Would you guys still be able to support the Rockets if they disrespected the flag by kneeling?

I will not like it but I will respect their right to do so.
BTW, WTF is with equating the flag with the military in america?? So if you are against the military, army and weapons and wars you're unpatriotic?
How about being a pacifistic patriot? The flag is supposed to represent a country not it's army?

The reason I won't like it it's not because disrespect but it's because NBA players I feel have much better platforms than some poor barely known NFL players who can get fired any minute and are expendable and seem to be vilified and blacklisted if they make any political comments.
An NBA player if he wants to make a statement he can make his point more loudly and clearly come across by giving an interview at the pre game or after game press. He can explain it in detail like Popovich , Kerr or Lebron did.
Words are more clear than a generic gesture that seems to have been misunderstood by most people right now.
But no matter my preference it's their right for expression.

What countries are that? North Korea, Iran and China?

 

I respect your opinion, but I have many friends and family who are in the military or vets of military service. All are offended by the "kneeling." The social issue is not the point, it is the form of protest. There needs to be another venue, another time. The NFL rulebook forbids what is being done. They enforced many other rules stringently. They are inconsistent and unfair on this one. This is not a freedom of speech issue, it is workplace issue. Regardless of what you and I think, I predict that if the NFL doesn't "fix" this, they are going to lose 25% or more of their business. If the NBA follows suit, they will be hit even harder. The protestors may have good intentions, but they picked the wrong venue.

 

Your last sentence there sort of emphasises the point though you might have missed it. It does represent a country, so follow that logic, if you are protesting against the flag then you are protesting against ?

Umm and the military is what protects the country, they're intrinsically tied to it. And a pacifist patriot is quite literally someone who is being protected by the sacrifice of other people...

 

What do you guys think about the NFL player who apologize for standing up and made his kneeling teammates "look bad"? I think him apologizing made those other guys looked even worse.

 

That is the entire point of the protest.

Police are being caught red handed and not facing any consequences.

Apparent it's not so obvious to some people and that's why the protestors must make those people feel uncomfortable the same way they have been made uncomfortable.

 

It sounds more like you should probably stop watching Alex Jones.

The person here who tried to make the protest not about social issues is you.

If you went to a small village who had never experienced democracy for the first time, I highly, highly doubt that one of the first things you would say when explaining democracy to those people is "oh and sometimes police will shoot you without having a trial."

It goes against the 5th Amendment. Against the constitution, against what police, soldiers, public officials swear that oath to protect.

If you don't think it's worth it to uphold that part of the Constitution then you must not understand what the ideals are that our Constitution is supposed to represent.

Or worse, the thing you did knowingly fight for isn't being reciprocally fulfilled by domestic police.

 

I've skimmed through this thread & here are some of my thoughts on the subject. Like knote32, I also served in the military to protect the rights we have as Americans. Free speech & peaceful protests are among those rights! So I'm not insulted by protesting against racism & police brutality during the national anthem, though I prefer Dallas' method.

Kaepernick started doing it & was joined by a few others. This season , a few teams did it together as a sign of unity on the subject. Well this inspired our potus to proclaim that any SOB NFL athlete that exercises his rights (doesn't stand) during the national anthem should be fired. The NFL's reaction to that tirade proves that sometimes a potus should concentrate more on such things as senate legislation or PR disaster relief instead of whether-or-not athletes can exercise their rights.

Someone mentioned that we elected an actor, so we should be able to elect a businessman as president. The only difference is that Ronnie knew how to act presidential, but Donnie doesn't.

 

Your veteran friends are being selfish and have to much hubris to make a protest that has nothing to do with them an attack on themselves.

They don't own the flag.

 

And so what? How exactly does that make him less patriot?
He also makes other sacrifices and has other duties. Being a doctor saving lives, a teacher , paying his taxes etc.
Patriotism is not only waging wars and protecting the country. Patriotism is also protecting freedom, raising educated and good kids who uphold the ideals of your country, creating art that inspires your nation.
I can't understand at all. In my country all men go to the army and women don't. I have never in my life come across a situation where my opinion on what offends me nationally ,as a woman who hasn't gone to the army, is deemed less important than former soldiers. But now I see former army members say "that offends me" or not like their opinion matters more than other americans. Arent you all citizens? The flag isn't only for the army. It's also for PEACE and freedom.
There are heroes at the fields of the war and there are countless other everyday heroes in peaceful life.

You may doubt what they protest against or not understand it, but it's their right to do so. And it's wrong and against human rights to deny them their right to express their opinion as long as it is in a peaceful manner.

 

No, patriotism is none of those things, you don't get to reinvent the meaning of a word to suit your agenda.

Please consult a dictionary if you're struggling with it, it's not particularly complex, nor does it have multiple meanings.

 

Patriotism is a greek rooted word and it means attachment to homeland. Instead of me reinventing it it seems it's you who have it wrong.
And guess what. It's not only about the army.

I find it ridiculous that I'm here arguing right now that someone being a soldier doesn't make them more or less patriot than other citizens and more entitled to an opinion on what is offensive nationally or not.

 

People take a knee during games when someone is hurt, the Athletes are feeling our country is hurt, and making a point about racism.

Free speech is what it is, you can not like it, but hopefully you are b****ing about those nazis too.

DD

 

Didnt vote because while I do think its disrespectful, I'll never let politics take away my love for the Rockets or sports in general.

 

Yes

 

It's not about making people feel uncomfortable. Normal citizens aren't feeling uncomfortable. Military men are insulted the most by this chosen venue of protest. Normal citizens calling it as they see it, stupid.. a giant facepalm for the country thats going to cause more division.

They choose the one venue to send a message that insults the one group who represents equality the most- the ones who actually risk their lives for it. Goodjob dummies, and goodjob for setting equality back further by doing so.

NFL players choosing such a foolish path for this 'protest' isn't going to bring more awareness to equality. IT WILL bring more awareness to the real #1 issue currently facing the NFL though: Brain damage

 

I wouldn’t stop watching, but I don’t believe they’ll do this whenever they say they’re gonna do something as a team in response to Donald.

 

Depends...

Intention is most important.

How you feel about it is probably as important.

But when you said kneeling = disrespecting (something dear to you), you are making an assumption of the intention. It's not necessary true and I would bet, if it does happen, it's not true. An NBA organization isn't that crazy. Whatever the case, your feeling might be hurt and you might be angry if that's how you view it.

As for me, I care less about how I feel, something I believe I can directly manage, but more about the intention behind the kneeling.


Recent related events...
- the mass kneeling in sports was a reaction to Trump... absolutely not about disrespecting the flag
- the no-one-care-about kneeling from Kaepernick was a respect for a veteran (prior to meeting Boyer, he sat instead of kneel)

 

Why can't you grasp the concept that the veterans and service mrmbers who chose to make this into an attack on themselves are being selfish and are displaying far too much h hubris. They KNOW it has nothing g to do with them.

It's all about "Me! Me!". It's rather pathetic.

 

So anyway, how 'bout them Knicks?