England Taking The Knee

[JimmyKrankie]

Thoughts on the team taking the knee??

I'm in no way racist, I don't care what colour someone's skin is, I have and always will judge people as people, but this really gets to me and I don't agree with the whole knee thing.

What do you think?

This.

I have a very multi cultural family - I'm in no way racist

Another token comment thrown around by racists and bigots.

They're taking the knee because they're standing against racism. Their teammates get racially abused regularly when they're playing football, and probably when they're not.

Racism has no place in football.

Tackling racism doesn't mean they don't support gay rights or womens rights, but taking the knee isn't going to get them arrested. They're footballers, not activists. To expect them to sacrifice their freedom is unfair. They have families and lives too.

The only occasion where I would 'take the knee' would be to Almighty God, but as I'm not religious, I won't take it for anyone, regardless or race/culture. Virtue signalling at its very finest 🙄

When the virtue in question is "let's not be racist pricks, eh?" I fail to see why anyone who isn't racist would have an issue with it being signalled to be honest.

I mean, at worst it's a bit of an empty gesture but it's not hurting anyone, is it?

I wouldn't say it bothers me but I do think it's very much 'going through the motions' at this point. Plus, as others have said, it's clearly a 'safe' gesture in the sense that they know it's 'approved' by FIFA and won't lead to any negative consequences. It doesn't do harm, but I'm not sure it does much good either.

Don't like it, smacks of virtue signalling. Also implies that if you don't do this then you are pro-racism, which is clearly nonsense. It's had its moment.

Not taking the knee doesn't say you are pro racism at all!

I don't mind a symbolic act of protest against the state of the country, because frankly I don't know anyone who thinks this country is in a good state at the moment.

But I do wish they had found a home-grown way of doing it - copying the 'take a knee' thing from it's American context just didn't translate here - we don't have the same kind of racial problems that they do over there. And they also don't do it during the national anthem, which is kind of the whole point.

Overall it comes off like they are vaguely protesting something but it isn't clear exactly what it is, or what they want.

Not taking the knee is fine. Being uncomfortable with someone else's decision to take the knee is strange.

No, the argument is more, 'if you object to people who are trying to stop witches being burned, you might be part of the problem.'

It predates that. It goes back at least to the civil rights movement and MLK.

I’m not racist. I wouldn’t ‘take a knee’ if asked. I don’t like these public, uniform displays of meaningless gestures. Not just because it’s essentially meaningless but because it becomes something you’re compelled to do, else you’ll look racist/homophobic/sexist/whatever. I don’t believe you should be able to be accused of any of those things by omission, which is what this is turning into.

It does according to the new puritans.

If you don't 100% go along with whatever their current demand is you are considered the embodiment of all that is evil (and must be destroyed).

Any time a sentence starts with I am in no way racist/I'm not racist generally comes before saying something that is. 🤔 And if someone else taking the knee really gets to you - then you are.

Yep. It’s like email pronouns. It becomes a social contagion that means you can make assumptions about people who dont do it rather than people that do, and that is what makes me uncomfortable.

It predates that. It goes back at least to the civil rights movement and MLK.

No, the current stuff about taking a knee in sport stems specifically from Colin Kaepernick in the NFL American football league.

I'm not against taking the knee per se. But I do find it odd that this gesture is allowed but other political gestures aren't. So a footballer who wants to make a public statement on the pitch against, let's say, organised crime or femicide or antisemitism, would not be allowed to do so. I guess FIFA considers this particular gesture "safe" and relatively uncontroversial so it is allowed.

It's not a 'symbolic act against racism', it's gesture politics forced onto society to show how right-on you are and if you don't do it you're the baddy.

Why can't we discuss differences of opinion without accusations of "bigot" or "racist" being hurled.

I suppose if they were kneeling to the people who died building the stadium, it might-just-be ok. Otherwise, it's a load of old shite.

But people not following this fad are automatically deemed 'racist' because they'er not following the herd.

Totally true but it won't be a popular interpretation!

Thus replied the sanctimonious person, agree with me or you're wrong!