International, Society

Another Useful Perspective For The Controversy Surrounding Taking a Knee At US Sporting Events

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Often we can find value in the wisdom of other cultures, especially when we have arrived at an impasse where opposing groups cannot find common ground and the same arguments tend to dominate the discussion. Often this results from the refusal or inability to find outside evidence or analysis.

I believe eventually such an impasse over the NFL kneeling controversy will become moot as the interest in such displays will eventually go away, like many other movements. People eventually move on to other controversies. Yet for those who desire to continue to debate the matter, a family member of mine suggested watching the following video produced in India that structurally presents the same type of controversy–of whether or not to stand during their national anthem at sporting events.

What I found fascinating was seeing the expression of the two sides’ positions through the lens of one of the cultures in India, and especially the contrast between an element representing the traditional thinking versus a younger generation having a different definition of fairness and inclusiveness.

The forum in the video presents the audience with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a leader and founder of the Isha Foundation in a debate with university students and other audience members.

The question at hand is whether persons attending events should be compelled to stand for the playing India’s national anthem during organized events.

I believe the video in these regards speaks for itself and I invite you to watch and enjoy this new perspective.

By Darren Smith

The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.

29 thoughts on “Another Useful Perspective For The Controversy Surrounding Taking a Knee At US Sporting Events”

  1. the video: India enters the kali yuga…..

    “a nation” has a basic conflict with individualism which is what the young person piously advanced as a norm

    the old guy elevates the nation as a higher norm

  2. “…foreigners…must…corrupt the national spirit…the harmony of ingredients is all-important, and…a discordant intermixture must have an

    injurious tendency…,” citizens must be “…free white person(s)…” and immigration must be of men of technical skills and not used to

    generate the population in lieu of the fertility rate of American women.
    ________________

    “The influx of foreigners must, therefore, tend to produce a heterogeneous compound; to change and corrupt the national spirit; to

    complicate and confound public opinion; to introduce foreign propensities. In the composition of society, the harmony of the ingredients

    is all-important, and whatever tends to a discordant intermixture must have an injurious tendency.”

    – Alexander Hamilton
    ____________________

    Naturalization Acts of 1790, 1795 and 1802

    Citizens must be “…free white person(s)…”
    __________________________________

    George Washington contended in a 1794 letter to John Adams that there was no particular need for the U.S. to encourage immigration,

    “except of useful mechanics and some particular descriptions of men or professions.” He continued: “The policy or advantage of its

    taking place in a body (I mean the settling of them in a body) may be much questioned; for by so doing, they retain the language, habits,

    and principles (good or bad) which they bring with them.”

    Presumably George Washington did not intend for the American population to be imported and he fully expected women to bear and

    nurture a sufficient number of babies to grow and defend the new nation.

  3. Oh say can you pee?
    By the dawn’s early light.
    What so proudly we hail…
    At the dark side of evil.
    And the rockets red glare…
    While kneeling in prayer…
    Gives proof through the night..
    That our Flag is still weeping.

  4. If I was a fan at a Cardinal game and some shortstop went down on his knees during the National Anthem then I wiould go to the gate and request my ticket money back and leave the stadium. I would not go back to another game until they fire the kneeling dorks. I would not watch them on TV.

  5. Off topic for this thread but still a current topic:

    Before Arguing About DNA Tests, Learn the Science Behind Them
    Carl Zimmer
    2018 Oct 18
    TNYT 2018 Oct 21 issue

    Big Names have misread Carl Zimmer’s earlier article; they are wrong.

    Little names here on Jonathan Turley’s blog have demonstrated ignorance of the genetics of indigenous Americans and simply blind prejudice; they are wrong.

    Carl Zimmer uses the phrase “Native American” to refer to the indigenous peoples of the Americas. But “native” simply means born in this place. So most of us are native Americans. The correct term is indigenous, or aboriginal for the purists. So Carl Zimmer is wrong as well.

    1. She lied. Reading Carl Zimmer’s new book isn’t going to change that. Zimmer’s academic background in the natural sciences is, btw, zero.

      1. Tabarrok lies. Carl Zimmer did not write a new book — yet. Carl Zimmer knows more biology than all the commenters on this blog put together.

