President Trump

I know I post a lot about racism in the US on LB, but it's in the hopes that people such as yourself start to see it for what it is, so I'm glad you've come to this clarity. Hell, I don't even post most things I see because it's mentally exhausting to have the conversation sometimes. It's not like people that don't get all the racism talk aren't compassionate, or intelligent people, but it's a very different thing to get people that don't have it drastically effect their own lives care when there are so many other problems in the world that seem like a greater immediate threat to themselves and their family.

It's not a minor inconvenience. Racism is a terrible plague that effects some people's lives dramatically in nearly every aspect. But I have hope because I feel more people are starting to realize it's a real problem that can be improved. I feel if there's one thing this whole Trump presidency has done that's good, it's that it has emboldened these people to feel they can express their hatred and ignorance freely. It's pretty hard for the "naw, you're just exaggerating" crowd to not see just how many racists are coming out the wood work because of Trump's attitudes... but as I keep saying, they've been here all along, just not as up front about their racist views as they are now.

 

Why would he need a smokescreen for that? He did it before. He'll do it again. Nobel Peace Prize winners Jimmy Carter and Obama did the same thing.

 

All I know is Trump is an a****** with a dictator mentality. Saying it would be great if whoever was protesting or not standing during the anthem at football games should be pulled from the field and fired right there. Get that “son of a b****” I believe were his words. Like anyone exercising their right to protest and their beliefs is an unpatriotic criminal that should know their place. It came off to me as very disturbing and personally, with a strong racial feel to it, like “know your place”. I’m glad so many teams, coaches, owners, and players in other sports stood up to him today. I think Trump is exactly who many think he is. A bigot, a buffoon, and a loose cannon, and I still can’t believe this man is in charge of our country and nuclear weapons.

 

So I am of two minds about this. I disagree with Trump's rhetoric. He's an a--hole. I also disagree with players kneeling because it is counter productive to their cause. It is probably only further angering those that were already racists and it angers another part of the population that wasn't angry to begin with and is not racist. Anyone who agree with their kneeling likely was 100% on their side anyway. So it's pretty much pointless. But Trump saying they should be fired would not be violating free speech (if they indeed were fired). You have people lose their jobs all the time because they said a racist remark, or they were outed as a Republican in Silicon Valley. Freedom of speech protects you from legal reprisal, not from losing your job. The founder of Firefox was forced to step down from his own company for supporting and giving money to the anti-gay marriage bill. You can say whatever you want, but in doing so, you are not guaranteed employment. I see a lot of people (not you specifically in this post Weezy) saying he is infringing on their right to free speech by calling for their jobs. He isn't. He's just being a complete d***.

I think there might be something bigger and more sinister at work here in regards to the NFL. In the NFL's Game Operations Manual there is an actual rule that states you must stand for the National Anthem. Goodell is simply choosing not to enforce it (despite him enforcing deflategate, players smoking pot and suspending Elliot when there is conflicting reports as to whether or not he even did anything). I think the reason he is refusing to enforce it is he MUST stay on the good side of minority communities. This is going to make the NFL sound horrible and diabolical, but I think eventually most people will stop playing football because the dangers will be so real (CTE, etc.). The only people that will play it will be people who see it as their only way out. It will become a game that is akin to the old Roman Gladiator matches with rich and affluent people watching people who started off poor trying to get themselves and their families out of poverty while absolutely destroying their bodies. It's no secret there is a ridiculous discrepancy in wealth levels when comparing whites and blacks (or hispanics, although the discrepancy isn't quite as large). I hope I'm wrong and the NFL isn't doing this, but these same owners who have refused to sign Colin Kaepernick (with tons of unnamed sources saying they are all furious with him) are now down on the field with the players with locked arms? This weekend felt to me like, "Uh-oh, we better do something because we need people to keep playing football or our teams are going to be worthless."

 

No, that’s not personally what I’m saying. I’m agreeing with you that Trump is being a d***, and the President should be above that. My issue is that white supremacists marching in Virginia have “very fine people” among them, but NFL players kneeling for the anthem are sons of b****** that should be pulled off the field and fired. The difference there that I can see is blatant, one group has one skin color, the other mostly has another. That’s my problem here, that our president seems to reveal who he truly is every time he speaks (or tweets), and it isn’t someone good. He’s attacking the NFL and NBA, but hockey and NASCAR, A-OK. Hmm.

