I never mentioned Trump. I think he is moron and a bully. I think he should keep his stupid ass out of the National Football League and concentrate on more important matters.
I'm just sick of guys like you who try and demean anyone who thinks that kneeling during the National Anthem isn't the best way to attack the issues at hand.
Y'all are just as closed-minded as the other side.
I want nothing to do w/either side. You both suck!
"Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work," observed ex-slave-turned-abolitionist Frederick Douglass. To the slave owners, singing slaves would drown out their own cruelty and oppression, clothe them in a coerced choir of decency. But it wasn't enough that the slaves had to sing, they had to sing their oppressor's feel-good songs that are summed up in the Porgy and Bess refrain of "I've got plenty of nothin'," and nothin's plenty for me."
Yay, nothin'.
Currently, the song being demanded is the national anthem during football games. But during a warm-up game on Aug. 10, despite President Trump's previous condemnation, several Eagles players kneeled during the anthem or raised their fists — their way of singing their own song. For them, lyrics like "land of the free" don't accurately represent the daily reality for people of color. They love their country but want that country to recognize the suffering that occurs when it isn't living up to its constitutional promises.
Trump reacted by tweeting, "Numerous players, from different teams, wanted to show their 'outrage' at something that most of them are unable to define." Who would know better how to define their outrage: the privileged darling of white supremacists, the 94 percent-white team owners, the 75 percent-white head coaches or the 70 percent-black players who actually take the field each week?
The daily challenge for African-Americans is getting white Americans to listen to their song, especially when it isn't a grinning, grateful or pandering patriotic song. Two movies have recently been released that sing songs that define black America's continuing frustrations and outrage: Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman and Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You. Both movies are about black people finding their voices and then having the courage to use those voices to tell their truths. But will America listen to what they're singing, especially in today's post-truth and "alternative facts" environment?
Colin Kaepernick famously took a knee during the National Anthem to protest racial inequality in America. READ MORE Trump Says NFL Players Don't Understand What They're Protesting Sorry to Bother You is a wickedly funny and absurdist satire about class struggle and the systemic racism that attempts to usurp the authentic voices of people of color. In this case, "taking their voices" is literal: When the protagonist, Cassius "Cash" Green (Lakeith Stanfield), gets a job as a telemarketer, it isn't until he adopts a ripe-with-entitlement "white voice" that he becomes successful. This is an accurate reflection of the studies that show job applicants with black-sounding names are less likely to be called in for interviews, and that students with black-sounding names are more likely to be seen as troublemakers. Research has shown that black-sounding names conjure images of being physically larger, dangerous and more violent than white-sounding names.
Cash becomes so adept at his white voice that he even uses it when he's alone with his girlfriend, much to her disgust. The plot spirals into surrealism as Cash is challenged to trade in his black identity, even to betray his own community, in exchange for success in the white world. The conflict may be familiar from other black satires like Putney Swope, Watermelon Man and Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, but the storyline used to portray it is wholly and delightfully original.
Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles raises his fist during the national anthem. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles raises his fist during the national anthem. Satire is the genre of choice for oppressed people trying to change the status quo. Satire has sharp teeth honed on rage and that feed on complacency. The satire formula is pretty simple: Begin with a funny but realistic story, often a coming-of-age tale about a good-hearted but naive person who gets the naivete kicked out of them by coming face to face with the dirty truth about the world. The broad humor in the beginning lowers the audience's guard. Then the story turns dark and surreal, with exaggerated elements that shock the audience out of our complacency, shattering our hardened perceptions and bubble-wrapped indifference to others' suffering. The ending in a satire is often a gut-punch of dark emotion meant to inspire us into action. This has been the case from satiric musicals like The Threepenny Opera, The Fantastiks and The Book of Mormon to more dramatic fare such as Dr. Strangelove, O Lucky Man, Gulliver's Travels and Catch-22.
Sorry to Bother You reflects that traditional dark ending, telling us that just exposing the injustices to people isn't enough and may even profit the villains, as we've seen with the tally of Trump's over 4,000 lies and misrepresentations only making his base's support more fervent. Some slaves don't want their freedom or their own song. The ending of Boots Riley's film suggests that justice may require a more hands-on involvement.
