Isn't that the very definition of political correctness? Besides, who is to say what an appropriate protest is for her? It's not your decision how she protests and it is not her responsibility to make sure everyone finds the way she does it appropriate. That's why it is called freedom of expression.
no cuz we r not like china, we like people to immigrate n come in n do what they can for their livelihood. yao ming n other chinese player like wang zhu zhu are free to come but am I free to go to china n start my own businss?
this kind of questiong is naive, nobody is free to come to america from china , so when nba see yao ming n wang that they can make alot of money from they invite them here , when they see any other wealthy chinese business man yes they are welcome to coem to america, but if they are poor , uneducated they are not welcome. chinese need a visa to travel to america just like the american need a visa to travel to china . u know u should ask one of the american closest allies , japan this question , are u free to go to japan n start a business!! since japan dont allow immigrate.
It's not just me, she's obviously giving a lot of people the wrong impression. If she doesn't mind being misunderstood and labeled an "America Hater", then that's up to her. Although, I think the vast majority of people out there would agree that turning your back on the flag is more than just an anti-war protest. I'm just glad this story came out once the season was over, because if this media frenzy was going on for months, I fear for the girls safety. There's bound to be some wacko out there. In that case, it <i>would</i> be her problem. Also, another reason it's not "her problem" is because she plays at a no-name division III school, and the ramifications of her protest is almost nonexistent. If she played basketball at a large division I school, it <i>would</i> be her problem, her coach's problem, her team's problem, and her university's problem. Under different circumstances, her actions could cause a lot of damage.
From today's NYTimes: Player's Protest Over the Flag Divides Fans By BILL PENNINGTON PURCHASE, N.Y., Feb. 25 — It was the smallest of gestures inside the tiniest of college basketball gymnasiums, a half-revolution of the body that had gone unnoticed for months. But a few weeks ago, people at Manhattanville College's women's basketball games began to recognize that the senior guard Toni Smith would quietly turn her back to the American flag during the pregame playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," a silent protest, they learned, of America's potential involvement in an Iraqi war. In that context, it soon was no longer a small step or a simple turn. Smith's noiseless protest led to a clamorous, sellout crowd for a game inside Manhattanville's 50-year-old, 300-seat, cinder block gym tonight in the middle of the college's leafy campus 25 miles north of New York City. It brought 15 protesters outside the college's main gate waving flags and placards, and a retinue of police officers and security guards to watch them. It attracted 20 photographers and a handful of national television cameramen who encircled the Manhattanville bench to get a glimpse of Smith as she turned her back and stared at the floor. It brought chants of "U.S.A.!" from a small band inside the gym and it brought louder, more vociferous chanting — "We love Toni!" — from a larger group at the other end of the gym. Minutes before the game was to begin, it moved one fan to yell, "You're a disgrace!" Which moved another fan to yell back, "You're an idiot!" Smith did not alter her routine, but after the game she chose for the first time to explain her actions. "I never meant this to be a public statement," said Smith, a 21-year-old sociology major raised on Manhattan's Upper West Side. "I did it for my own self-respect and conscience. My stance is not a personal attack on Vietnam veterans or any war veterans. I know the flag represents people who have died for this country and I support them. But the flag means different things to everyone. "A lot of people blindly stand up and salute the flag, but I feel that blindly facing the flag hurts more people. There are a lot of inequities in this country, and these are issues that needed to be acknowledged. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and our priorities are elsewhere." In a written statement Smith released five days ago, she made reference to the potential for a war in Iraq as part of the reason for her protest. Today, she did not mention war, although it was clearly in the minds of the small band that congregated on campus. "Not respecting the flag is disrespecting your country and all the people who died for it," said Kirt Sloan, 22, of Armonk, who attended the game, sat in the balcony overlooking the court and booed Smith when she was introduced. Sloan said his father was a Vietnam veteran. "You can disagree with the government's policies but not the symbols that every American should stand for. She could have protested in other ways that wouldn't insult veterans. Especially now, when our soldiers are getting ready to go to war again." College officials said they had received a flood of e-mail messages and calls, many in support of Smith's stand and the college's support of her right to express herself. "But there are many who would like to see us all arrested," Mary Corrarino, Manhattanville's vice president for student affairs, said of the response the college has received. In a game at Manhattanville on Sunday, Jerry Kiley of Garnerville ran onto the court and confronted Smith with an American flag. After the game, Kiley, who said he was a Vietnam vet, told reporters, "She has not earned the right to disrespect the flag." The Manhattanville president, Richard A. Berman, said he supported Smith's right to express her opinion because it was done in a quiet and dignified way. "It is not about the flag to us," Berman said. "We support our troops, but I think it is healthy to have kids on college campuses expressing their views. That's where the energy comes from." Smith's teammates today universally professed their support for Smith, though they did not say they agreed with her views. Indeed, college officials have