Protesting the National Anthem

[SacredWarrior]

Lately there's been a recent wave of people (mostly celebrities) protesting the National Anthem and naturally people are offended by it.

I fail to see why people are offended by it. Last time I checked, freedom of expression and speech is a thing right?

While I highly disagree with the celebrities' reason for not participating in the National Anthem, I will bring up one point that the outcriers keep bringing up.

The veterans which people think the National Anthem helps. Singing a song and saluting a flag doesn't help our vets one bit nor does it respect them. The majority of the people who bring up vets as a talking point have most likely never been in the military, don't know any veterans, nor do they actually do anything to help them.

This video pretty much says my point:

 

[Brovo]

You really do have fun with drama on a regular basis, eh'?

Whether or not it is disrespectful, it is not in the slightest debatable whether or not it is legally permissible. Free Speech is a sacrosanct right in the US (with a few notable exceptions), and protesting the national anthem is protected within Free Speech.

I don't care much personally. I laugh at the people who love the national anthem so much that they get triggered by anyone protesting it, and the people who feel so overly emotional that they feel the need to protest it. It's a single song referencing pieces of classical American culture. That's it. That's all it is. It is a series of sounds.

If you like it, and feel patriotic, stand up and take off your hat and listen to it. If you don't, just sit through it and wait for the song to pass. If people give you shit for doing either of these things, congratulations: You met an easily offended twat you may now ignore for the rest of your life.

Do whatever you feel, it's no more or less respectful. Nobody is dying from this, nobody is really suffering. It's just another dumb issue for people to get up in arms about so the media can crank its perpetual money machine.

 

[SacredWarrior]

You really do have fun with drama on a regular basis, eh'?

What can I say? It's funny to see people get their panties in a bunch :D

 

[Hecatoncheires]

I've never quite understood America's fetishisation of its flag and national anthem.

But then, I come from a country within a country. So what the fuck do I know?

 

[Brovo]

But then, I come from a country within a country. So what the fuck do I know?

The English-speaking version of the Quebecois with just as much slang and feelings of separatism based on a badly misunderstood history with a government that doesn't give a shit about you.

 

[Shiri]

I always feel out of the loop on news stories. For clarity, is this about the kneeling thing?

 

[SacredWarrior]

For clarity, is this about the kneeling thing?

Yes

 

[Hecatoncheires]

The English-speaking version of the Quebecois with just as much slang and feelings of separatism based on a badly misunderstood history with a government that doesn't give a shit about you.

You can be my spirit animal now.

 

[Kagayours]

I do think it's kind of freaky how much importance America tends to place on the national anthem. Same with the pledge of allegiance in schools. Like, kids are expected to pledge their loyalty to the country every morning at school, and if they don't, they can get in trouble for it (Depending on how much the school/teachers care, anyway -- in my experience, people only seemed to take it seriously in the younger grades. Once I got to high school, most teachers stopped giving a damn.)

Similarly, most will say that it's a requirement to stand and listen to the national anthem before every game of sportball. And if you choose not to stand, it's apparently a form of "protest" and therefore "controversial"... kay.

And these are the same people who say that millennials are easily offended. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