September 27, 2017

2 big problems with "taking a knee" as the new standard form of protest.

1. It's sexist. See the problem:

If you wear a skirt (other than a very long skirt), you can't go down on one knee without creating an upskirt view. It's interesting to me to see that photograph taken with the woman in the short skirt in the most prominent position. She's not in the taking-a-knee position, because she's down on both knees, for the obvious reason. But I don't know how she managed to get into that position without exposing whatever she's wearing under the skirt. Maybe she prepared and — like a figure skater — donned some sort of exposable undershorts. I'm thinking of something like this, but even then, people are going to think it's not intended to be exposed. I'd hate to find myself in some sort of work event — as a lawprof, I usually wore an above-the-knee skirt — and expected to go along with a group activity that put pressure on me to expose myself. It's a disparate burden with an element of sexual harassment.

2. It's ageist and ableist. Look at Sheila Jackson Lee taking the knee at the end of a House speech on the subject of the First Amendment:



She's an older woman — 67 — and I don't know about her health, but it's a long way down for her, and the last 6 inches or so are more of a fall. And to get back up, she pulls on the lectern. It's one thing for professional athletes to go down on one knee, hold the position, and then get back up, but many people are not able to do it easily, gracefully, or without pain. Many cannot do it at all. It's just not an inclusive gesture. Here is this trending expressive activity some people might want to be part of, and they are forced to think about their own physical limitations, which they might feel bad about, but nobody is paying attention to. They may think: Why don't they care about me? Why are they making me expose my weakness?

280 comments:

1 – 200 of 280   Newer›   Newest»
Gahrie said...

I'd hate to find myself in some sort of work event — as a lawprof, I usually wore an above-the-knee skirt —

This was considered professional?

And considering this..why all the hate for the male equivalent of shorts?

Curious George said...

"She's not in the taking-a-knee position, because she's down on both knees, for the obvious reason."

And I'm thankful, for the obvious reason.

traditionalguy said...

Taking a knee is Progressive training borrowed from Sharia Law. Submit, or the Progressive Street will riot. No one crosses the Progressive Street. Except the No Surrender Guys like Trump and Moore.

Kate said...

I think it was Ace who said that the Left has decided to genuflect to our President.

Matt Sablan said...

I don't mind people protesting, but... if the problem is with racism in police... how is taking a knee to the national flag appropriate? Policing is a local, state or city-level problem. Take a knee to the state flag.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

I don't know if it's sexist but it's certainly hilarious. The Left would rather both live and die on it's knees. Trump has to be busting a gut.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Leftists to BLM - screw You.

Now taking the knee = We hate Republicans.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Taking a knee now means- WE SO WANT TO INSTALL CORRUPT LIAR HILLARY. Is there any way?

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Oh geez, disparate impact! Why didn't I think of that?

Abelist I thought of and joked about, but sexism due to disparate impact is better.

Problematics party: go!

Matt Sablan said...

As to the picture: She's wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt, so she's clearly not being coerced into making a unity statement like some people in the NFL may be. So... if she knew this photo op was happening, why wear something that makes taking part in the photo op harder... and if she DID end up forgetting and wearing a skirt... you'd think she'd opt to not be in the front row right by the camera.

SDaly said...

And linking arms? That also seems ableist. The only non-discriminatory form of protest would be to just remain silent and go about your daily life as usual.

Matt Sablan said...

On the bright side, this university protest didn't end in violence or riots. So, good on them.

Bob Ellison said...

Those little flags people wave at 4th of July parades are really inexpensive. We could just buy cartons of them for people who can't or won't take a knee, and then they could just spit on the little flags. That gets the job done without inviting injury.

William said...

I wonder if this will be a thing during the State of the Union speech. Maybe they could combine it with the ice bucket challenge to raise funds for hurricane relief. I think many people would cheerfully fork over big bucks to celebrate their first amendment rights to dump buckets of water on kneeling government figures.

MacMacConnell said...

Michael Brown of Ferguson would still be alive today if only he had taken a knee.

Carter Wood said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fernandinande said...

Wearing a skirt is sexist.

2. It's ageist and ablist.

Just about everything is, but in this case just go back to calling it "kneeling".

campy said...

Nina Burliegh advocated that women take 2 knees to thank Bill Clinton for legal abortion.

bagoh20 said...

Trump is like a powerful psychedelic drug to the left. He makes them completely crazy. If he thought about for a while, he could probably reverse psychology them into repealing Obamacare all by himself through a couple carefully crafted tweets.

"I kneel to stand for..." Sheese.

Brando said...

So upskirts are a bad thing now? Ok, Ayatollah....

Sebastian said...

Kneeling is an odd form of protest against flag and country.

Older women should be glad the left isn't demanding full prostration. Yet.

Carter Wood said...

Matthew Sablan said...
I don't mind people protesting, but... if the problem is with racism in police... how is taking a knee to the national flag appropriate? Policing is a local, state or city-level problem. Take a knee to the state flag.

Or city flag. From 2014, Happy 50th Birthday, St. Louis City Flag!

Sebastian said...

Calling kneeling sexist is just a way to nag men into being more caring and empathetic.

bagoh20 said...

Communications 101: If you want to make sure a man gets your message, write it on your panties and wear a skirt.

TRISTRAM said...

I suppose they could simply change to giving us the finger. It amounts to the same thing.

Ralph L said...

I'll take your knee, and your little dog, too.

1 big problem with starting a headline with a numeral.

tcrosse said...

The hard part is getting back up.

Laslo Spatula said...

Protest Kneeling is a Gateway Drug.

I am Laslo.

damikesc said...

It's also an act of SUBMISSION, not resistance.

AllenS said...

I see a chance to make a killing manufacturing political knee pads.

tcrosse said...

This is where a pantsuit comes in handy.