indicated there was some discord over Smith's on-court protest earlier in the season, but after a lengthy team meeting it was decided the team could focus on its collective commitment to the basketball season, and to Smith as a teammate. "We've been to a lot of places in the last few weeks and Toni has been taunted and people have said nasty things to her," said the team's captain, Latasha Carlos of Brooklyn. "I couldn't have taken it. I probably would have cried. But Toni was poised and so composed. I'm so proud of her." Manhattanville won today's game, 67-51, against the United States Merchant Marine Academy. When Manhattanville played at Kings Points on Feb. 11, hundreds of cadets jeered Smith, waving flags and booing whenever she touched the ball. Today, in the 10-minute news conference she conducted after the game, Smith, who scored 4 points and had 8 rebounds in the game, thanked the fans for the support she had received at home games. But she was booed by a faction of the fans today, even at home, for the early parts of the game. About a dozen fans turned their backs to the court when Smith attempted free throws. And she faced persistent questions about whether a protest that could be construed as antiwar was prudent when the United States may be on the eve of war. Asked by a television reporter if she thought her protest was giving solace to or empowering Saddam Hussein, Smith stoically answered, "I doubt Saddam Hussein is watching me right now." Smith insisted her stance was not rooted in any specific personal belief. "My Manhattanville education has opened my eyes to many things," she said. "And that includes values learned as a part of a basketball team. We are still together and playing better and better. That may not be the story that brought everyone here tonight, but it could be." Manhattanville has a 17-9 record. Its next game, the semifinals of the Skyline Conference, is at home Thursday.
Jeez, guys I'm not saying her first ammendment rights should be revoked. Just stating the fact that a HUGE amount of people are taking her protests wrong, and if she doesn't want to be labeled as someone who hates America, if she doesn't want to have to answer to the media about what her protest means, if she doesn't want to distract her entire basketball team, etc., she should find a better way to protest her views. <b>Nowhere</b> do I say she should be forced to stop. Basically, with the ridiculous media frenzy (which is the real culprit here), I think her controversial protest could, under different circumstances, have more serious repurcussions than y'all are giving it credit for. That's just my opinion.
Which is precisely my point! I could never tell whether the girl knew exactly what she was doing, or if she was just clueless as to the seriousness of her particular protest. It appears that the girl just didn't realize her protest is generally considered <b>much</b> more controversial than her actual views. She clearly stated she didn't want this, which is why I maintain she should have been more careful, and found a better way to more accurately express herself.
I despise the current government we have in Australia, they follow Bush blindly, ignore social issues like education and health and are screwing the whole reconcilliation process with the Aboriginal people. But i still want to live where i live. 3 cheers for here for expressing her opinion.
I noticed there are no free elections here in the BBS, We're beaten down and we don't even know it Somebody needs to protest.
How?? protest is about being effective and getting attention and media coverage. she dislikes the current policies of the current US government Smith is protesting "that the government's priorities are not on bettering the quality of life for all of its people, but rather on expanding its own power.'' She has turned away from the flag all season. Never has she said she hates America. Seems like a great way of protesting
Deadly serious. I think she is simply mis-behaving. I didn't say she was a bad American; I think she exercised poor judgement. I think her protests (and virtually all protests of this sort) are short-sighted. We all live under that flag and so we all are abused by her protest alike. I stated that I wished her "discipline" came from her coach not The Feds. Her behavior is adolescent not dangerous. Just because she has a right to do something doesn't make the exercising of that right appropriate or even sensible in any situation of her choosing.
Why do people always equate veterans and soldiers being disrespected when people question war? Soldiers die for our country, but the politicians are the ones that send them there, not the generals. Who ever thinks about the civil protests that make our country the way it is now...the people who were beaten and hosed by law enforcement and treated like criminals for standing up for what they believed in? Who ever thinks of the rights we take for granted that have gradually evolved over time within our borders without ever firing a bullet? Soldiers do not exclusively make what America is today. Even politicians have their share in it. But whenever there are questions about a person's "loyalty" or "nationalism", soldiers appear to be disrespected. It seems like a reactionary sentiment to villainize an opposing voice as against something ideally heroic and courageous. It paints the opposition as ungrateful and cowardly. And it defeats the purpose to why our soldiers shed their blood for their country in the first place. These men voluntarily fight and defend our land for the sake of preserving our rights and freedoms. But there are many others who have fought for the same ideals with different means. Calling our country 'great' without truly thinking why it's great in the first place makes our soldiers sacrifices seem hollow and meaniningless.
The BBC is infamous for it's shady sources. LOL Where are your sources? Or are your hallucinations more credible than the BBC?
Can someone remind me again...is a country defined by a line on a map, or by the ideals it represents?
Possible alternative interpretations... 1) She doesn't feel that the governement accurately represents the common will. 2) She feels that popular will and right are not synonomous...