Your second point is very interesting, and you could be right. I was thinking a very similar thing the other day when it was announced Aaron Hernandez had really bad CTE. It occurred to me that people throughout history probably had it as well from “sports” they played, but in those times no one knew or cared, men just did violent things because they were men. I think the gladiator arena is a good analogy, and I think that yes, at some point football as it is now will end and people will look back and wonder how we ever played that sport.

 

Excellent.

 

What bothers me about this stuff is... a lot.

1) I hate that everything on my Twitter feed, all the games I watched, and everything anyone is talking about is kneeling during the anthem. Shut up already. Media Day is going to be utterly ruined across the country for NBA players as their questions revolve around Trump instead of getting us all excited about the upcoming season. Sports is my escape from the hellish landscape of my reality, not talking about kneeling or standing which is my second point:

2) It's not about kneeling or standing except now it literally is about kneeling and standing. The issue began with Kaepernick who protested against police brutality. I didn't like the way he started, but he grew from a rocky start into an actual strong voice for change which I support. That beginning morphed into general inequality for "people of color" (although most associated with black men) instead of just police brutality. From there it was appropriated by the gay/lesbian community as a female soccer player gained notoriety for kneeling during the anthem. Of course at this point, the kinks were worked out: nobody was doing this to disrespect the nation or to disrespect the military. They'd moved from sitting to kneeling as a compromise of sorts as it would still show the person's affection and respect towards the country itself while getting their point across.

Now though? Now it's about the President. Now it's about athletes vs. The White House and all other issues are swept aside. The police brutality, the inequality for people of color, the inequality for women, the inequality for the LGBT community are all gone and now it's the media wondering who says what next? What does Trump do now that the NFL and NBA have turned their backs on him? What will he do now as the MLB has its first player kneeling? What will the athletes say about all this again? What is their next move? Will anyone ever visit the White House with Trump as President? That's all nonsense, but it's what they'll talk about for a few weeks until Korea shoots down an American plane.

3) I've been fighting against abject racism for most of my life. I'm a man of color and I've seen that things are generally different, but I don't like to draw boundaries along that line. I still think that economic boundaries are the true limitation of our country and that regardless of race, we're judged on wealth more than anything. Are there racial lines that overlap economic lines? Undoubtedly, but there's a lot of poor white folks out there too that feel many of the same challenges that poor colored folk feel. They're labeled dumb, lazy, good for nothing, and they have to fight for ways to earn respect as well (my wife among them). For them, this fight is personal because "white people" aren't the enemy, the system is but those things can feel intertwined and so there's people swept up in an argument against them that don't deserve it.

However, at this point it's hard to look at the evidence and deny that Trump is pushing a racial narrative, as well as a racial narrative is being forced upon us. We're being forced to look at this as a white vs. black thing and for the life of me I wish it'd stop. Like I said a while ago: like it or not Trump has inspired such hatred on both sides of the fence that it's impossible to ignore anymore. Whether he's racist or not doesn't matter anymore. The perception that he is a racist has inspired racism in itself and that's as deplorable as it comes.

4) We're at war with Korea now. Have a good day folks. Be good to yourself and your neighbors.

 

1. If I protested on company time I'd be fired immediately.

2. I fully support and encourage peaceful protest and exercising Freedom of Speech. I believe in it to my core. It is a right for every one of us. Even if I disagree with the message.

3. My main problem with Kaepernick, besides the company time and distracting my 49ers, is that he used the Flag. I associate the US Flag with our military. What did they do? He's protesting police brutality. The US Flag, IMO, does not represent the police. They have their own blue flag that represents them. Going after the military isn't going to ingratiate me to your cause.

4. I've been having PMs back and forth with @puffyusaf#2 and he (also a veteran) does not feel the flag protest is an attack on the military and more of a "we don't feel a part of the United States, so we're attacking that". I can't pass judgment on a demographic feeling a part of our country or not, but I can say it sucks that a large % of our country doesn't feel a part of things. Especially when these people are doctors, mailmen, clergy, pay taxes, teach our kids, etc, etc.

5. In the end, Kaepernick did what he set out to do -- get people talking. For that, I applaud him. I hope everyone takes an honest interest in listening to other views and even if you agree or disagree with Kaepernick and those like-minded, can at least discuss maturely.