(10-14-2017, 02:43 PM)americus 2.0 Wrote: My take on it:
-I don't have a problem with their protesting. It's protected by the Constitution.

-I do have a problem that they are causing further division in this country by continuing to protest in such a way that is known to be inflammatory. This makes the whole conversation about the meaning of the protest null and void because all people talk about is the anthem and the flag and being disrespected which is a whole other conversation.

-It's ruining the ability to read or listen to articles and comments about the game or general team information because it's all about..... the anthem, the flag and being disrespected. 

-They should not be doing this on the job. None of us can go to work and protest while on the clock, why should they? We don't pay money to watch them protest and listen to all the crap from the commentators. We pay to watch a game. 

-I've said it before, if you want your message heard start in the community. A perfect example is of Malik Jackson and Ernest Wilford going to a school together to talk to kids. More of that is needed.

This is where I kind of get lost in all this. People are saying they're doing it on the job yet they're not on the football field when the anthem is being performed. It's not disrupting anything since it's all happening simultaneously. And as far as it being inflammatory. Their protest is about as peaceful as I've seen it. In comparison to the Black Lives Matter movement and Antifa's "peaceful" protests. As far as it being all about the anthem and ruining the game. Thank the media for that. They love this [BLEEP]. They eat it up. Like they've always done. Race has ALWAYS been a [BLEEP] issue in this country. ALWAYS.

The problem I have is with some of these ideas and beliefs that it starts in the community. I agree with this to an extent. The problem that I have seen though is that those moments are watered down into little five to ten minute "feel good" segments just before kick-off and it's not spreading any kind of message. The problem isn't entirely on the communities either. It's more so about police brutality and injustice. 

And that goes for everybody. Not just black people. I often hear right wing conservatives bring up the statistics of being white and being 6x more likely to be shot by the Police. Which is true. But that's kind of redundant at the same time and a pointless argument when you realize white people make up over 60% of our country's population. 

And whether anybody likes it or not black communities are disproportionately targeted. They only make up 13% of the population but make up 50% of the prison population. With most arrests happening over marijuana roughly 7 times out of 10. Which is a joke on it's own. And I've seen the hypocrisy my whole life. It's not some made up myth or bull [BLEEP] fairy tale.

I've grown up poor and lived in poor [BLEEP] ghettos and middle class suburban white neighborhoods. I can personally go into my parent's neighborhood and point out anywhere between 5 to 7 known pot heads and 3 distributors. All white people. Most of whom make a pretty damn good living already with a primary job and just peddle it around for extra income. They've done it for years. And they've never been caught. Why? Because the police don't patrol middle class white neighborhoods.

Growing up near University and Arlington in the early 1990's? Saw two or three cops between the mornings I went to school and when I got off the bus. And they were always looking for pot. That's the truth of it. Police have numbers to meet. And they go fishing in poor communities because they know that's where all the drug slinging is. It's a systematic issue. And people need to be educated on it and take their blinders off.

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