Laslo Spatula said...

The return of Wounded Knee.

I am Laslo.

urbane legend said...

Actions have consequences. Representative Lee made the decision to get down on one knee. She knows how old she is. If she didn't consider how to stand back up, too bad. She didn't appear to have any problem getting up.

kevino said...

Isn't it great that Georgetown is kneeling before AG Sessions?

Elizabeth said...

I'm reminded of the Lion's song in Wizard of Oz:

"Each rabbit would show respect to me,
The chipmunks genuflect to me..."

Static Ping said...

Now I have an image of an upskirt view of Sheila Jackson Lee.

I now also have a headache.

tim in vermont said...

That's why on Thursday night in Green Bay, you're all going to be pressured to link arms in "unity" with BLM.

Laslo Spatula said...

If a student protests his Professor's kneeling by kneeling in class what will be the outcome?

I am Laslo.

Ken B said...

Going in a group to "take a knee" when *nothing else is going on* is completely unlike taking a knee *when the anthem is playing*. However if the former is meant as a sign of disrespect -- which it surely is -- then it's hard to deny the latter is also disrespectful.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

It's sexist.

No True Scottsman would find it sexist.

tim in vermont said...

Because injustice and reasons like that. No safe spaces for you!

Quayle said...

"They may think: Why don't they care about me? Why are they making me expose my weakness?"

Answer:

Feeding pride comparisons to assure and confirm that "we" are better than "them" trumps all other considerations.

It trumps love.

It trumps reason.

It trumps your feelings as an individual of that "we".

It trumps national unity.

It trumps the good and benefits of cooperation.

It trumps logic.

It trumps truth.

It trumps compassion.

It trumps opportunities to agree on something.

It trumps......all.

PB said...

Liberalism has often been described as a religion. They say the same words they coerce others to say the same words at the risk of being shunned. Now they're kneeling on command?

What next? Special kneeling pads? Expand this from kneeling at the national anthem to kneeling at specified times during the day?

Quayle said...

(I guess it also trumps adherence to the Althouse "no spaces" policy.)

Fernandinande said...

Laslo Spatula said...
Protest Kneeling is a Gateway Drug.


Gateway position.

Over 90% of people with bad posture have previously knelt down.

tcrosse said...

Kneeling at every opportunity is responsive to the needs of women, minorities, and the LGBTQ community.

tim in vermont said...

"And considering this..why all the hate for the male equivalent of shorts?"

Yeesh! Are you arguing against skirts? Let me explain it to you, shut up!

Matt Sablan said...

I think if some blue state/city mayor or governor accuses Trump's policies of being racist, he should tell them to get their house in order first, and cite all the racism in local offices that constantly gets reported.

chickelit said...

Kneelers are just aping a second-rate QB who first did it to curry favor with his girlfriend. When is the left going to get woke about that?

Original Mike said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Original Mike said...

They briefly considered standing on their heads, but three quarters of the steering committee couldn't do it.

Fernandinande said...

"The most devout pilgrims, including old women, used to crawl about two miles on their knees to the shrine, according to Bustamante. Some went directly from the church to the hospital to repair their damaged knees" rather than complain about ageism and sexism.

Ken B said...

AA is right. We need a less sexist, less ableist way to express the same thought and idea as taking the knee. Most people can sneer. I suggest people just take a sneer. Same message, less problematic.

PB said...

Will those who claim this is about Unity for people's freedom of speech rights not take a knee to support those who want to stand up for the national anthem?

Fernandinande said...

chickelit said...
Kneelers are just aping


Dat racis'!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Take a knee for corrupt Hillary

Fernandinande said...

Ken B said...
Most people can sneer. I suggest people just take a sneer.


That's facist!

tcrosse said...

Take a knee to the groin for corrupt Hillary

glenn said...

Ya know, if the protestors really want news coverage they should make the whole front row at every protest long legged hotties in cheerleader outfits. Snort, snort.

Sarc/off

alan markus said...

I think what I mentioned the other day could be a solution to the skirt problem and the feminists could latch on to the current SJW outrage for their own purposes. It's not really about BLM anymore, anyway.

Raising the Skirt - Reclaim Your Cunt. Reclaim Our Cunt

bagoh20 said...

What would happen if Trump tweeted: "I'm told that everyone on the left is kneeling because of me. I appreciate the show of respect, but that's not really necessary. I'm just an elected official doing my job, but thanks."

AlbertAnonymous said...

WTF is Sheila Jackson Lee doing? She's a friggin member of congress.

Gawd, it reminds me of Warren and the others who did a "sit in" at the Capitol. They ARE the 1%. They ARE the man keeping everyone down. they should friggin DO something or quit.

Members of Congress protesting in their hallowed chamber? Talk about your virtue signaling...

alan markus said...

I have seen some Facebook chatter about Christians taking crosses with them to games & holding them up while the players take a knee. As in have the players "kneeling before the cross". Don't know if that is organized enough to gain any traction.

BarrySanders20 said...

"That's why on Thursday night in Green Bay, you're all going to be pressured to link arms in "unity" with BLM."

Just a few short weeks ago fans showed unity by standing and being respectful while the anthem played. Doesn't mean we are perfect, or that we are all in agreement on what it is we respect. Now Rogers urges fans to follow his idea of unity after announcing he is 100% in support of the protesters.

Don't plan to watch the pregame idiocy, the actual game idiocy, or post-game flapping about either, but I do think it will be interesting to see how many fans follow Rogers' new protesting show of unity and how many choose to protest the protest by not doing what he wants.

The other extreme would be holding up signs of "FU Rogers." Any fans doing that would have their signs confiscated or be escorted out, of course, because there is no unfettered right to free speech in a football stadium, is there Aaron?

Darrell said...

