I give clear warnings.
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I give clear warnings.
It's fine Tubes. I don't think kneeling is particularly extreme or representative of an extreme ideology. I think a Nazi symbol is. If you think that's somehow a contradiction well... I just don't know what else I can say to you.
Just the most obvious example. Would be strange not to use it in the context of this discussion.
'It's not a swastika': Postal worker filmed defacing traditional Hindu symbol
An Adelaide man has asked for greater awareness after a delivery man was caught kicking an intricate piece of Hindu art.7news.com.au
Good things get subverted. Kaepernick taking the knee was brilliant, completely selfless and brought about real change.
Footballers doing it now with the context the gesture has thanks to the stupidity of BLM... not so much.
Blame BLM for it.
You, and indeed I, may think so, but he was also massively and publicly criticised for it, called anti-American and unpatriotic and the most powerful man in the country called him ‘a son of a bitch’ for taking the knee.
Now players are being booed because taking the knee supposedly has radical, Marxist undertones in the eyes of those booing, despite being told ahead of time, what the intention of the gesture was.
I get that the taking the knee, can be seen to have been conflated with BLM politics, but booing players who take the knee is itself a gesture that sends a pretty grim and unpleasant signal to black people.
Colchester United owner and Chairman Robbie Cowling has issued the following statement:
It was so good to welcome our fans back into our stadium on Saturday for our League Two game against Grimsby and so much about the day was perfect.
Our club supports the players and their choice to take the knee for a few seconds before every game.
Callum Harriot described the purpose of the gesture perfectly to me explaining that taking the knee dates back to early civil rights movements as a way of silently showing solidarity in support of political inequalities suffered by oppressed communities.
Those that take the knee want to highlight that all lives should be valued and should not be treated inhumanely or inferior to others just because of their race.
It is undeniable that black and other ethnic minority people are still the victims of racism, and the black footballers and staff at Colchester United feel that they are in a position of privilege that has been fought for through the blood and sweat of their ancestors.
A position that in 2020 the average black person is still not afforded.
Those taking the knee, and supporting the taking of the knee, not only shows their willingness to support the drive to eradicate racial oppression but force it to be a talking point even when it’s uncomfortable.
Undeniably, taking the knee is a fundamental catalyst in pushing the conversation and thus the necessary changes forward.
I’m sure the vast majority of Colchester United fans are supportive and want to play their part in showing they back the actions of our players.
Maybe those that booed on Saturday might now understand what this gesture means to our club and will at the very least remain silent during future games whilst the players continue to take the knee before each kick-off.
Alternatively, they should just stay away from our club because anyone that still wants to boo now that I have explained the purpose and importance of the taking of the knee is not welcome at our club.
I will be happy to refund anyone for the remaining value of their season permit if that is the reason they feel they can no longer attend our games.
It would be very disappointing if anyone does decide to boo again. Therefore, going forward I would like to make the actions of those fans who do boo the taking of the knee completely irrelevant.
For every game where the players choose to take the knee, I would like all of our fans to join me in applauding this gesture to ensure our players know we fully support them.
It was so good to welcome our fans back into our stadium on Saturday for our League Two game against Grimsby and so much about the day was perfect.
- My journey into the stadium felt so much more exciting knowing other fans were making their way there too.
- The amazing efforts of the staff to ensure the stadium was Covid-19 secure were finally tested and because of the brilliant compliance with the code of conduct by the fans who attended, the months of hard work and preparation worked extremely well.
- Junior Tchamadeu at just 16 years and 348 days old became the youngest player to ever start a game for Colchester United and marked his debut with an excellent performance that belied his tender age and his lack of first team experience. Well done Junior and well done Steve and Hayden for being brave enough to start a young player like Junior in such an important game.
- Those in attendance may have been low in numbers but that was not obvious because those that did attend got right behind the team and made plenty of noise.
- Winning the game means we have gained seventeen points from our last nine league games. Considering the financial cut backs we were forced to make this season, I think that’s amazing. Dare I say it’s punching?
Our club supports the players and their choice to take the knee for a few seconds before every game.
Callum Harriot described the purpose of the gesture perfectly to me explaining that taking the knee dates back to early civil rights movements as a way of silently showing solidarity in support of political inequalities suffered by oppressed communities.
Those that take the knee want to highlight that all lives should be valued and should not be treated inhumanely or inferior to others just because of their race.
It is undeniable that black and other ethnic minority people are still the victims of racism, and the black footballers and staff at Colchester United feel that they are in a position of privilege that has been fought for through the blood and sweat of their ancestors.
