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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Police officers kneeling with protesters over George floyd

127 replies

makingmiracles · 31/05/2020 23:03

Have seen the pictures, they make me feel quite uncomfortable. I understand they are kneeling in forgiveness but it seems quite distasteful given how the poor man died. Aibu?

OP posts:
Bridecilla · 01/06/2020 11:04

@ITonyah

Maybe black people are a bit exhausted with having to explain our existence and cause for the entirety of our lives?

Tbf it's mainly a US thing and I'm not surprised OP didn't realise. I'm sure she does now? Maybe be a bit more tolerant of people who get things wrong but wamt to learn?

@ITonyah I agree. I didn't know not because I dont care, but because I've not seen the American sports people doing it. If I had I'd have googled it (like I have now)

My ignorance wasn't intentional, I just genuinely didn't know.

TabbyMumz · 01/06/2020 11:07

To be fair to the op, I've never heard of this "take a knee" thing. What does it mean? It obviously has some American history to it, but not unusual for people in the UK to not know about it.

gobbynorthernbird · 01/06/2020 20:56

@TabbyMumz

To be fair to the op, I've never heard of this "take a knee" thing. What does it mean? It obviously has some American history to it, but not unusual for people in the UK to not know about it.
Google. It.

After however many previous comments about how people are tired of explaining, you still ask for an explanation?

Toilenstripes · 01/06/2020 20:59

Research or Google before you write.

BeardedMum · 01/06/2020 21:02

I have never hears of the knee thing either and not that I have to spend time googling before I pose a question on Mumsnet.

RufustheLanglovingreindeer · 01/06/2020 21:06

It wasall over the news a wee while back

BBC And channel 4 For deffo

And in most if not all newspapers

I have no problem with people not realising (dh doesn’t watch the news or read newspapers) or it not resonating

TabbyMumz · 01/06/2020 21:11

"After however many previous comments about how people are tired of explaining, you still ask for an explanation"
I missed the previous answers as I read page one and then went to type a response, which takes you to the bottom of page 3. Sometimes its quicker to ask the people on here know what it means, when you are on multiple threads.

BeardedMum · 01/06/2020 21:13

Well I do watch the news and read the papers and have still never heard of it and think a lot of people are quite aggressive towards the OP here

PerditaProvokesEnmity · 01/06/2020 21:16

Actually, to be fair to the OP this may be what they were referring to. I don't actually know the source, saw it on a random insta post. The heading says the police kneeled (sic) and 'asked for forgiveness'. Not quite the same as what the OP said, but close.

Still ...

Police officers kneeling with protesters over George floyd
Jangirl2018 · 01/06/2020 21:19

The threads on this topic ate getting bloody ridiculous. Most of the time it’s just an avenue for stupid idiots to express their not so thinly veiled racism. Do you honestly care??? What are you trying to gain from asking this question?? If you understood where taking a knee started you wouldn’t ask this. Confused

RufustheLanglovingreindeer · 01/06/2020 21:22

*Well I do watch the news and read the papers and have still never heard of it and think a lot of people are quite aggressive towards the OP here

I gathered that

Which is why i said i had no problem with people not realising Or it not resonating with them because it was a ‘sport’ or ‘American’ thing

Mummyoflittledragon · 01/06/2020 21:23

I heard about taking the knee in the US some time ago. Possibly in a film. It sounds like a good gesture to me. I hope something will finally be learnt.

Dd (Yr7) had an English topic been about black lives matter a few weeks ago. I showed her a video I found online of a cold blood police shooting a black person in the US and we talked about this recent crime. I think he should have been charged with murder. This is possibly an avenge murder as it is highly likely they knew one another. Her eyes were on stalks as to how people could be treated differently because of their skin colour. I do hope the younger generations learn from this.

GreytExpectations · 01/06/2020 21:27

Stop expecting BAME people to educate you. You are fortunate enough to have your white privaledge so use Google and research it yourself. It's not our job to teach you.

The kneeling is not a sports thing, is a form of protest and its a damn shame so many people don't know what it's about.

RufustheLanglovingreindeer · 01/06/2020 21:34

*The kneeling is not a sports thing, is a form of protest and its a damn shame so many people don't know what it's about

I know exactly what it is, As i said it was all over the media

I put sports in quote marks because a lot of the photos showed sportspeople taking the knee in protest

But a lot of people may have thought it was ‘sport’ thing and not paid attention

RufustheLanglovingreindeer · 01/06/2020 21:40

Fuck me why can’t i bold tonight

Theeighthelephant · 01/06/2020 21:43

@BeardedMum

I have never hears of the knee thing either and not that I have to spend time googling before I pose a question on Mumsnet.
Googling takes less time that posting to mumsnet, though.
BeardedMum · 01/06/2020 21:50

If everyone had to google before posting on MN there would be 50% traffic on this site. Also my post was in response to the answers OP was getting here.

BeardedMum · 01/06/2020 21:50

50% less traffic

saraclara · 01/06/2020 21:52

It takes less than five seconds to type 'take a knee' into google.

Though to be fair, I don't think anyone was specifically asking BAME posters to explain. None of us know who's BAME and who isn't on here.

I'm white, and yes, I could have explained rather than been snotty about it. Fair point. I was just shocked that anyone could be so ill informed. But OP isn't the only one, so maybe I shouldn't have picked her out.

Coyoacan · 01/06/2020 23:10

It is curious to see how we are being called ignoramuses for not knowing the ins and outs of a protest movement in the USA? Considering that this site is based in the UK. Would you be equally shocked if we didn't know similar details about India or Kenya?

OntheWaves40 · 01/06/2020 23:16

Regardless of knowing the ‘take a knee’ the OP makes a very valid point and that picture is very uncomfortable knowing how George died. They should have done something else.

Jangirl2018 · 01/06/2020 23:21

@Coyoacan
With the internet being so accessible now days, not being aware of something which has repeatedly been in US news isn’t that hard to come by. US news is also frequently reported in un the UK, Kenyan and Indian is not.

The fact you aren’t aware just means you are privileged enough not to care. Let’s stop the feigned ignorance, it’s tiresome.

IShouldBeSoLurky · 01/06/2020 23:22

I think people cared being really harsh on OP here! I can totally understand how if you knew a man had been killed because a police officer knelt on his neck, then saw police kneeling in solidarity with protesters, it would seem a bit crass if you didn’t know more of the background.

Coyoacan · 01/06/2020 23:28

The fact you aren’t aware just means you are privileged enough not to care. Let’s stop the feigned ignorance, it’s tiresome

What emotive language! Not knowing something and not caring are two completely different kettle of fish.

Why would I not care about the inhumanity meted out to black people every day of the week in the USA. I just didn't know about the knee-bending and when I don't know something I ask and don't expect to be humiliated and called a racist for asking a question.

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