After seeing pictures of young women shitting on the sidewalk after Hillary's loss, I don't think dignity is in play anymore.

Matt Sablan said...

"Ya know, if the protestors really want news coverage they should make the whole front row at every protest long legged hotties in cheerleader outfits. Snort, snort."

-- You joke, but PETA's essentially done the "exploit the cute girls" form of protest down to an art.

Bad Lieutenant said...

AA is right. We need a less sexist, less ableist way to express the same thought and idea as taking the knee. Most people can sneer. I suggest people just take a sneer. Same message, less problematic.



How about picking your nose? That would be an attention-getter. Easy to do.
Or sucking your thumb.

Darrell said...

Would you go all the way for the USO?
Would you go all the way for the USA?
Lift up your dress if the answer is "No!"

AlbertAnonymous said...

I like the idea of protesting the so called "linking arms for unity" BS. Can't imagine season ticket holders staying home from Lambeau Field, especially if they think this'll pass and we'll get back to football. I think the fans should simply boo loudly and give the "linked arms" players the finger. Boos and FUs...

Then we might even see someone on the congressional floor doing it too. That'd make CSPAN popular again for a hot minute.

Bill said...

In other words, Trump has brought the Left to its knees.

Anonymous said...

Yes, kneeling can be hard for older people and people with physical limitations. It can be pretty hard on the knees of even the young and fit, on some surfaces.

So I hope this metastasizes into one of those "can't be the first to stop [clapping] kneeling" things.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I encourage more knee taking and suggest these "protesters" add a curtsy for good measure.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

glenn said...Ya know, if the protestors really want news coverage they should make the whole front row at every protest long legged hotties in cheerleader outfits. Snort, snort.

I saw a twitter post yesterday that was encouraging everyone to contact the NFL and insist that they force teams to start employing transgender cheerleaders. It's rank bigotry not to, of course, and since the NFL's gettin' woke they ought to really get woke all the way. Demand it!

Balfegor said...

RE: Kate:

I think it was Ace who said that the Left has decided to genuflect to our President.

Haha.

To be fair, kneeling is perhaps the mildest and most respectful expression of Leftist protest ever -- it's more polite than turning one's back, and loads more polite than throwing urine and feces at people, or running around in black masks smashing in shop windows and peoples' heads. I wonder whether, when this fellow Kaepernick started this trend, he was actually trying to position it as a kind of respectful dissent, by repurposing a gesture of obedience and fidelity into a gesture of reproach.

There is a time and a place, and perhaps the time and place is not the football field. I have never watched football and the culture of football fandom is wholly alien to me, so I can't judge. But it is considerably less disruptive than most protests. It even has a certain charm.

Regarding kneeling, it's difficult for the elderly, yes, especially if they are out of practice. It's sometimes difficult for me, frankly, as I am a bit overweight. Greeting elders or bowing to the dead, I sometimes kind of fall on my knee at the very end, and there is a bit of a rush of blood to my head when I lift up from the full, prostrate bow. I sometimes practice for a week or two before returning to Korea. At funerals and memorial services, the very elderly sometimes just bow from the waist.

Skirts are difficult too, but women with practice seem to be able to kneel (well, bow) with both knees simultaneously. Undergarments are theoretically visible from the very front (risk heightened doing it at the top of the steps) but normally everyone's eye level is high enough that it wouldn't matter, unless the skirt is very, very short.

Anonymous said...

Dickin'Bimbos:

Leftists to BLM - screw You.

Now taking the knee = We hate Republicans.



Whitey just can't stop colonizing and appropriating other people's stuff.

Anonymous said...

Hoodlum: I saw a twitter post yesterday that was encouraging everyone to contact the NFL and insist that they force teams to start employing transgender cheerleaders. It's rank bigotry not to, of course, and since the NFL's gettin' woke they ought to really get woke all the way. Demand it!

I saw that too. Please, please, pom-pom trannies, get loud, get proud, and make this a thing.

tim in vermont said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Henry said...

3. It's hard to do with a homemade shield.

tim in vermont said...

And all of this ablism on display in the NFL! It's abusive to so many Americans. Don't get me started on the NBA. I could barely dunk a tennis ball when I was 17, and these guys can start their jump on the foul line and just fly! It's not fair! Where is the Handicapper General when we need him?

Singers who are not tone deaf, why? What is this fascination with excellence that people have? It's destructive to the egos of the rest of us!

Henry said...

So the sign, dead center, is "Session Fears Speech". Irony or wishful thinking?

Unknown said...

...disparate burden, along with sexist, ageist and ableist are how you use leftist critiques for this silly behavior.

It's advisable that the women remain standing, holding the various books and belongings of the males, as the males demonstrate their obeisance.

(Will there be a My Little Pony movie thread so we can talk about the degenerate grown-ups wearing pony outfits?)

Sally327 said...

The athletes in the Mexico City Olympics, on the medal stand, with their heads bowed, putting their clenched first high in the air, that was a powerful form of non-verbal protest. And the civil rights protests in the 1960s, they sat down, yes, but it was where they sat down that mattered, the front of the bus,the segregated lunch counter. Otherwise, they stood up, on the Birmingham bridge, the march on Washington. Here it's kneeling on a football field, which has no immediate connection to any injustice, really, and now it's other random places that don't connect to anything.

It's like they're doing abductor exercises. How would you know it's a protest?



Birkel said...

Kneel before Zod.

BN said...

Sheila Jackson Lee. I thought she got fired from ESPN for her racist name. She's back?

Clyde said...

First pic: She chose to wear a skirt, knowing about the upcoming kneeling protest. Sounds like she's not too bright.

Sheila Jackson Lee video: Also not too bright, and a real piece of work (google how she treats her staff). Don't care if her knees hurt going down or if she was uncomfortable or clumsy getting up.

