You lost me here and you may be confusing yourself as well. A binary involves two things or parts. You used the word four times in this paragraph and I still can’t figure out what binary you’re referring to. Whether there is or isn’t racism? That should be beyond dispute. Are you saying that there is continual progress and regression regarding race relations? That’s obvious too, and it would appear we’re massively regressing. Why? Because it’s an election year of course. Time for the overwhelmingly white national media, who live in overwhelmingly segregated neighborhoods, to do what they do best: Manipulate black communities into seeing whites as the bogeyman. People are so scared they're mistaking outdoor gym equipment and garage pull ropes for nooses. Is there any rationale for this fear? Well Jesse Jackson himself once said: "There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then I look around and see someone white and feel relieved." Who knew race-baiters could be racist towards their own race? But for these people, the ends justify the means. In Rules For Radicals, Alinsky said “Never let a crisis go to waste.” So we’re going to continually see national headlines filled with white women calling the cops on black men or white-owned businesses refusing service to black customers over dress codes, while ignoring real news like the skyrocketing shootings since the George Floyd protests. 111 shootings in Minneapolis? Not important. 125 shootings in NYC and over a dozen dead? Local news. 78 shot, 11 dead in Chicago in one weekend, with 212 black homicides since the beginning of the year? Let’s get some more of those viral ‘Karen’ videos. I could go on, but this should highlight how shameful and despicable the national media is in framing race relations. Admit it you were as confused by that last paragraph as I was. This is awkward but your post doesn't imply this because it wasn't your post I was quoting or responding to. So the tradeoff is worth it? I’m not even talking about the minority-owned businesses that were looted, vandalized, burglarized, and damaged during these protests. I'm talking about the skyrocketing shootings and deaths that have occurred as a result of the protests. They're not worthy of national headlines? What about dying at the hands of a gang member or a drug dealer is more tolerable to a community or country than someone dying at the hands of police? Or what about being killed at the hands of police officers makes someone’s life more noble than someone killed by a random stranger? You don’t need to answer any of this, these are all rhetorical questions. I know it’s an election year. Looks like we agree. I’m glad Senator Tim Scott also takes this seriously and came up with a Police Reform Bill. Of course it’s an election year so the bill was blocked; we can’t be having solutions before November. Let’s exploit this situation for a few more months.
No wonder you can't see anything. It must be really, really dark when you have your head shoved that far up your ass.
italiancbr, Your faux concern is bullshit and every argument you are making is disingenuous. I have no desire to engage with your crap.
Circling back to the USMNT team dynamic, if a player isn’t supportive of what a large majority of his teammates are struggling with / advocating for, perhaps he shouldn’t be part of the team. if the team collectively decides to kneel, everyone should kneel, no?
I'd say that just as kneeling isn't a statement against military personnel, standing does not mean that one supports police brutality. I'm against shaming those who kneel, and I'd also be against shaming those who stand.
its not about shaming, if that wasn’t clear. It’s about solidarity as a team. Not different than wearing a patch in remembrance of someone lost or the tragedy of 9/11.
The more and more, I want to “save” the country against itself. The more and more I realize, we might want to start collaborating on a peaceful divorce before it erupts into civil war and mass murder. We have become two nations. The Right wants to hold onto its culture, traditions, history, constitution, and so forth. The Right wants to also move past these racial conflicts, and believes they are regressive. Principally, the Right firmly believes capitalism and founded in Judeo-Christian principles. The Left is against the country’s history, traditions, culture, etc. Identity politics are at the forefront of the left’s consciousness. And it fundamentally wants to transform the nation - particularly towards socialism. The Left can proclaim atheism as their way of life. At this point, I’d give y’all the Pacific Coast and the New England states. We’d take the southeast and the heartland. We take Alaska, y’all take Hawaii and the territories. We’ll stand for anthem. Y’all can kneel for yours. We will do away with race as a social construct, choosing to live in a color blind society. Y’all can reverse the social order where black people are the racial group in power and white people must atone for their skin color. Y’all can live in your socialist utopia, and we will preserve the American way of life. It might seem extreme, but it might need to be considered before a lot of people get hurt trying to fight for the soul of the nation. Is that something we could agree on?
