“It was hard not to notice how a movement that began with a player explaining why he kneeled for the anthem had reached the point where a player was forced to explain why he stood for the anthem.”
I’m fascinated by the inherent absurdity into which the #TakeAKnee protests have quickly evolved. It’s not surprising; the national media and the president, of course, enjoy wringing all critical thought out of cultural phenomena. The protests — originated by Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid in dissent of an unjust national pathos, of a country that treats its black citizens as little more than a passing thought — have been transmogrified into a bizarre #SupportTheTroops mish-mash of jingoism and knee-jerk presidential politicking. Woof.
And so we end up with statements like the above, which was taken from this very good Deadspin piece. This is what you get: It’s a Mexican standoff where no one’s free to make a move, lest they wind up dead. Mutually assured destruction, 10 feet off the original mark. It’s as American as hatred and apple pie.
Sandy 