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tim in vermont said...

So the sign, dead center, is "Session Fears Speech". Irony or wishful thinking?

I know. It's so fucking Orwellian it's almost become unremarkable. Sessions says that he is going to enforce free speech rights on campus, and that is their response. "Violence is speech!" "Sessions want's to stop the violence like some kind of Nazi." "Why is he afraid of speech?" It goes full circle and passes for thinking with these people.

Paddy O said...

"Georgetown Law faculty arrives to take a knee..."

Well, he is the Attorney General, but I didn't think that meant such subservient gestures. Maybe the women could courtesy "in protest."

Are they also going to protest by calling him "my liege"?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Sheila Jackson and all those other 'older' protestors should get one of THESE

These garden kneelers are great. You can kneel and then get up easily. Or you can turn it upside down and it makes a neat seat. Portable. Foldable. Easily transported. And BONUS....the garden tool pouches made a neat place to put your beer or other beverage of choice!!!!

Problem solved.

Allen S is onto something. I see a marketing opportunity. Capitalism LIVES!!

Gahrie said...

It's a disparate burden with an element of sexual harassment.

Althouse has put her finger on it. The real victims we should be feeling sorry for aren't the football players, the football fans, Black youth or Trump...the real victims are women.

Paddy O said...

This isn't, of course, the first time Democrats have taken a knee in protest before the American flag and song.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Balfegor said...There is a time and a place, and perhaps the time and place is not the football field. I have never watched football and the culture of football fandom is wholly alien to me, so I can't judge. But it is considerably less disruptive than most protests. It even has a certain charm.

Yes, I agree--it's much nicer aesthetically than the raised fist, too.
One problem is the intersection of selfie/social media culture and the gesture, though: I saw a bunch of pictures yesterday of celebrities kneeling in social media posts and it's a dumb look: solemn-faced famous people shot from above kneeling in a well-lit pose...it looks silly. The group wide-angel shots taken from below or at knee level look much better, but when you've got a selfie stick I guess you have to use it.


. Undergarments are theoretically visible from the very front (risk heightened doing it at the top of the steps) but normally everyone's eye level is high enough that it wouldn't matter, unless the skirt is very, very short.

Plus I think the polite thing to do is, you know, not look/stare; not possible with a photograph, of course, but then that's just another reason the gesture works better in person.

Mike Sylwester said...

The Rust Belt voted in 2016 to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.

In 2020 will the Rust Belt vote for people who promote disrespect for our National Anthem?

zipity said...

If I'm not mistaken, that is a Monica Lewinsky autograph model knee pad.

Sweet....

~ Gordon Pasha said...

Finally, the faculty at an ostensibly Catholic university, takes a knee. Maybe there is a monstrance being held by a priest off camera.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

I expect Hillary to inform us that she didn't fall over like a wounded heifer on 9/11/16, she was only taking a knee.

I'm trying to imagine Bernie, Pelosi and all of the Democrat senior citizens taking a knee in Congress at the same time. The sound of knees cracking would be so loud it would sound like a gunshot.

Wince said...

On your feet, or on your Kneeeees. Here he is, the amazing Blue Oyster Trump!

Wince said...

Sessions should touch their shoulders with a sword.

Rae said...

How dare you assume that pyrsyn's gender.

Big Mike said...

It's sexist. It's ageist and ableist. And if you're wearing nylons you'll get a run.

Leland said...

Kneeling is the perfect display of passive aggressiveness. Its absurd that the protest, which has now moved from the anthem to the Presidency, is to do an act which Kings and masters demanded be done before them. And if you don't understand how our enemies might view this gesture, try kneeling in front of a member of ISIS and see what happens next.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

tim in vermont said...
That's why on Thursday night in Green Bay, you're all going to be pressured to link arms in "unity" with BLM."

Milwaukee talk show host Mark Belling was entertaining when he spoke about the topic yesterday. He's not going to the game but said he would not link arms with anybody if he did:

"I don't want to feel unity with everyone there. What if the guy next to me is a child molester or a Bears fan?"

JAORE said...

The limited weight of SJL's brain matter should have helped her rise.

TRISTRAM said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1C6kqXT9XU

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Angel-Dyne said...
Hoodlum: I saw a twitter post yesterday that was encouraging everyone to contact the NFL and insist that they force teams to start employing transgender cheerleaders. It's rank bigotry not to, of course, and since the NFL's gettin' woke they ought to really get woke all the way. Demand it!

I saw that too. Please, please, pom-pom trannies, get loud, get proud, and make this a thing.

9/27/17, 9:54 AM

I nominate the fetching Zoey Tur. Just make sure Tur is at the bottom of the pyramid and not the top.

Bay Area Guy said...

Georgetown law professors taking a knee?!?!

These people make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and barely work.

Ralph L said...

The woman in the foreground should have worn a tutu.

MadisonMan said...

I wonder what happens when this nonsense starts at a College Game.

Maybe I'm unusual. I go to a Football game (rarely, I admit) to watch amazing or jaw-dropping feats of athleticism (For example, that PSU RB leaping over the Iowa tackler last week!). A long pass. Crunching along the O-line.

I don't go to a Football game for a lecture. I don't go for a reminder of all the things that are wrong with me. I don't go for a reminder of how horrible the world is. I most certainly don't go to *touch the stranger sitting next to me*!! (Shudder). I don't even want to hear the stranger next to me.

What a way to kill the Franchise.

Michael said...

DBQ
Buy by the pair and sell singly at price of two. Progs would never notice and would think a single kneeler a breakthrough invention. LOL

AllenS said...

"HELP, I'M KNEELING AND I CAN'T GET UP!"

Statement from Hillary when she took a knee.

Bruce Hayden said...

