With #TakeaKnee going viral on Sunday as NFL players push back against threats by President Donald Trump, those who support the president’s position that professional athletes—and especially black or brown professional athletes—should just do as they are told and not speak their minds were infecting the social media hashtag with a variety of racist and otherwise ill-considered arguments about why “millionaire players” shouldn’t have or express political views. (Also, it’s all about the flag and misguided pro-war patriotism, aka freedom.)
Here are ten tweets chosen not at random to help refute at least a little bit of the circulating hatefulness and wrongheadedness:
(1) Right-wing backlash against #TakeTheKnee very much about setting limits in US for how our rights “should” be exercised, and by whom.
— ChristianChristensen (@ChrChristensen) September 24, 2017
I’ve got 4 combat tours, which is 4 more than you do.
They can take a knee if they want, which was the whole fucking point of those 4 tours. https://t.co/7GK3dBEIQq— Soonergrunt (@soonergrunt) September 24, 2017
Kaep kneeled to call attention to the systemic racism in our criminal justice system, Trump wants to silence protest to racism! #TakeAKnee https://t.co/biZh4mCIl0
— ColorOfChange.org (@ColorOfChange) September 24, 2017
NFL players aren’t protesting the anthem, they’re protesting police brutality. That’s like saying hunger strikes are against food #TakeAKnee
— Orli Matlow (@HireMeImFunny) September 23, 2017
Statement from Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin. Maybe my favorite response thus far. pic.twitter.com/MpH2Y1dC44
— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) September 23, 2017
NFL players who #TakeAKnee are sons of Justice, taking their place in the river of resistance that has brought us thus far on our way. pic.twitter.com/Qr82XmBdpA
— Rev. Dr. Barber (@RevDrBarber) September 24, 2017
Don’t confuse #TakeAKnee for disrespect. Respect and love for America doesn’t require blindness to its failures. https://t.co/UMAYWNgzsC
— ACLU (@ACLU) September 24, 2017
Even if #TakeAKnee is disrespectful (it isn’t), who cares? There’s no such thing as a protest everyone approves of. That’s kinda the point.
— John Graziano (@jvgraz) September 24, 2017
Pretty interesting how in commentary about NFL protests “our troops” are presumed to be white and have no personal stake in racial equality.
— Adam Serwer (@AdamSerwer) September 24, 2017
Funny how “making millions of dollars” excludes you from commenting on US when you’re black, but enables you when you’re white. #TakeTheKnee https://t.co/9YCvYe7tqO
— ChristianChristensen (@ChrChristensen) September 24, 2017