How about wearing a Black Lives Matter patch while also allowing for those who want to stand? That way we could tackle an issue that needs addressed directly while also allowing room for those who still hold to standing for the anthem.
As long as the team does it together, I'm good. If I ruled the world, we'd have an separate and additional anthem that specifically addresses #EnoughIsEnough.
This is an embarrassing take where you've draped yourself in virtue and demonized everyone who believes that America needs to evolve where the state stops murdering its citizens. Here's an article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/three-north-carolina-police-officers-fired-racial-slurs-video/. In this instance, I would like for them and others who think this way to leave my country asap. By the way, in 20 years time, all of the coastal states (with the probable exception of Alabama and Mississippi) will be far more progressive than they are now. Even Texas will become blue but perhaps certain people can move to Alabama and Mississippi. Not sure why anyone would agree to a split now. We do know that the blue national soccer team would be far far better however.....
I think we'll be good on that front. The hypothetical is something to think about, but I'd bet on this particular group acting together.
It’s odd to be accused of virtue signaling when the primary tactic of the Left is virtue signaling. I did not try to drape myself in virtue. I pointed out that we are becoming so different that I don’t see how we can ever come back to center. I can call out bad behavior when I see it - even if it comes from my side. But I’m still waiting to hear you call out the bad behaviors on “your side.” Not a word about the riots and violence that has become rampant throughout the country. I think a lot more people have had enough of these “progressive” agendas than you think. Just these progressives have done better at censoring dissenting opinions. I can’t argue that the Left’s soccer team might be better. But the capitalist country is always going to be overall more successful than a socialist country.
I have no idea why Big Soccer wants to continue to provide a platform this kind of crap. It really doesn't belong here. You can go to Facebook, Twitter, Parler, Discord, 8kun, and countless other platforms to call for your race war. Please utilize those.
You've gone off the deep end. You're assuming that people who don't agree with you are socialist atheist un-American are against all of the nation's history and traditions The vast majority of people who want change believe little of this. FYI - the heart of domestic and global capitalism is in NYC nowhere near the "heartland". BTW, riots and violence are bad. full stop. They've been caused because its a time of change where the people feel that the system is broken and in some important ways, they're right. I think the majority of people causing trouble aren't actually part of the protests but people taking advantage of unrest. The economic damage will largely be covered by insurance. They're not as structurally important as a police force that's lost sight of its clear mission: to protect and serve. Do those NC policemen believe in a color-blind society? You are welcome to them. At the end, if you decide not to root for the USMNT, that's your choice. What sport will you follow, if at all? NASCAR? Golf? Lacrosse? Corn-hole?
Educate me if I’m wrong... But changing the anthem, kneeling to the anthem, tearing down this and that institution, disbanding/defunding the police, rioting, looting... how is that not socialist? The Left today, at least from my personal perspective, are only a razor thin line away from becoming Bolsheviks. I’m willing to listen if I’m off. But it screams socialism to me.
You have no idea what socialism actually is. None of that has anything at all to do with socialism. Maybe take a break and go read a book.
You're way off, @Eleven Bravo. You're hearing a primal scream from people who are hurting and are tired of being treated as second-class citizens. They want and demand change and quite frankly are entitled to it. The police system hasn't changed for the better despite decades of evidence that it lost its way and it's only through this type of radical action that creates change. That's sad but true that any other type of advocacy has been dismissed - I would hope you'd understand that. If we as a society had listened and changed earlier, we wouldn't be in the situation we're in now. Are there elements that want anarchy and socialism? Sure but that's like saying that all Republicans are KKK members. Yet, you've focused on just that element. People who want change are less looking to tear down the system but rather to improve it dramatically. Will the pendulum swing too far the other way? Yep - but that's in reaction to how far it's been pushed to the "Right"
socialism is simply one way to organize an economy. Nothing more and nothing less. It is not a scary boogyman basket in which you throw every single thing and person that you are afraid of.