"These garden kneelers are great. You can kneel and then get up easily. Or you can turn it upside down and it makes a neat seat. Portable. Foldable. Easily transported. And BONUS....the garden tool pouches made a neat place to put your beer or other beverage of choice!!!!"

Currently $20.99 on Amazon, marked down from $49.99. Prime eligible, so no shipping charge. But in deference to our hostess, you should probably use her Amazon portal if you want one, and then maybe use the search string "Ohuhu Garden Kneeler and Seat". It is apparently designed for yard work, which I abhor, but I might just buy one for picking up my brass at the local shooting range - ground there is mostly gravel. Looks like the side pouches can be reversed, so that I could fill them with the spent cartridges. And my partner is always on me for using objects to lever myself up on things when kneeling on the floor. Probably need to use something to pad the kneeling side base so that it doesn't scratch the hardwood (MT) or tile (AZ) in the kitchen (which is where I typically transgress).

Darrell said...

Established in 1789, Georgetown is the nation’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit university.

And, as Ann Coulter said, this is the first time the place has looked Catholic in years.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Well, this is an improvement on the mass mooning that took place in Chicago after the election, when adults (theoretical adults, anyway) turned around and displayed their bare bottoms to the Trump Hotel and boy did that show Trump! If body parts could protest on their own, those poor, pasty bottoms would have certainly protested against being bared to the elements on a frigid Chicago day.

Joe Schmoe said...

This whole thing is just another exercise in completely useless things leftists can do to feel good about themselves without actually have to confront in any way, shape, or form the injustice in question.

Original Mike said...

"I most certainly don't go to *touch the stranger sitting next to me*!! (Shudder)."

You've never been to a Wisconsin game? You're plastered to the two people sitting next to you.

I gave up my season ticket this year. More than one reason I did that, but the absurd seat widths were one big reason.

Bruce Hayden said...

"Plus I think the polite thing to do is, you know, not look/stare; not possible with a photograph, of course, but then that's just another reason the gesture works better in person."

Ok, I can do that, now, but I am a couple months older than Ann. Not as easily doable in my younger years. Well, there are exceptions to that, and I would put Sheila Jackson Lee at the top of that list.

Bay Area Guy said...

In the Georgetown "mass kneeling" faculty picture, I see many white male and female professors.

Obviously, by definition, their white privileges helped pave their way to obtain these prestigious tenured positions. As a result, they are wrongly occupying important jobs, while simultaneously depriving less-privileged people of said positions.

Solution: All white male and female Professors at Georgetown law must tender offers of resignation immediately. And, any job search to replace them must focus on historically oppressed people of color or LGQTBT members of the community or, preferably, both.

Law degree is optional. It places an unfair burden on people of color who don't have law degrees.

mccullough said...

Some of these lawprofs are pretty good at the kneel-before-Zod pose. Hoping the Queen will Knight them.

MadisonMan said...

You've never been to a Wisconsin game?

I went to the UW-UCLA game in 1982. (UW Lost). And I went to a game against Purdue (maybe?) about 8 years ago? Maybe there are others that I forget. I've been to maybe 6 games at Lambeau in the past 20 years.

Original Mike said...

MM - I don't fit in a Camp Randall seat, and I'm skinny! It's very uncomfortable.

All the games are on TV anyway. I finally figured out that the UW clearly didn't want me there, so I accommodated them.

mikeski said...

SDaly said...
The only non-discriminatory form of protest would be to just remain silent and go about your daily life as usual.


Silence? Discriminatory against people with Tourette's Syndrome! Ableist!!

FWBuff said...

What, at this point, does kneeling even mean? What are the protestors protesting? Police violence? The flag? The anthem? Racism? BLM? Trump's election win? Trump's tweets? Supporting free speech? Supporting protest rights in the face of presidential criticism? Supporting mediocre football players who have aged out of their abilities? It's such a mish-mash of meaning, there is no message.

MadisonMan said...

What are the protestors protesting?

They are showing they're woke. Signaling their virtue.

Static Ping said...

So, Ann, when are you getting this published on Huffington Post or the Daily Beast or some such? There are probably a dozen op-ed writers who are kicking themselves at this missed opportunity!

Original Mike said...

"What, at this point, does kneeling even mean? What are the protestors protesting?"

That they don't get everything they want. I have a 2 year old granson who's better behaved.

IgnatzEsq said...

So, is this stupider than the stupid safety pin thing or not? I'm so confused...

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"What, at this point, does kneeling even mean? What are the protestors protesting?"

That they don't get everything they want. I have a 2 year old granson who's better behaved.

9/27/17, 11:11 AM

Jumping up and down like toddlers would be more appropriate and would at least give them a bit of a workout, but that's even harder on elderly knees than kneeling. Pogo sticks would solve the problem however.

traditionalguy said...

I am waiting for a Feminist aphorism that if men wore kilts, then kneeling would not be the rule. But female equality has its reasons that reason knows not.

Darrell said...

safety pin

Diaper pin.

Bay Area Guy said...

There is a lot of income inequality in Georgetown, DC

Blacks, who make up 49% of Washington, DC, are working menial jobs in Southeast for little pay.

White law professors in Georgetown are making $200,000/year.

Maybe, the black folks of DC should be kneeling against their educated white oppressors at Georgetown.

traditionalguy said...

Scott Adams riffs on the show of teams linking arms as a Radio City Rockettes chorus line about to start their kick. That visual persuasion beats the Kneelers and the hands up choreograph.

Meade said...

I just thought these 2 comments need to go together:

This is where a pantsuit comes in handy.

and:

"HELP, I'M KNEELING AND I CAN'T GET UP!"

rhhardin said...

It's one of those science consensus things. The law is settled.

tim in vermont said...

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday that his Justice Department will enter the legal fight over free speech on college campuses, as he delivered a blistering speech at Georgetown University Law Center declaring freedom of thought and speech is “under attack.”

