Discussion: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Calls NFL Anthem Protests ‘Dumb And Disrespectful’ (VIDEO)

[kendyzdad]

If you look at my other comment on this page, you’ll see that I am a supporter of Kaepernick’s protests and think that Ginsberg was wrong in her comment. In no way was I saying for you or Kaepernick to be quiet.

And, not for nothing, Ginsberg is Jewish. They may not have had it as bad as African Americans on this continent, but historically I think that they can understand a little about oppression, marginalization and disenfranchisement.

Still, I think she’s wrong in this. Protest is supposed to be disrespectful, and Kaepernick’s “disrespect” has been uniquely successful in moving the conversation forward.

[arrendis]

And at the same time, there’s the common and familiar imagery of athelets coming in and taking a knee to listen attentively to a coach. It means a lot of things to a lot of people.

[nickdanger]

The Notorious RBG can cut both ways. And just because she is on the side of liberal opinion in some things does not mean that she is on the side of liberal opinion in all things. Wonder what she thinks of BLM? Bet it would be a little surprising to some.

[doremus_jessup]

My profile pic was taken at a Buddhist temple in Thailand. I have some great pics, taken in the bar car with a Thai military officer, of a Christmas eve overnight slam-door train trip to southern Thailand. What a party!

[arrendis]

It’s hard to figure why she felt the need to expound on her personal views, though, especially when she punted on the Muslim ban later in the interview, citing the fact that may end up being a case she hears. I’m sure plenty of Republican legislators would love to pass a law forbidding kneeling during the anthem, which could also reach her desk.

Optimism. I think she believes it’d get tossed out in a lower court and SCOTUS would simply refuse to hear the case because it’s plainly illegal to compel a public display of fealty.

[polisong]

I know she’s been a great justice in terms of her written opinions. Sorry. I do wish she hadn’t said this and would speak only through her opinions until she retires. Again, sorry if I was too harsh.

[mmurdoch]

Her comments make sense viewed narrowly and without any compassion or understanding of how the US government and political system has utterly failed its black citizens. Seems to be the same myopic opinion a lot of my fellow white people share. When Ruth gets pulled over in the middle of the night she’s not worried. When she needs help from the police, she just calls them, not worried it’s going to play out badly for her. This is why BLM exists. We’re not listening, and all the promises we’ve made to them are just crap. It would be nice if we were all holding hands around the rainbow, and there wasn’t an us and a them, but that’s not what’s going on.

[boidster]

So basically just don’t protest. Protest loudly, and you’re disruptive, protest quietly and you’re disrespectful. It would be nice if people would spend less time telling us how to protest, and more time figuring out ways to STOP GIVING US THINGS TO PROTEST ABOUT.

Somewhere I heard this as, “stop looking at the finger, look where the finger is pointing.”

[ealleniii]

Disrespect is needed. It is the whole point.

[tomanjeri]

Not often (ever?) I disagree with RBG but she’s wrong here. Fact is people aren’t paying attention to the normal protests and calls for equality and action, so if treading on a respected symbol of this country because this country only respects some of the people rather than all is what it takes to get everyone to pay attention then by all means, it IS a smart move.

[dorado]

why the hell is the national anthem relevant in a commercial sporting event anyway? and “forcing” everyone to stand every time it’s played. i mean it’s not international competition. so tired of knee-jerk patriotism.

what’s next? in a movie theater before a movie starts?

[peteh]

I’d rather someone showed respect for our country’s ideals, then showed respect for a song. Taking a knee during the anthem shows the former.

[tomdibble]

Well, this may be because I am one of said white people, but I do agree with RBG to some extent here. I believe in the cause - violence against black people by those in authority is a major issue that needs to be solved, and to do that we need to tackle endemic and persistent racism. It seems like RBG might not be as supportive of Black Lives Matter, although I might be reading too much into her comments.

