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Wide recceivers Chris Moore and Breshad Perriman of the Baltimore Ravens kneel in prayer prior to kickoff during the NFL match between The Jacksonville Jaguars and The Baltimore Ravens at Wembley Stadium on September 24, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo: Mitchell Gunn/Getty Images)
With #TakeaKnee going viral on Sunday as NFL players push back against threats by President Donald Trump, those who support the president's position that professional athletes--and especially black or brown professional athletes--should just do as they are told and not speak their minds were infecting the social media hashtag with a variety of racist and otherwise ill-considered arguments about why "millionaire players" shouldn't have or express political views. (Also, it's all about the flag and misguided pro-war patriotism, aka freedom.)
Here are ten tweets chosen not at random to help refute at least a little bit of the circulating hatefulness and wrongheadedness:
\u201c(1) Right-wing backlash against #TakeTheKnee very much about setting limits in US for how our rights "should" be exercised, and by whom.\u201d— Christian Christensen (@Christian Christensen) 1506264886
\u201cKaep kneeled to call attention to the systemic racism in our criminal justice system, Trump wants to silence protest to racism! #TakeAKnee https://t.co/biZh4mCIl0\u201d— ColorOfChange (@ColorOfChange) 1506262752
\u201cNFL players aren't protesting the anthem, they're protesting police brutality. That's like saying hunger strikes are against food #TakeAKnee\u201d— Orli Matlow (@Orli Matlow) 1506193961
\u201cStatement from Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin. Maybe my favorite response thus far.\u201d— Dave Zirin (@Dave Zirin) 1506206469
\u201cNFL players who #TakeAKnee are sons of Justice, taking their place in the river of resistance that has brought us thus far on our way.\u201d— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II) 1506217709
\u201cDon't confuse #TakeAKnee for disrespect. Respect and love for America doesn't require blindness to its failures. https://t.co/UMAYWNgzsC\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1506267532
\u201cPretty interesting how in commentary about NFL protests "our troops" are presumed to be white and have no personal stake in racial equality.\u201d— Adam Serwer \ud83c\udf5d (@Adam Serwer \ud83c\udf5d) 1506254081
\u201cFunny how "making millions of dollars" excludes you from commenting on US when you're black, but enables you when you're white. #TakeTheKnee https://t.co/9YCvYe7tqO\u201d— Christian Christensen (@Christian Christensen) 1506251018
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With #TakeaKnee going viral on Sunday as NFL players push back against threats by President Donald Trump, those who support the president's position that professional athletes--and especially black or brown professional athletes--should just do as they are told and not speak their minds were infecting the social media hashtag with a variety of racist and otherwise ill-considered arguments about why "millionaire players" shouldn't have or express political views. (Also, it's all about the flag and misguided pro-war patriotism, aka freedom.)
Here are ten tweets chosen not at random to help refute at least a little bit of the circulating hatefulness and wrongheadedness:
\u201c(1) Right-wing backlash against #TakeTheKnee very much about setting limits in US for how our rights "should" be exercised, and by whom.\u201d— Christian Christensen (@Christian Christensen) 1506264886
\u201cKaep kneeled to call attention to the systemic racism in our criminal justice system, Trump wants to silence protest to racism! #TakeAKnee https://t.co/biZh4mCIl0\u201d— ColorOfChange (@ColorOfChange) 1506262752
\u201cNFL players aren't protesting the anthem, they're protesting police brutality. That's like saying hunger strikes are against food #TakeAKnee\u201d— Orli Matlow (@Orli Matlow) 1506193961
\u201cStatement from Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin. Maybe my favorite response thus far.\u201d— Dave Zirin (@Dave Zirin) 1506206469
\u201cNFL players who #TakeAKnee are sons of Justice, taking their place in the river of resistance that has brought us thus far on our way.\u201d— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II) 1506217709
\u201cDon't confuse #TakeAKnee for disrespect. Respect and love for America doesn't require blindness to its failures. https://t.co/UMAYWNgzsC\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1506267532
\u201cPretty interesting how in commentary about NFL protests "our troops" are presumed to be white and have no personal stake in racial equality.\u201d— Adam Serwer \ud83c\udf5d (@Adam Serwer \ud83c\udf5d) 1506254081
\u201cFunny how "making millions of dollars" excludes you from commenting on US when you're black, but enables you when you're white. #TakeTheKnee https://t.co/9YCvYe7tqO\u201d— Christian Christensen (@Christian Christensen) 1506251018
With #TakeaKnee going viral on Sunday as NFL players push back against threats by President Donald Trump, those who support the president's position that professional athletes--and especially black or brown professional athletes--should just do as they are told and not speak their minds were infecting the social media hashtag with a variety of racist and otherwise ill-considered arguments about why "millionaire players" shouldn't have or express political views. (Also, it's all about the flag and misguided pro-war patriotism, aka freedom.)
Here are ten tweets chosen not at random to help refute at least a little bit of the circulating hatefulness and wrongheadedness:
\u201c(1) Right-wing backlash against #TakeTheKnee very much about setting limits in US for how our rights "should" be exercised, and by whom.\u201d— Christian Christensen (@Christian Christensen) 1506264886
\u201cKaep kneeled to call attention to the systemic racism in our criminal justice system, Trump wants to silence protest to racism! #TakeAKnee https://t.co/biZh4mCIl0\u201d— ColorOfChange (@ColorOfChange) 1506262752
\u201cNFL players aren't protesting the anthem, they're protesting police brutality. That's like saying hunger strikes are against food #TakeAKnee\u201d— Orli Matlow (@Orli Matlow) 1506193961
\u201cStatement from Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin. Maybe my favorite response thus far.\u201d— Dave Zirin (@Dave Zirin) 1506206469
\u201cNFL players who #TakeAKnee are sons of Justice, taking their place in the river of resistance that has brought us thus far on our way.\u201d— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II) 1506217709
\u201cDon't confuse #TakeAKnee for disrespect. Respect and love for America doesn't require blindness to its failures. https://t.co/UMAYWNgzsC\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1506267532
\u201cPretty interesting how in commentary about NFL protests "our troops" are presumed to be white and have no personal stake in racial equality.\u201d— Adam Serwer \ud83c\udf5d (@Adam Serwer \ud83c\udf5d) 1506254081
\u201cFunny how "making millions of dollars" excludes you from commenting on US when you're black, but enables you when you're white. #TakeTheKnee https://t.co/9YCvYe7tqO\u201d— Christian Christensen (@Christian Christensen) 1506251018