How many will follow Coventry and QPR’s lead?

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Should players take the knee?

  • Yes

    Votes: 41 37.3%
  • No

    Votes: 69 62.7%

  • Total voters
    110








sant andreu

Active member
Dec 18, 2011
241
After a while it becomes part of the routine and perhaps lots of people won't even notice. But some people will look and think 'oh yes, the anti-racism thing', and we are reminded that, as a whole, our society doesn't tolerate racism.

There's a lot to be said for costless, simple reminders of what is decent and expected. In other areas of daily life, people are reminded about keeping things clean; at the start of football matches, we're reminded that racism is a problem to be driven out.

If they stop doing it now, looking back it will seem like much of it amounted to an empty gesture. Instead, by continuing indefinitely, it becomes much more meaningful. What reasons are there not to keep on with it?
 


Giraffe

VERY part time moderator
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Aug 8, 2005
27,225
I don’t agree with bringing politics into sport, and that’s it. I go to football to enjoy football, not to watch a protest.

It has been very clear that the BLM movement has done more harm than good in this country, and it really should have been left alone. It certainly should not have carried into this season.

I wouldn’t mind betting most of the players are also now fed up with it. Warburton suggested as much by saying they need to be told what to do. Why would they, unless they didn’t really want to do it anymore?
 














BN41Albion

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2017
6,828


Food for thought


Saw this last week watching The NFL Show. Certainly food for thought and you absolutely have to respect his viewpoint.

Imo it's becoming a bit like the Clap for Carers towards the last few weeks or so of it. People appearing in doorways to clap just to keep up appearances rather than it actually being meaningful
 


Saunders

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2017
2,296
Brighton
Hounding out people who don't kneel in respect (this is not taking the knee) just undermines it. If you force it on teams through some guilt complex then it means nothing.

Also being supportive of change for equality doesn't make you part of a BLM movement organisation any more than supporting free healthcare makes you a communist
 


GT49er

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 1, 2009
49,183
Gloucester
Saw this last week watching The NFL Show. Certainly food for thought and you absolutely have to respect his viewpoint.

Imo it's becoming a bit like the Clap for Carers towards the last few weeks or so of it. People appearing in doorways to clap just to keep up appearances rather than it actually being meaningful

The clapping in doorways was not about just keeping up appearances - what a fatuous idea. For people like myself, living alone and shielding, it was the only human contact of any kind that I had. It was a god-send, a lifeline. But it ended, quite rightly, when it had run its course. Just like taking the knee has run its course.
The only difference is that people weren't going round with pitchforks to residents in their street who didn't come out and clap.
 




BN41Albion

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2017
6,828
The clapping in doorways was not about just keeping up appearances - what a fatuous idea. For people like myself, living alone and shielding, it was the only human contact of any kind that I had. It was a god-send, a lifeline. But it ended, quite rightly, when it had run its course. Just like taking the knee has run its course.
The only difference is that people weren't going round with pitchforks to residents in their street who didn't come out and clap.

I honestly didn't mean for all, I meant for some, just like undoubtably some players kneeling now are only doing it because they feel they have to rather than wanting to. Of course for many the clap for carers was a god send, as you say, but it stopped at the right time, as the kneel should do now really.
 


Mr Banana

Tedious chump
Aug 8, 2005
5,491
Standing in the way of control
After a while it becomes part of the routine and perhaps lots of people won't even notice. But some people will look and think 'oh yes, the anti-racism thing', and we are reminded that, as a whole, our society doesn't tolerate racism.

There's a lot to be said for costless, simple reminders of what is decent and expected. In other areas of daily life, people are reminded about keeping things clean; at the start of football matches, we're reminded that racism is a problem to be driven out.

If they stop doing it now, looking back it will seem like much of it amounted to an empty gesture. Instead, by continuing indefinitely, it becomes much more meaningful. What reasons are there not to keep on with it?

Being an old white dinosaur who sees the smallest of gestures as "too much", "opening a can of worms" and an existential threat. Only one demographic is giving it the tedious "where will it all end?" crap over this. Fortunately it's not the one that's going to ultimately bring about societal change.
 


MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,873
I'm not sure I follow Warburton's supposed logic. He was very careful not to use the OPs argument (that it's a meaningless gesture and it marred his enjoyment of Strictly/Soccer Aid/BGT) and instead said he was confused by the lack of direction. Literally every other club in the country has no problem with this. Kneel if you want to - it's really not hard.
 




sant andreu

Active member
Dec 18, 2011
241
Kneeling at the start of football matches won't stop racism. Nothing on its own can do that. For racism to be eventually eroded away, it'll require some combination of many different factors.

Which way forward would be more likely to contribute as one of those factors: a, going back to 'normal', or b, making it something that's always done? I don't know for sure, but I'd guess option b.
 


Durlston

"You plonker, Rodney!"
Jul 15, 2009
10,017
Haywards Heath
I was dumbfounded when I saw the Everton and West Brom players take the knee during a minute's silence for the murdered 23-year-old lad who was stabbed to death in Birmingham by, erm......:facepalm:

The point has been made. Stop it now!
 


AlastairWatts

Active member
Nov 1, 2009
500
High Wycombe
I am still not over people who said that they would listen to peaceful protest there should be no violence feeling the need to contact ofcom about a dance routine. Everything is sorted folks. Move along.

If they didn't like it all TVs now come with an on/off button which is pretty easy to use.
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,692
The Fatherland
Delete. Duplicate post.
 




Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,692
The Fatherland
I have always thought Warburton thinks he’s a hell of a lot smarter than he actually is. This incident, and especially the clumsy
ill-thought-out explanation, demonstrate this.
 


The Lego Stand

New member
Jul 5, 2020
89
Never understood it in the first place, keep all that rubbish away from sport. It's totally futile and meaningless. It's not as Britain and indeed football is a hotbed of racism, we are one of the most tolerant countries in the world. I suppose with no crowds allowed at present the only consolation is we won't have to endure that 'rainbow laces' rubbish that was inflicted on us last year.
 


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