However, like RBG I see this series of protests as having been highly counter-productive. It has not increased the visibility of the cause, nor convinced anyone that the cause is more in need of attention. It has given the entire Black Lives Matter movement an anti-patriotic flair, though. That is not good for any movement that seeks to attain social change. Social change in the USA comes from within, and there are strong reflexes against any social change proponents who do not appear to love the basis of the country they are seeking to change.

RBG’s comparison to flag burning is particularly apt. I have never seen any advantage to burning the US flag as protest, because that immediately sets that protester as against what the flag represents to the vast majority of people in this country. Refusing to respect the national anthem is having the same effect.

Anecdote time: I live in a mid-range (neither super-liberal nor super-conservative) area of California, and attend high school football games. The crowd there probably skews more on the conservative end naturally, but not significantly so. Every time the National Anthem has been played for the past month or so, someone in the crowd around me (a different someone each time so far as I can tell) has sniped something like “And look: they all stood for the whole thing!” or “Those boys could teach NBA players a thing or two” or similar, to laughter and overwhelming approval. This is in California, where the BLM movement is not a major touchstone but also is fairly well respected. I can only imagine the reactions in areas with more racial unrest or where BLM is not generally accepted as a positive movement.

All of which is to say, I think this particular protest is backfiring, and RBG as usual hit the nail on the head as to why.

[pluckyinky]

She will retire, but good luck having Hillary get someone better–or even be able to restock the bench. Try to maintain a little perspective and look at her lifetime of service and legal opinions before raking her over the coals

I admit her comments irk the hell out of me, but it sure doesn’t erase her decades of being awesome. Our heroes are no more perfect than the rest of us.

[harrynevus]

If you lost RBG, you lost the battle.

[tomdibble]

Protests are supposed to be disrespectful. If you did them respectfully then they are a petition, not a protest.

Agreed. But you need to be disrespectful to the thing you are protesting, not to something else.

Unless I’m misunderstanding things horribly, the BLM movement wishes to end endemic racism, not to end the USA. By disrespecting the symbols of the United States, the movement is understandably seen as being against the whole shebang, much of which a large majority of us love and treasure.

That is why I’m saying this protest is backfiring: it has missed the mark and is doing more harm than good for the cause.

[pb]

That is her personal opinion. And in a country such as ours with a Constitution such as ours, people are allowed to speak and voice their opinions freely without fear of gov’t interference or censure. God bless America.

[tomdibble]

what’s next? in a movie theater before a movie starts?

Off-topic, but: I grew up an Air Force brat, and on the rare occasions when we went out to see a movie it was almost always to the on-base theater. The National Anthem played before every movie. I was in high school before I realized that wasn’t the norm in all theaters.

I guess the “why” is “because someone thought it would be a good idea” at some point, to play the anthem before every sporting event, large and small, across pretty much every sport. From a psychological perspective, the anthem is supposed to put one in a mind of selflessness / sacrifice for the common good, which is also in line with team sports to some extent. But more than anything, it is because it is.

[addicted4444]

Sadly, this is an issue where she is clearly out of touch with the modern progressive left, and is basically incorrect. It goes to show that sometimes even the most educated and aware individuals forget some of the privilege they are ensconced in.

[baffie2]

RBG is entitled to her opinion. I would say to her, are symbols more important than the meaning they are to represent? Especially when there is discussion about the remaining lyrics of said anthem. How does one square away using the flag on a pole to use as a weapon on a fellow citizen who happens to be of a different race.

Sorry Justice, but it’s not stupid to engage in peaceful protest. I appreciate your stance that these protests are legal. That’s the way it should be.

But people of color and in particular black people, are TIRED. We are TIRED of legalized murder of our people, and excuses being offered about why the murders occur.

I recall when growing up my mother would put out a flag on Memorial day , July 4th, and Veterans day. I asked her why considering what black people experience in this country. She always brought up the fact that we had an ancestor who died in the Civil War fighting for our people’s freedom. And no one was going to take that away from her.

After my mom passed away, that flag never went back up. We just agreed to disagree.