        Tabarrok is filled with blind prejudice

        2. David Benson is the King of Making Stuff Up and owes me seventeen citations (one from the OED) and the source of a quotation, after twenty weeks, and needs to cite all his work from now on. – biology, per se, is not Zimmer’s field of expertise. He is more of a gene and germ guy.

  6. One gets a strong sense the Caste System hinders development of a national identity in India. Racial tensions in the U.S. could be minor by comparison.

  7. Darren, you believe:
    “The question at hand is whether persons attending events should be compelled to stand for the playing India’s national anthem during organized events.”

    This is not the “question” actually being debated. It is only the expression of the real question, which is whether authoritarian dictates should over rule individual freedom of choice. This Indian leader, is using a standard, and effective, technique, to downplay and avoid facing the real issue being posed by the panel. He uses the emotional appeal of nationalism and inclusiveness, plus the vague promise of a beautiful tomorrow to sway the crowd. (Sound familiar? Remember ‘Hope and Change?’)

    This has nothing to do with culture, Darren. This is about people and how they are ruled. At bottom, people are all the same inside, no matter what country or culture they live within. To promote the expressions (kneeling, standing, or fist raising…as in the olympics of long ago) of people’s real needs and desires, as just a cultural issue, that will soon go away, simply misses the point.

  8. Believing that you are smarter than others is always a sign of intellectual weakness. Wise men are as skeptical of their own beliefs as they are of other people’s beliefs.

  9. These lyrics are from Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado.
    The story:
    After a fabricated beheading to impress the emperor, Pooh Bah, an arrogant, ego controlled leader of the town, speaks (sings) in verification of the phony event. He uses the opportunity to enhance and justify his own authoritarian standing and inflated self worth with an unbelievable lie.

    Pooh-Bah:
    Now though you’d have said that head was dead
    (For its owner dead was he),
    It stood on its neck, with a smile well-bred,
    And bowed three times to me!
    It was none of your impudent off-hand nods,
    But as humble as could be;
    For it clearly knew
    The deference due
    To a man of pedigree,
    Of pedigree!

    And it’s oh, I vow,
    This deathly bow
    Was a touching sight to see;
    Though trunkless, yet
    It couldn’t forget
    The deference due to me!

    This authoritarian, full of himself, Indian leader in the video, is a modern version of the mythical Pooh Bah. A smooth talking man with all the right sounding answers, who expects us to believe his pitch, because of his supposed position of moral authority. If this sounds familiar in this country, we need look no further than Reagan, Clinton and Obama.

    Those who promote this phony “nation over all” philosophy, are authoritarian leaders. Those who believe them are authoritarian non thinking followers. Two sides of the same coin.

  10. Interesting. So forcing people to stand up will make a nation. No, making sure people are treated with respect will make a nation.
    The most important thing is to allow people to have the freedom to act as they see fit.

    This man is so arrogant. No one is as important or as smart as he is. He is part of the problem. His arguments are rididiulois.

    1. Justice Holmes – he is very humble and the moderator admitted to being authoritarian.

      1. Paul, at first I thought that guy was the mythic ‘wise man’ type. Which made me watch out of amusement. But I soon realized his comments are highly compelling.

    2. No, I think in some things people should not be allowed to have the freedom to act as they see fit. I bet that you will agree with me if you think about it a little, and don’t just spout canards. Examples:

      Ginger’s boy friend is cheating on her with Ethyl. Ginger is also pregnant. She sees fit to take a tire iron to Ethyl’s head.

      Bob sees a really hot chick leaving the bar at 2:00AM. Bob ain’t had none, so he sees fit to rape, and then murder the chick.

      Demarquarius’s rent is due. He does not have a steady job. He sees fit to sell heroin for some scratch.

      Bubba is on the lake fishing. The limit is six big mouth bass. Bubba sees fit to catch 12 big mouth and keeps them all.

      Lana is driving her car. The speed limit is 15MPH in the school zone, but she is in a hurry. She sees fit to keep on driving 50 MPH thru the school zone.

      Delmonte has a piddling job, at 30 hours per week at $8.00 per hour. Nonetheless, he sees fit to knock up 4 different ghettopotami.

      Oswald is a nudist. He sees fit to go about nude in public, in front of children.

      Justice Holmes is a commenter on a website. There is a civility rule, but he sees fits to be rude and obnoxious, and totally uncivil.

