09-25-2017, 12:04 PM
(09-25-2017, 11:54 AM)Benton Wrote: I'm not aware of May calling out NFL players. Trump politicized the issue. Standing, or not standing, isn't about respecting the country any more. It's about politicization.
Dude, this issue was politicized long before Trump joined the fray. He certainly ramped up the amplitude but he didn't create the situation.
Quote:And they should.
A track runner from Nigeria shouldn't be making a statement on the political situation in Canada by not standing.
This isn't an international event where respecting other nations is inherent in the competition. Along the same lines, that's why the Egyptian/Israeli tiff was newsworthy. Cultural/political/religious differences spilled over into a competition where, at its heart, athletes are supposed to come in and put all that stuff at the door.
So, the Olympics are irrelevant in this discussion.
NASCAR or the NBA? Sure. But Olympics and the NFL are apples and oranges.
The situation is different, to be sure. The showing of respect for the country represented by the flag is not. I don't care if some fool burns the flag, steps on it, urinates on it, whatever. The country is not the flag. But understand that such disrespect for the flag inherently shows disrespect for the country it represents. To many they are inseparable.
Quote:Maybe if they feel the need to have an impact, they should volunteer their time. Some do, but no idea how many.
Point being, it's a lazy way to pretend you're making a difference. You're not, at least not in the way you state as your objective. This protest hasn't been about racial injustice for a long time, and I doubt it will ever again be perceived as such by many.
