Right, and proposing marriage. Kneeling is a respectful posture.

I am also watching football. Which is going pretty well a the moment. It's weird, because they're piping in (I think) crowd noise, and I keep forgetting that there's no crowd there.

I know this one. It's disrespecting the flag because they say so. They say so, because they're racists, and racists don't like people demonstrating on behalf Black people.

Yeah, that's right. It's just the message that people have a problem with. And by "people" I mean racists.

One of the many, many distressing things that's become clear to me over the past few years is how much white people view Black athletes as a source of entertainment who should just shut up and be entertaining.

The only controversy over kneeling is tough for me. I see no problem with it at all. It seems like a perfectly benign form of protesting something that seems like a serious and very real issue.

But then I know people who it really bothers (like boycott the NFL bothers) even though they seem like perfectly good people who don't seem racist at all. I don't want to say or even think bad things about them, so there's a lot of cognitive dissonance there. Mostly I feel like they've been poisoned by Fox News and other right-wing media.

It's because it draws attention to the kneeler in a sports context. And if you're paying attention you either have to think about why they're kneeling or find a reason to get pissed off. Unfortunately, far too many people choose option #2.

It's a lovely day here, so I'm celebrating by making lasagna.

Happy birthday, BT!

One of the many, many distressing things that's become clear to me over the past few years is how much white people view Black athletes as a source of entertainment who should just shut up and be entertaining.

You see with actors too, regardless of race. Like somehow having a larger platform means you shouldn't have opinions.

My sister is raising her black grandson. The biggest reason I want to meet them is that he is a musical theatre nerd in rural western New York, which I can half relate to.

I am wondering if it makes people think of asking for mercy from the flag, which I think is what makes it so powerful. And it makes them angry.

kneeling is not only taking place during the national anthem anymore though. AND the kneeling during the anthem started at the suggestion of a veteran, because before that CK was just sitting.

If these people do also not have a problem with people TALKING during the anthem, changing the words of the anthem (Chiefs fans), yelling/whopping before the anthem is done (almost every NY sports event I have been to) - then they can STFU and I truly think their OUTRAGE is because they have heard from so many FOX/Hannity/Rush/45 hatemongers that they should be outraged.

And while they may not SEEM like racists - they are supporting and empowering people who are RACIST, so they are fine and fucking dandy with a racist system getting worse. I hate polite racists, speaking well and acting civil is not good enough.