“Starting today, the Department of Justice will do its part in this struggle. We will enforce federal law, defend free speech, and protect students’ free expression from whatever end of the political spectrum it may come,” Sessions told an audience of Georgetown students.

The speech marked the attorney general's entry into a raging national debate, largely over protesters effectively shutting down conservative speakers on American campuses.


I can see why they would be triggered by that.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I like the idea of the protestors linking arms.

If one person falls down the whole row would follow like dominoes. It would be hilarious.

tim in vermont said...

That <strong> tag sure shows up funny in blogger....

Daniel Jackson said...

Until recently, kneeling has been associated with EITHER religious or vassal sovereign relations. I have always associated kneeling with The Church and the feudal institutions that spawned or promoted its position in society. People KNEEL before The Cross, before Their Sovereign, Their God, or their vanquisher.

Muslims bow all the way down, as do some Jewish denominations on Yom Kippur and/or Rosh Hashanah. Hindus and Buddhists do both.

It is a vastly religious act that now seems to be appropriated by those who before said, "we shall NEVER kneel down."

Footballers, our weekend Crusaders and Gladiators, kneeling before a game (and not before the UNGODLY USA) strikes up an outrageous image of the Christian (read Catholic) Knight (from whiteman's Europe), kneeling before battle with the Infidel. Of course after the battle, the Crusaders have the rights to steal and screw whatever is in their path.

When Bernie Sanders kneels down, I will come out of retirement and write a writ of CHEREM against him for being an Apostate.

Savages. They play with whatever symbol they can find without understanding what they are doing. You think any Muslims will join them kneeling? Christian Warriors Kneeling? You've got to be kidding.

tim in vermont said...

"Sessions fears speech" makes perfect sense then.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

added. Falling down...like this video

Come on. This IS funny.

Known Unknown said...

I still don't get the end game with these dolts. What is the purpose? What do you want? You've co-opted Kaepernick's original intent to be a catch-all. Pussy hats not working out? Smashing windows didn't get the right results? Blocking traffic not all that?

Oh, let's try taking a fucking knee and see if that gets us anywhere.

stevew said...

Amazing to me that they chose a submissive pose for their protest. Did I miss a memo?

-sw

MadTownGuy said...

Undies, or underskirt shorts? Depends.

Daniel Jackson said...

I forgot the link to images on Google of the Kneeling Crusader: https://www.google.fr/search?q=kneeling+crusader+knights&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwisnfSb4MXWAhUBLhoKHeeQAV8QsAQIKQ

tim in vermont said...

So, if I can tie this all together, the reason they are taking a knee is to support the free speech of the players on the field and object to Sessions defense of free speech on campus all at the same time, while defending the right of "AntiFa" to use violence to shut down the speech of people that these protesters don't like.

Do I have that right?

rhhardin said...

Lying down with your legs spread would say "we are being screwed" better. Kneeling is ambiguous.

rhhardin said...

Women don't have the body parts to do a proper protest anyway.

Linda said...

Try doing that with a pencil skirt - impossible!

Darrell said...

Women don't have the body parts to do a proper protest anyway.

Wrong again. In ancient Rome, women used naked breasts and pubic mound to express every sentiment--anger, mocking, joy, ridicule. I watched Spartacus on STARZ, so I know.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Daniel Jackson said...
I forgot the link to images on Google of the Kneeling Crusader


YT Indiana Jones - Penitent man

Left Bank of the Charles said...

You could say that Trump forced the faculty at Georgetown Law School to kneel.

tcrosse said...

What a bunch of kneeholes.

Wilbur said...

This is the first thread I've had a chance to read on the subject, so if I'm repeating anyone it's unintentional.

It seems to me that if this is such an all-important matter - so important that the players feel it necessary to use (and abuse) their public platform to impose their views on the audience they are paid to entertain - that if the players were TRULY committed to the righteousness of it they would do what people have done in the past: go on strike. Follow the example of the Memphis garbage workers in 1968 and walk off your job.

Until then, you ain't doing shit. You're just blowing smoke.

I Callahan said...

If one person falls down the whole row would follow like dominoes. It would be hilarious

And what a great metaphor for Communism / Socialism that would be...

buwaya said...

Not entirely on-topic, but a not-too-common good (if obvious) article in National Review, in response to David French the other day -

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451816/nfl-protests-trump-right

The realities of struggle trump (ha) theory.

Same thing I've been saying since 2015 - that NR and its ilk, on their own, matter as much politically as "Model Railroader" - http://mrr.trains.com/magazine - which is a fine magazine btw., and as yet non-political. I suggest it as a hobby to take everyone's minds off football. And such detailed craft work is very relaxing besides.

buwaya said...

"It seems to me that if this is such an all-important matter - so important that the players feel it necessary to use (and abuse) their public platform to impose their views on the audience they are paid to entertain "

I don't think its the players really. The industry as a whole is highly dependent on political goodwill by the owners of the entertainment industry (since so much of their income comes from broadcasters) and local Democratic political figures, since stadium financing and permissions are in their hands. The players and owners are stuck between the gatekeepers of money and the fans.

Unknown said...

Any woman who wants to participate in a "take the knee" protest is free to wear a long skirt or pants, so the sexism claim can't hold water.

The ableist claim is far more serious, some people just can't kneel. In that vein, music is inherently ableist since the deaf can't appreciate it, and there should certainly be no government money spent supporting it, as well as the visual arts, which obviously discriminate against the blind. We should simply zero out any funding for the arts because as being tacitly ablist.

Bay Area Guy said...

The Georgetown Law Professors really should go on strike. They cannot abide by the continual injustices represented by the American Flag and visits by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

It would send a far sterner message than merely taking a knee for 3 or 4 minutes on their lovely campus.