A position that in 2020 the average black person is still not afforded.
Those taking the knee, and supporting the taking of the knee, not only shows their willingness to support the drive to eradicate racial oppression but force it to be a talking point even when it’s uncomfortable.
Undeniably, taking the knee is a fundamental catalyst in pushing the conversation and thus the necessary changes forward.
I’m sure the vast majority of Colchester United fans are supportive and want to play their part in showing they back the actions of our players.
Maybe those that booed on Saturday might now understand what this gesture means to our club and will at the very least remain silent during future games whilst the players continue to take the knee before each kick-off.
Alternatively, they should just stay away from our club because anyone that still wants to boo now that I have explained the purpose and importance of the taking of the knee is not welcome at our club.
I will be happy to refund anyone for the remaining value of their season permit if that is the reason they feel they can no longer attend our games.
It would be very disappointing if anyone does decide to boo again. Therefore, going forward I would like to make the actions of those fans who do boo the taking of the knee completely irrelevant.
For every game where the players choose to take the knee, I would like all of our fans to join me in applauding this gesture to ensure our players know we fully support them.
TN Toffee
Player Valuation: £25m
I agree that his protest was executed masterfully, but what “real change” did it bring about? As far as I can tell, all it did was lead the NFL to institute a bunch of draconian rules to limit players expression in hopes of not angering sponsors, and briefly got all the team owners on the same page as they colluded to blackball him from the league and end his career. Meanwhile, America is just as racist (and more openly racist) as it has been in my lifetime.Just the most obvious example. Would be strange not to use it in the context of this discussion.
'It's not a swastika': Postal worker filmed defacing traditional Hindu symbol
An Adelaide man has asked for greater awareness after a delivery man was caught kicking an intricate piece of Hindu art.
Good things get subverted. Kaepernick taking the knee was brilliant, completely selfless and brought about real change.
Footballers doing it now with the context the gesture has thanks to the stupidity of BLM... not so much.
Blame BLM for it.
tsubaki
Player Valuation: £90m
TBF Kaepernick’s career was ending anyway before he made that protest, but yes getting them to behave in the shameful way they did highlighted a lot of unpleasant things that had not gone away.
It highlighted the issue, mostly by the response to it. All he was asking was for equal rights. The reaction was atrocious and an international eye opener that led to dialogue.
That's the distinction between Kaepernick and BLM I'm making - BLM isn't just about that.
TN Toffee
Player Valuation: £25m
I definitely highlighted some unpleasant things, but unfortunately it all played out during the 2016 election, and Trump seized on it to agitate his base and in a lot of ways actually made race relations because him using his platform to openly say racist stuff emboldened a lot of other racists to emerge from the shadows.
None of that is a criticism of Kaepernick though. I don’t know how he could have handled his protest any better. I was just pointing out that I don’t know that what he did brought about any tangible change as of yet. It could be one of those things that you have to play the long game though. Changing attitudes around race relations is something that can take generations, so if him simply raising awareness of these issues has an effect of young people that bears fruit 10-15 years down the line, then that’s fantastic. Same could be said of players taking a knee this year.
TN Toffee
Player Valuation: £25m
They can’t. People fighting for social justice being hated by their contemporaries is a tale as old as time. They’re only ever appreciated after the fact.
dead_soft
Player Valuation: £35m
Yep, and being hated by some is not something that BLM or any protestors should worry about
The way we've been doing for 100 plus years. Gradually, generational shifts. There's a reason things improved.
When George Floyd died, the protests were justified. But non stop after that about everything and anything with an extreme underlying political ideology does far more harm than good.
dead_soft
Player Valuation: £35m
Gradually, generational shifts - is that actually true? And if it was true - why should people not want things to be quicker and better?
TN Toffee
Player Valuation: £25m
I think the conditions this past summer amounted to a perfect storm that we aren’t likely to see replicated in our lifetimes. Here in the US we had a string of several incidents of police brutality against African Americans in quick succession set against the backdrop of a global pandemic that was also disproportionately affecting minorities and at a time when everyone had been couped up in their homes for weeks, many out of work, and had nothing else to distract their attention. It’s no surprise that things got out of hand.
TN Toffee
Player Valuation: £25m
I don’t think anyone doesn’t want change to happen quicker, but that may not be realistic. The unfortunate reality is that by the time someone is a grown adult, it’s pretty unlikely they are going to unlearn racism if it’s been a part of their life as long as they can remember. It’s all about reaching younger people who don’t already have those viewpoints ingrained in them, and making sure they aren’t ever allowed to take hold. But the truth is, that just takes time.
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