Though not strictly a satire in the over-the-top mode of Sorry to Bother You, BlacKkKlansman nevertheless has plenty of sharp, satirical barbs. Director Spike Lee wisely restrains himself from pushing the absurdity too far because the situation itself is already so jaw-droppingly absurd.
BlacKkKlansman has a more traditional storyline, though the freewheeling and edgy style is distinctively Lee's. Based on a true story, the film follows the crazy 1972 case of Colorado Springs' first black detective, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), and his infiltration of the local Ku Klux Klan. After initially contacting the KKK on the phone, Stallworth uses Jewish detective Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to represent him in person at the Klan meetings.
The plot involving the Klan is as suspenseful as any crime-thriller, but the real payoff is the awakening of Stallworth to his own identity, finding his own voice and song. While going undercover to attend a rally featuring former Black Panther Kwame Ture (aka Stokely Carmichael), Stallworth faces his personal struggle for identity for the first time. "Stop running away from being black," Ture tells the crowd. Stallworth realizes that he lives his whole life undercover, hiding his black identity and connection to the black community ("I feel like I'm two people all the time"). Even a white cop tells him in frustration that he's naive: "Why don't you wake up?" Which is what the film is telling us all.
Boots Riley READ MORE 'Sorry to Bother You' Director Blasts Foreign Distributors for Refusing to Carry a "Black Movie" Lee has proven that he can make quality, successful commercial films like Inside Man, but he has chosen to focus on stories that are more artistic and politically conscious — and less financially rewarding — that raise more consciousness than cash. Lee started out at 29 with She's Gotta Have It (1986) as a voice of his generation, which culminated three years later in Do the Right Thing (1989), one of the top 10 best American films ever made. His voice has since evolved and matured into a voice of, not just a generation, but an entire black community. He hasn't lost his passionate edge, he's just gained deeper, richer insights. BlacKkKlansman is the essence of that deeper, richer voice.
In Lindsay Anderson's 1968 classic film of youth revolution, if…., the main character (Malcolm McDowell) is a student in an English public school whose voice the school tries to silence with beatings and humiliation, which results in radicalizing him even further. Angrily, he states, "One man can change the world with a bullet in the right place." This is not a call to violence, but rather a metaphor for art. Art is the "bullet" that can change the world. Both these films feature art in pivotal scenes.
In Sorry to Bother You, Cash's girlfriend does a performance art piece in which she stands on stage and allows the audience to hurl at her bullet casings, balloons filled with animal blood, and cell phones (because a key element comes from Africa). Standing there enduring abuse becomes a central metaphor for the exploitation of people of color. In BlacKkKlansman, D.W. Griffith's classic film of pro-KKK racism, The Birth of a Nation, is shown during a Klan meeting to inspire them to greater heights of hatred. For the audience watching them watching the film, it inspires us to the opposite.
These two films represent the idea that "one person can change the world with a movie in the right place." These two movies — with their beautiful voices and powerfully original songs — are the right place at the right time.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Here is an example of winning w/your brains instead of banging your head against a brick wall.
Quote:
LeBron James is building a new blueprint for athletes in business
Daniel Roberts Senior Writer Yahoo FinanceAugust 11, 2018
Showtime this week announced a new three-part docu-series produced by LeBron James. The title: “Shut Up and Dribble.” (The title is a quote from Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who said it on air in February as an insult to James; Kevin Durant called it “racist.”) The series will debut in October, in time for the start of the new NBA season, and James’s first season playing for the L.A. Lakers.
If the Showtime series isn’t enough, or if October is too far away, James is also producing and hosting an HBO show, “The Shop,” that debuts later this month. The format: candid conversations with athletes and celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Jon Stewart. (The show comes from LeBron’s media company Uninterrupted.)
And if double-dipping with HBO and Showtime isn’t enough, James and his business partner Maverick Carter produced a youth football docu-series debuting on Starz in September called “Warriors of Liberty City.” This comes after his previous Starz show, “Survivor’s Remorse,” ended its four-season run.