They shall overcome.

Bay Area Guy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bay Area Guy said...

Now that you mention it, the ultimate protest for the next time Milo comes to speak at University of Cal, Berkeley:

1. Play the National Anthem;
2. Have Colin Kaepernick attend, and take a knee, wearing a pussy-hat.
3. Have 2 masked Antifa members side by side, standing, with their hands on Kaepernick's shoulders in solidarity.

buwaya said...

Maybe the first time I have provided a link to the WaPo -

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/09/25/this-is-what-real-locker-room-talk-is-the-nfls-joe-lockhart-levels-a-shot-at-trump/?utm_term=.2c7591443cb5

"Joe Lockhart, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications, wasn’t messing around Monday.

A former White House press secretary under President Clinton, Lockhart used surgical precision in leveling a shot at President Trump, tying Sunday’s nationwide protests by players, owners and coaches to Trump’s infamous “Access Hollywood” recording from his days as a TV star in 2005.

“Everyone should know, including the president, this is what real locker room talk is,” Lockhart said in a conference call with reporters."

I.e., the NFL communications director is spinning against the President, and etc. The NFL seems to be officially taking political sides. The bit in the article that is more interesting however, is this -

"Lockhart was a strategist in the Clinton White House during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, then helped launch a communication strategy firm, Glover Park Group. He has also worked with Oracle and Facebook. He also happens to have sold his home in Washington to a certain former president named Barack Obama."

I.e., the usual convergence of interests and political connections - Clinton, Oracle, Facebook, Obama. This is telling, about who actually controls the professional sports industry.

And -

"Lockhart, a former TV producer and the son of journalists, joined the NFL in the winter of 2016, replacing Paul Hicks as the league’s vice president of communications. (Hicks is the father of Hope Hicks, Trump’s communications director.)"

This tells me that the NFL was prepping for Trump-era political-cultural warfare, and taking a side by inserting a Democrat political propagandist to control their communications, and setting up to operate as a propaganda front to resist US populism.
This whole "knee" thing was planned.

Matt said...

C'mon, man. How the f are we supposed to take seriously people holding up signs sayong 'Session Fears Speech' when they're the ones protesting his speech? When they're the ones that make his visit necessary by shutting down speech all over the country?

These are not serious people. Why do we treat them as such? Why aren't they laughed out of every room they enter?

Someone needs to put together an 'It Gets Better' campaign for conservatives on campus.

Etienne said...

Women wear skirts in order to add shape to their ass.

A good looking ass Trumps naked knees and exposed undies.

buwaya said...

"These are not serious people. Why do we treat them as such? Why aren't they laughed out of every room they enter? "

They are very serious people. They are not arguing "seriously", they are propagandizing and suppressing. What they do may seem absurd from the outside, but if you are on the inside of the organizations they control it is entirely different.

Absurdity is a tool to force compliance with their power, to create a sense of powerlessness and worthlessness in the face of enforced humiliation.

I Callahan said...

These are not serious people. Why do we treat them as such? Why aren't they laughed out of every room they enter?

Because these people run the education, media, entertainment and now, apparently sports complexes in this country, from top to bottom. The hold an enormous amount of power, far beyond what their intellectual capabilities can actually handle.

We ignore them at our peril.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Georgetown Law faculty arrives to take a knee in protest of Sessions' appearance on campus.


A lot of those people are not going to go home happy.

Sessions is an old man! Two, maybe three, then he's going to need a nap.

Meade said...

"Communications 101: If you want to make sure a man gets your message, write it on your panties and wear a skirt."

Brilliant.

Original Mike said...

"These are not serious people. Why do we treat them as such? Why aren't they laughed out of every room they enter?"

It's no surprise that the media pretends to take them seriously. What I don't understand is how they take themselves seriously.

William said...

It would be extremely moving if Monica could join one of these demonstrations.

buwaya said...

"What I don't understand is how they take themselves seriously."

Because its their rice bowl.

Alex said...

Every time I do walking lunges with 25lb dumbbells I think of how ableist I am and have an evil chuckle.

Original Mike said...

"Because its their rice bowl."

I still couldn't do it.

Bay Area Guy said...

1, 2, 3, 4 -- what the hell are we kneeling for?

Jupiter said...

Maybe you could wear a little pussy hat down there, so that no one could see the piece of cloth you use to cover your genitalia when you wear a lower garment purposely designed to expose them. I'm beginning to understand why women's clothing is so complicated.

Jupiter said...

When you consider that all the people we see publicly kneeling are paid vast amounts of money for doing very little work, and work that really doesn't need to be done anyway at that, perhaps they are kneeling to express their gratitude to the rest of us for allowing them to get away with this shit. Do you think?

Achilles said...

GOP Deep Bench.

Hillary Clinton.

Russian Collusion.

Antifa.

NFL Kneelers.

These are some mighty fine Trophies.

Comming soon 2018: GOPe senators and congress critters.

I would be honored to help him stuff and mount them.

Ray - SoCal said...

The NFL thought Hillary would win is my take by hiring an ex Clinton flack:
>the NFL communications director is spinning against the President, and etc.

Ray - SoCal said...

I don't think they actually know. A lot of its anti trump virtue signaling, and they are sure this time Trump will lose. MSM / Left has been egging it on. Rush theory is to destroy the NFL, but I don't think they are that smart.

>Blogger Known Unknown said...
>I still don't get the end game with these dolts. What is the purpose?

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"A former White House press secretary under President Clinton, Lockhart used surgical precision in leveling a shot at President Trump, tying Sunday’s nationwide protests by players, owners and coaches to Trump’s infamous “Access Hollywood” recording from his days as a TV star in 2005."

Wile E. Coyote also used surgical precision in leveling a shot at the Road Runner.

buwaya said...

