "Letter from the Birmingham Jail."

MLK, Jr. and other civil rights activists were often attacked as being un-American, unpatriotic, and unclear in their message. Your attempts to view history with rose colored glasses is understandable, but not remotely productive.

[Unregistered]

Apparently you haven't learned some history lessons. Try looking up MLK, Jr.'s "Letter from the Birmingham Jail."

MLK, Jr. and other civil rights activists were often attacked as being un-American, unpatriotic, and unclear in their message. Your attempts to view history with rose colored glasses is understandable, but not remotely productive.

MLK closed with the following passage in "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" (you should actually read your own reference and cite it properly):

"If I have said anything in this letter that is an understatement of the truth and is indicative of an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything in this letter that is an overstatement of the truth and is indicative of my having a patience that makes me patient with anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me"

If Kaepernick et. al. had included statements like this in their protests, you might have a point. But all the American public sees is someone showing disrespect during the National Anthem. I stand by my statement that the protesters in question haven't learned the lessons of MLK. Their protest methods are both stupid and lazy. And please note I'm taking issue with their methods only, not their message.

[Unregistered]

MLK closed with the following passage in "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" (you should actually read your own reference and cite it properly):

"If I have said anything in this letter that is an understatement of the truth and is indicative of an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything in this letter that is an overstatement of the truth and is indicative of my having a patience that makes me patient with anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me"

If Kaepernick et. al. had included statements like this in their protests, you might have a point. But all the American public sees is someone showing disrespect during the National Anthem. I stand by my statement that the protesters in question haven't learned the lessons of MLK. Their protest methods are both stupid and lazy. And please note I'm taking issue with their methods only, not their message.

MLK and Gandhi were educated men. Extremely well read and eloquent. Kaep and Rapinoe are ballers. You can't equate their ability to deliver messages.

[Unregistered]

MLK and Gandhi were educated men. Extremely well read and eloquent. Kaep and Rapinoe are ballers. You can't equate their ability to deliver messages.

Rapinoe is getting lots of air time, and has proven very eloquent on cable news and the Sunday talk shows. That's a good way to spread her message. Refusing to put her hand on her heart during the national anthem is not.

[Unregistered]

Rapinoe is getting lots of air time, and has proven very eloquent on cable news and the Sunday talk shows. That's a good way to spread her message. Refusing to put her hand on her heart during the national anthem is not.

she would not have received the air time, if not for the anthem stuff, right???

i am not saying rapinoe is uneducated.

gandhi was a lawyer who traded letters with tolstoy. mlk had a BA in philosophy at 19 and was a lifelong orator. another level than sports personalities.

[Unregistered]

she would not have received the air time, if not for the anthem stuff, right???

You're kidding right? She's co-captain of the team that just won the world cup. She won golden ball and golden boot. She scored winning goals in 2 games, including the final. She's one of the loudest voices for equal pay. She would have had this platform regardless of her national anthem stunt.

The anthem thing wasn't even brought up in the interviews I watched.

[Unregistered]

MLK closed with the following passage in "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" (you should actually read your own reference and cite it properly):

LOL! You totally missed my point about the letter having to be written in the first place and the issues it addressed. Carry on and have a lovely day.

[Unregistered]

LOL! You totally missed my point about the letter having to be written in the first place and the issues it addressed. Carry on and have a lovely day.

Sorry, was there a point in there somewhere? I must have missed it among the content-free insults and erroneous references to an essay you apparently never actually read. Please enlighten us.

[Unregistered]

You're kidding right? She's co-captain of the team that just won the world cup. She won golden ball and golden boot. She scored winning goals in 2 games, including the final. She's one of the loudest voices for equal pay. She would have had this platform regardless of her national anthem stunt.

The anthem thing wasn't even brought up in the interviews I watched.

the reason we are discussing her is because of what you call the anthem stunt. otherwise she would not be a trending topic of conversation.

[Unregistered]

Sorry, was there a point in there somewhere? I must have missed it among the content-free insults and erroneous references to an essay you apparently never actually read. Please enlighten us.

The point is in his very first sentence of the letter.

While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely."

Now do you get it? LOL!

[Unregistered]

The point is in his very first sentence of the letter.

While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely."

Now do you get it? LOL!

You said:

MLK, Jr. and other civil rights activists were often attacked as being un-American, unpatriotic, and unclear in their message.

No, I don't get it. Please explain how calling MLK's activities "unwise and timely" is an attack for being un-American, unpatriotic, and unclear.