Suddenly, LeBron James is a television executive. Of course, the NBA mega-star already has Hollywood sway, but now that he’s living and playing in L.A., the deals will likely multiply. (In 2015 he appeared in the Amy Schumer film “Trainwreck” and he is widely expected to eventually star in “Space Jam 2.“)
Of course, James is not the only current or former star athlete who has directed their money into media ventures. Derek Jeter founded The Players’ Tribune, a web site for confessional blog posts by athletes, and launched Jeter Publishing, a book publishing imprint partnership with Simon & Schuster, both in 2014. Kobe Bryant and his investing partner Jeff Stibel launched a VC fund, Bryant Stibel, and have invested in startups including The Players’ Tribune. Bryant also produced, wrote, and narrated the 2018 animated short, “Dear Basketball,” which won an Academy Award. Carmelo Anthony launched a VC fund in 2014, Melo7 Tech Partners, with Stuart Goldfarb, a former executive at the German media company Bertelsmann. Andre Agassi in 2016 invested in the athlete media platform Unscriptd.
But for James, the Hollywood and media ventures make up just one part of his rapidly-expanding business empire. James has an equity stake in the Liverpool football club. He invested in Blaze Pizza in 2012. He has a lifetime deal with Nike, something the company has never done before, though it has been generally assumed Michael Jordan has a similar agreement.
Amidst all of this, he has President Donald Trump insulting him on Twitter. On Aug. 3, Trump tweeted, “LeBron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made LeBron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!”
The tweet prompted other athletes to react in support of James. Steph Curry said Trump’s tweet was “based in some long-standing racism,” and Michael Jordan, whom Trump referenced in the tweet, said, “I support LJ. He’s doing an amazing job for his community.”
James had already called the president a “bum” in a 2017 tweet supporting Curry, and added, “Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!”
To be sure, some still say it is risky for James to speak out on politics. The political demonstrations by NFL players have roiled that league and even damaged companies like Papa John’s after its founder criticized the protests. The NBA has managed to avoid the same level of controversy and in-fighting. The league has a rule in place that players must stand during the anthem, and the general thinking is that the players follow it because they feel the NBA and its progressive commissioner Adam Silver encourage them to speak out politically otherwise.
Fellow NBA stars are looking to James now for leadership off the court — both in business and politics. When Yahoo Finance asked Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors to name an athlete who has influenced his thinking in business, past or present, in any sport, he named James first.
“He’s done an amazing job and actually opened up a lot of doors for a lot of us athletes in the route that we’re taking now,” Green said, “in being more involved as partners, as opposed to endorsees.”
Pit, why do you put words into my mouth? Please stop. I could care less if others agree w/me and I sure am not trying to make anyone "conform" to my ideas.
I'm expressing my opinion of how to make a positive difference and I could give a rat's ass if you agree or not.
Please go play your stupid one-sided games w/the likes of Swish, OCD, Vambo, 40, etc. I'm not interested in playing narrow-minded folks like you guys.
40, maybe you should read the article instead of just believing what Fox News wants you to think. Fox did a good job of burying the lede here and making you look incredibly gullible.
Quote:
Elway was referring to a trade offer made to Kaepernick prior to the 2016 season while he was still a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, USA Today reported. The deal was reportedly not accepted due a proposed pay reduction.
Kaep started his protest August 2016. The trade with Denver being talked about was in the spring of 2016. Months before this whole controversy started.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Geez, what did they make that statue out of, flux?
It was made out of thoughts and prayers.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Pit, why do you put words into my mouth? Please stop. I could care less if others agree w/me and I sure am not trying to make anyone "conform" to my ideas.
I'm expressing my opinion of how to make a positive difference and I could give a rat's ass if you agree or not.
Please go play your stupid one-sided games w/the likes of Swish, OCD, Vambo, 40, etc. I'm not interested in playing narrow-minded folks like you guys.
Quit being silly. lol
What I'm trying to say, although maybe poorly, is that I would think whether you agree with the way the players protest or not, surely you would understand why they are doing so.
I would think you would understand why people are so worked up.