"The NFL thought Hillary would win is my take by hiring an ex Clinton flack:"

They hired him apparently well after Trump won.
No, I think this was pre-positioning of assets to "resist".

Darrell said...

Lockhart used surgical precision in leveling a shot at President Trump

Yeah. Lockhart cut off his own nose. His face was suitably spited.
RIP NFL.

Achilles said...

buwaya said...

They hired him apparently well after Trump won.
No, I think this was pre-positioning of assets to "resist".


I am curious to see if the NFL tries to brazen it out and if fans let them off the hook. They are clearly folding now. Will they allow a few teams to keep some kneelers?

Trump should go after their anti-trust exemption and take away their non-profit status.

rhhardin said...

People with a stiff spine can't kneel.

buwaya said...

"They are clearly folding now."

I don't think "They" are. Some team owners might be, but they aren't going to be permitted to go very far here I don't think.

Achilles said...

A former White House press secretary under President Clinton, Lockhart used surgical precision in leveling a shot at President Trump, tying Sunday’s nationwide protests by players, owners and coaches to Trump’s infamous “Access Hollywood” recording from his days as a TV star in 2005.

The wife of a rapist thought "grab them by the pussy" would help her win.

Meme coming soon: Trump grabbed the NFL by the pussy.

Alex said...

buwaya - 40% of owners are not backing these players. That's a start. Once the other 60% see their revenues tanking, they will give up their political correctness. It might take until 2018 for them to realize it.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Bay Area Guy said...
1, 2, 3, 4 -- what the hell are we kneeling for?


Don't ask me I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Resist-land
And it's 5, 6, 7, open up the New York Times,
There ain't no time to argue why
Whoopee! Racism's gonna fry

Now come on celebrities don't be slow
This protest here's a go-go
There's plenty'a good publicity to be had
Supplyin' the Media with faces that're sad
But just hope and pray that when the public weighs in
They don't they don't avoid your products again

And it's 1, 2, 3, what are we kneelin' for?
Don't ask me I don't give a damn
Next stop is Resist-land
And it's 5, 6, 7, open up the New York Times
There ain't no time to argue why
Whoopee! Bigotry'll fry.

Achilles said...

buwaya said...
"They are clearly folding now."

I don't think "They" are. Some team owners might be, but they aren't going to be permitted to go very far here I don't think.

We shall see. Obviously Green Bay had zero choice. They are in a small market and there is zero space for them to piss off the fans.

But the Patriots?

The Steelers are going to have real problems. Tomlin was a big Hillary supporter and Villanueva is a hero. Forcing him to apologize for being the only person to stand has started a fight where there is no middle ground. If they start losing this year I predict Tomlin is fired.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

NFL representative uses shot at President's sexist comments in a brilliant strike!
Hey, NFL representative: how's that league's record on player domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape, etc, again?

Our elites are so painfully incompetent, all around. Sad.

Bay Area Guy said...

@HoodlumDoodlum,

You have taken it to 11 -- well done!

HoodlumDoodlum said...

bagoh20 said...Communications 101: If you want to make sure a man gets your message, write it on your panties and wear a skirt.

*Andrew Dice Clay voice* Why would I read somethin on my bedroom floor? If you want me to get the message try shavin' it in downstairs, doll. Oh!

Jupiter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jupiter said...

"Forcing him to apologize for being the only person to stand has started a fight where there is no middle ground."

It does appear that, perhaps unintentionally, they have chosen the hill, and someone is going to have to die on it. It is amusing to think of little Colin Kaepernik as Paris, starting the Trojan war in a fit of self-indulgence. Because he made it a racial thing, the other black players felt obliged to join in, and the whites have little choice but to go along in "team solidarity". Imagine being the designated "white supremacist" every weekend on a field full of 240-pound black athletes. But it is hard to see any valid exit strategy. Stop playing the anthem? Play it, but the whole team rolls around on the ground? Maybe they can get some pussy hats to festoon their helmets while they destroy their livelihood.

roesch/voltaire said...

I am 75 and I will take a knee and hold my hand over my heart, and help anyone else to do so, in protest against social injustice, not the military, and as LeBron James so accurately put it the Bum in the white house who spews divisive speech.

tim in vermont said...

in protest against social injustice

Well, the people in the picture were taking a knee in protest of a visit by a man who was announcing an initiative to protect free speech on campuses across the country. You know, defend speakers from conspiracy to deny them their civil rights through violence. Would you take a knee for that?

Gahrie said...

the Bum in the white house who spews divisive speech.

7The irony and the hypocrisy..they burn....

Jim at said...

And the left's wallowing in stupidity continues unabated.

I never thought I could be so entertained by idiots. But, I am.

Alex said...

There's an old saying. When your enemy is busy immolating himself, don't pour water on him. Just enjoy the show.

Known Unknown said...

"I am 75 and I will take a knee and hold my hand over my heart, and help anyone else to do so, in protest against social injustice"

Why don't you volunteer your time to teach younger people a trade or something of value, rather than just virtue signal and hope?

That's my biggest issue with this shit. It's inconsequential compared to direct action. I would certainly hope that several of the players engaged in this are also doing things --real, tangible things -- to address their concerns.

Bad Lieutenant said...

as LeBron James so accurately put it the Bum in the white house

Curious, as I don't follow sportsball. Is LeBron James a choirboy of some kind, or is he another of these rapists and murderers taking the field every week?

buwaya said...

"the Bum in the white house who spews divisive speech."

The educational system, over the last 40+ years, has been teaching teachers to pour divisive speech into their students ears. This is, well, how many millions of people now?

This constant stream of acid and poison gets no attention, while when one man says a few dozen words one day - it is divisive?

Roesch, I think you entirely misunderstand who is the oppressor and who is the oppressed.

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