Squat and Squabble

Conflicting viewpoints on topical subjects

We Can Learn from NFL Players

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Taking a knee during the National Anthem is a hot button issue.

Conservative media pundits practically explode every time an NFL player does it, usually reverting to the notion that athletes should stay in their lane and just focus on the game. While I think that everyone has the right to express their personal opinion, it’s excessively hypocritical for a public figure to ask another to stick to their day job. Sorry, but athletes aren’t your average, every day American citizens and we’ve never treated them as such.

Athletes have always been larger than life. Society expects them to act as role models and exemplify traits that our children can look up to. In that sense, their presence in the public eye differentiates them from your typical American worker. This is what qualifies every professional athlete as a public figure. We’ve been known to hold these individuals to certain ethical standards and express that they should be involved in worldly issues, yet condemn them whenever they express a controversial opinion. This is a savage hypocrisy.

My issue isn’t that Americans are criticizing the opinions and subsequent actions of NFL players. If someone is going to throw out their opinion on a given topic, they should be ready to defend it. My issue is that Americans are opposed to NFL players having an opinion at all. It seems that Americans are okay with athletes serving society’s moral purpose, yet aren’t okay with them serving their own. Sorry, but life doesn’t work that way. Even worse are the conservative media pundits who criticize athletes for promoting liberal ideologies, saying that they aren’t in tune with reality, yet they’ll praise the athletes who project conservative values. If they don’t want one side expressing their political opinions, they shouldn’t be okay with their own doing so.

However, though they are a target for national criticism, it seems that NFL players might be the only people qualified to express their opinions at all. Whether or not you agree with Colin Kaepernick, or the other NFL players who knelt during the National Anthem, it seems that they were the only ones who promoted awareness through peaceful demonstration. Something that the members of the extreme left have been incapable of doing for the most part. Most recently, white players began to stand in solidarity with their black teammates. Derek Carr placed his arm around Khalil Mack during the National Anthem, and Justin Britt and Jeremy Lane stood next to a Michael Bennett as well. These NFL players seem to be the only people calling for peace and unity. On the other end of the spectrum, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (a black NFL player) honored fallen police officers in Florida by writing the names of 4 fallen officers on his cleats. While the rest of us are squabbling in the streets, creating further racial division amongst people in this country, NFL athletes are acting like the role models we want them to be.

Maybe we can learn something from them.

Pops says:

Daenerys Targaryen of Game of Thrones

Oh, little one.  How innocent you are!

“Bending the knee” is a formal act of submission to a king, queen or lord, a recognition of authority and a demonstration of fealty. It is common for surrendering parties to bend the knee after being defeated in a war or rebellion.

Perhaps some people see rebellion in kneeling in the face of power.  If so, they are mistaken.

This Woman Gets It

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I’m almost at a loss for words.
I’d like to say that this woman is the last sane person in America, but that would be far from the truth. In actuality, I think her message reflects the viewpoints of most American citizens. Those who represent the polar ends of the political spectrum seem to dictate the narrative in this country and it’s not difficult to see why they’ve gained the exposure. Members of the Radical Left and the Radical Right are simply more entertaining to watch, so the media portrays these events as a reflection of the norm. In all reality, most of us are going through life in the way that she described, interacting normally with people of every race. Listen, no one can deny that racism still exists in this country, but that doesn’t mean racism is constantly looming within everyone’s mind. I hate to be lax about this, but some people are just ignorant pricks. We honestly can’t do much to change that, but we should at least identify that these individuals don’t speak for us.

MSM Lies To The American People

How the media lies to BLACK & WHITE people. SHARE!(y) Newly Press for more.

Posted by Newly Press on Friday, August 18, 2017

The most impressive part of this video was her identifying issues that actually concern her as an African American. This really resonated with me, because African Americans aren’t the only ones experiencing these issues, but rather the poor and disenfranchised as a whole. If you don’t think there’s a correlation between proper education, poverty and crime, here’s a link to check out: https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5137. Poor education leads to poverty, poverty leads to crime and the cycle continues. As for this woman, thank you making my Friday. It’s about time that someone sane spoke up for the people.

You Can’t Be a Patriotic Nazi

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Neo Nazis aren’t really known for their intelligence in the first place, but it’s kind of disturbing how skewed their minds really are. It’s not just that they lack any semblance of morality, it’s that most of their beliefs are contradictory. Many of their ideologies are fueled by emotion and are fundamentally illogical. I’m not merely saying this because I disagree with their cause. Most of their beliefs just aren’t in line with one another, period. Here’s a few reasons why:
1. You can’t be a patriotic Nazi in America. While American patriotism is defined by one’s admiration for this country, it’s often associated with supporting the military nowadays. In 1945, the U.S. and Allied Forces put an end to the Nazi Regime. Our ancestors fought and died to free Europe from the shroud of Nazism. So, you can’t really support our armed forces, if you adopt the name of our former enemy. Sorry, you can’t go to Germany either, because they did away with that whole pesky Nazi thing too.

2. While the Alt-Right may share some of the same ultraconservative beliefs as the Nazi Party, their core economic beliefs would be very different. Members of the Alt-Right have adopted conservative economic views, which are Capitalistic in nature. The National Socialist German Workers Party ultimately rejected Capitalism, so they’re kind of messing up on the economic front as well. Looks like these guys should be feeling the Bern.

3. The Nazis despised the Jewish people. They used propaganda to convince German citizens that they were members of a “Master Race” and that Jews were subhuman. Neo-Nazis are still convinced they are members of the “Master Race”, yet they believe that Jewish people are controlling the world. If they were really members of the “Master Race”, then why aren’t they in control? Hmmm. Looks like someone should drop the tiki torches and pick up the Torah.

4. Neo Nazis preach about the sanctity of American virtues, yet are known to attach both the Swastika and Parteiadler to the American Flag. It’s difficult for anyone to say that they love this country, while simultaneously desecrating its flag with either image. Hey, at least these guys know how to sew.

So, aside from the fact that Neo-Nazis and members of the “Alt-Right” state that they’re attempting to protest peacefully, while simultaneously carrying firearms and driving cars into crowds of people, it doesn’t seem that they can hold onto any set of beliefs. I almost feel bad that these people are going through an identity crisis.

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