Often times I can disagree with the way someone goes about things yet can at the same time understand why and what the motivation is that got them to where they are now.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Finally. Something you guys are good at. Tearing America down.
confederate soldiers didnt want to be americans. we're tearing traitors down.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Finally. Something you guys are good at. Tearing America down.
There it is in all its glory. You admitting what beliefs you think America stands for. Slavery and the confederacy.
and this is the problem a lot of people have been talking about, especially when it comes to history and whether certain people need to let it go or not.
the same people who tell AA's to get over slavery, jim crow, segregration, and the war on the drugs, are the same ones who cant get over the fact that their "heritage" lost the civil war, and cant even acknowledge basic historical facts, because in their hearts, they agree with the confederacy.
i mean damn, pit. i've seen people on FB and other social media outlets claim that jews need to get over the holocaust, yet we got people running under the GOP banner TODAY claiming the holocaust never even happened.
how can we end the divide when we got people who refuse to acknowledge basic facts?
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Ah, and to think, the only way to learn about history is to have monuments in a public square. lmao
You have already perverted the story of our Civil War to be a Slavery issue. It was far more than that. But only students of history who can find the facts you have not destroyed will know that in the future.
If I were a black man in America, I'm not so sure I wouldn't see that as an option. But unlike you, I don't claim to know what they live with on a day to day basis or how I would react to that.
But just so we're clear. I stand for the National anthem. I take off my hat and place my hand over my heart. I sing along. But as a true American, I respect the rights of others to react how they wish. I stand for the right of peaceful protest.
I don't support tyranny or leaders who promote it. Nor people who preach it.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Enough already. Go back to kneeling on our flag now.
Nah ...taking $20,000,00.00 from us tax payers for a military parade while many of our veterans live in poverty and are homeless or waiting for healthcare makes better sense.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson.
This thread is a good example of how the radical left is turning liberals away from the Democratic party. They are acting like the idiotic, name-calling, insulting right from past generations.
The constant insults and bias is not going to help you win elections.
This thread is a good example of how the radical left is turning liberals away from the Democratic party. They are acting like the idiotic, name-calling, insulting right from past generations.
The constant insults and bias is not going to help you win elections.
This thread is a good example of the far right presenting themselves as centrists. I have remained silent for too long, out of respect for you, Vers, but I will no longer be silent. You are a conservative. Just because you think black people are humans and gay people have the right to get married, doesn't make you a Democrat/leftist. Cons have accepted both black people and gay people since the last election. You can now go join your place back with the far right and stop being a Democrat. Dixiecrats like you are the reasons why democrats are failing morons. Especially Southern Democrats. You have destroyed their message with your far right agenda. I will no longer sit back and watch you call centrists like Gage, Swish, Clem and many others the 'radical left' nor any other altright buzzwords you choose to use. Your rhetoric is so vile that I've had multiple people PM me to tell me they were no longer going to be using the forum because of you. You should take that message and think about that.
If you want to read the work of the "radical left", maybe you should read some MLK instead of quoting him all the time.
This thread is a good example of how the radical left is turning liberals away from the Democratic party. They are acting like the idiotic, name-calling, insulting right from past generations.
The constant insults and bias is not going to help you win elections.
This thread is a good example of the far right presenting themselves as centrists. I have remained silent for too long, out of respect for you, Vers, but I will no longer be silent. You are a conservative. Just because you think black people are humans and gay people have the right to get married, doesn't make you a Democrat/leftist. Cons have accepted both black people and gay people since the last election. You can now go join your place back with the far right and stop being a Democrat. Dixiecrats like you are the reasons why democrats are failing morons. Especially Southern Democrats. You have destroyed their message with your far right agenda. I will no longer sit back and watch you call centrists like Gage, Swish, Clem and many others the 'radical left' nor any other altright buzzwords you choose to use. Your rhetoric is so vile that I've had multiple people PM me to tell me they were no longer going to be using the forum because of you. You should take that message and think about that.
If you want to read the work of the "radical left", maybe you should read some MLK instead of quoting him all the time.
Maybe there should be a safe place on here for you and your buddies to go if Vers upsets you.....They could even have warm showers and pacifers.