      Ted is a psychopath. He sees fit to shoot any cat or dog that strays on to his property.

      Pedro is an illegal immigrant. His culture in Mexico permits many things. Pedro sees fit to run a dog fighting ring, a chicken fighting ring, and an underage Latina cat house.

      Abdul is a Muslim from Kandahar. He sees fit to chunk queers off the tops of high places.

      Elizabeth is a white person. Nonetheless, she sees fit to usurp a job set aside for Native Americans.

      Becky is a social justice warrior. She sees fit to put on a mask and beat up Republicans.

      Rocky runs a small convenience store. He sees fit to prohibit unaccompanied Negro youth from shopping in his store.

      Joe runs an Liquor Store. He sees fit to sell booze and smokes to minors.

      Sooo, do you get it??? We are all of us bound night and day under laws and rules which prohibit us from acting as we see fit in numerous ways. Without those rules, we descend in lawlessness.

      So. maybe a little socially-forced respect for your country is not a bad thing. As opposed to Black millionaires taking a knees for dread n*gg*r drug dealers, who are selling drugs and bringing massive violence to the dark skinned community. If you can even call that collection of clowns and losers a community.

      Squeeky Fromm
      Girl Reporter

      1. Sqeeky – I concur with all of the above except “Elizabeth is a white person. Nonetheless, she sees fit to usurp a job set aside for Native Americans.” Racial preferences and set asides are destructive to the nation. They breed resentment and tribalism. I had a classmate in college who was Mexican-American. She had mediocre grades in a mediocre major. She applied to law school at U.C. Davis as a Hispanic and was rejected. So the following year she reapplied as an African-American and got in. Does it bother me that she successfully gamed the system? Not in the least. The whole thing is a farce and deserves no respect.

          1. Squeeky – I just have this problem with Abdul chunk bodies down buildings. 😉 BTW, how are the new digs doing?

            1. Oh, it’s great! The cats have more room. I have a room now for all my books. And an extra bedroom for storage. Plus, I have a really nice porch to sit on. I had two patios (one covered) at the other house, so a nice porch was a must. Darn thing cost almost as much as the trailer.

              Unless there is a like a tornado, I think I made a very sound financial decision. I have over 30 years until official retirement age, so investing the proceeds of the house is going to mean that I have a sound future, barring societal collapse. But having cash means, that I can better handle the collapse than most.

              I can just move the whole darn trailer, and porch, across the border to Texas, where my dad has the bug out farm already set up. I may do that anyway if I ever quit working for Penelope. That and my mom are the only things keeping me here.

              I could be quite happy in the woods.

              Oh, and I bought a new guitar yesterday! It should arrive Monday. It is a very pretty green Gretsch one. It has one of those wiggle bar thingies where you can make it vibrate and stuff.

              Squeeky Fromm
              Girl Reporter

              1. Squeaky – Re the tornados, you could have a cement contractor pour a concrete pad, and bolt the trailer down.

                2. I will do that if I ever move it to my own property. Right now it is tied down with ground anchors, about 6 or so on each side. They protect it from high winds, but let’s face facts, even houses get blown away by tornadoes.

                  Another thing I have thought about doing, is getting a piece of land and putting one of those metal barns up, with very strong steel. Then redoing the inside as a home. But the problem is, I would still be stuck on one piece of property. I kinda like the idea of just moving the whole house to the BugOut Farm one of these days. And my wonderful porch.

                  I mean, I can move the whole thing, then set it back up for less money than one years worth of house payments. That is some cheap living, and having extra cash means I have a lot more options.

                  Squeeky Fromm
                  Girl Reporter

                  1. I was living in the Cincinnati area some years ago when a tornado blew through a bit south of us, in Kentucky. It peeled the roofs off a number of mobile homes, including one of a man who was in the bathtub at the time! Another one that was in the news was an older lady who was sitting in her Lazy Boy watching t.v. with her little dog in her lap. The tornado blew the roof off, and the little dog went flying up and out of there. The next day she got the truck and went looking for it. She found the dog about 5 miles away, trotting down a dirt road towards home. It was wet and covered with leaves. They surmised that it fell from the sky into a nearby pond, and it’s fall was broken by tree branches, probably saving its life.

  11. This guy is excellent. He needs a US speaking tour. 😉 Good questions by the students and he answered them respectfully and thoroughly.

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