Political Satire and Meme Megathread

[cduggles]

He's just following Trump, like all the other lemmings...

This was Meme of the Year or somesuch.

Everything is burning, but it's fine...

 

[Globetrotter]

 

[JGrimez]

About the NFL protests, because some people have a very hard time comprehending this, those players have their right to protest by kneeling during the anthem. This is America.
Doesn't offend me and many others in the slightest (I'm more offended by their lack of explaining their motivations in more detail and not offering a solution to the problem).
But people like myself that criticize them are saying that: this isn't the best way to protest, you'd be better off choosing a different time or method.
We're helping them because we know how many patriotic Americans/vets there are that link the anthem/flag to respecting the country and all the fallen soliders who have "fought for the flag". We're basically saying "you're going to get more people against you than on your side" which seems to be a counter-productive way to protest. And you may be unhappy that so many people feel this way about the anthem/flag, but they do. You're never going to change their minds. So accept it and find a better way to protest.

I forget...didn't Trump's friends in the Senate declare no collusion before or after the FBI raided his lawyer's office for illegal payments by trump?

Didn't know those payments were related to "Russian collusion"
Oh wait, they weren't. Russians didn't even hack the DNC. <SNIP>
Looks like everyone who said that the Russians hacked the DNC LIED TO US.

 

[cduggles]

About the NFL protests...I'm more offended by their lack of explaining their motivations in more detail and not offering a solution to the problem).

The NFL could solve all the world's problem if they just cared like that draft-dodger Trump. Instead they're greedy!

But people like myself that criticize them are saying that: this isn't the best way to protest, you'd be better off choosing a different time or method.

Ask Trevor Noah.

We're helping them because we know how many patriotic Americans/vets there are that link the anthem/flag to respecting the country and all the fallen soliders who have "fought for the flag"...So accept it and find a better way to protest.

Thank you for your sacrifice... *sniffle*
Veterans love when non-veterans speak for them, not-ime.

 

[alasdairm]

About the NFL protests, because some people have a very hard time comprehending this, those players have their right to protest by kneeling during the anthem. This is America.
Doesn't offend me and many others in the slightest (I'm more offended by their lack of explaining their motivations in more detail and not offering a solution to the problem).
But people like myself that criticize them are saying that: this isn't the best way to protest, you'd be better off choosing a different time or method.
We're helping them because we know how many patriotic Americans/vets there are that link the anthem/flag to respecting the country and all the fallen soliders who have "fought for the flag". We're basically saying "you're going to get more people against you than on your side" which seems to be a counter-productive way to protest. And you may be unhappy that so many people feel this way about the anthem/flag, but they do. You're never going to change their minds. So accept it and find a better way to protest.

telling people to protest in a way that's more palatable misses the point so gloriously. perhaps the founding fathers should have worked on a better way to protest to king george?

for me it's the worst kind of false patriotism.

...accept it and find a better way to protest.

cdugg mentioned trevor noah who, for me, nailed it - he asked a few months ago "how else was he supposed to send his message?" what was the right way? send a tweet? nope, that's the refuge of the lazy and the superficial. pivot to the issue in a post-game interview? that would have been, for many, more respectful but he'd still have been criticized for it.

he's an athlete so, given his inability to wear, say, a shirt with a protest message, he silently knelt during the national anthem. saying he's spitting in the face of the military by doing so is mock outrage.

so, if marching is bad. if assembling is bad. if quietly kneeling is bad. what is the 'good' way for a black man to protest? what use is a protest that is so antiseptic it gets no attention?

alasdair

 

[Xorkoth]

Wow JGrimez, I gotta say, your reasoning makes no sense at all. You're helping them by telling them there's a better way to protest? Is that why the NFL is firing them? To help them? Give me a break. Just admit, as you admitted that they have a right to protest by kneeling, that the response to this is fucked up. You can do it, I believe in you.

I read an article in my parents' local newspaper today that a firefighter knelt during the national anthem in some event to honor fallen first responders in their town, and some of the crowd got so incensed that he's being fired from the force. Like, what the fuck? Would anyone have even thought a single thing except, aw, that's nice, if this stupid NFL shit hadn't happened? I'll say again, since when has kneeling during the national anthem been considered disrespectful, until now? Can you point to another time in history it was considered disrespectful?

 

[JGrimez]

telling people to protest in a way that's more palatable misses the point so gloriously.

No it doesn't. It's called constructive criticism.

he asked a few months ago "how else was he supposed to send his message?" what was the right way? send a tweet? nope, that's the refuge of the lazy and the superficial. pivot to the issue in a post-game interview? that would have been, for many, more respectful but he'd still have been criticized for it.

Doesn't matter if he's criticized, that would be a better place to do it.

he's an athlete so, given his inability to wear, say, a shirt with a protest message, he silently knelt during the national anthem. saying he's spitting in the face of the military by doing so is mock outrage.

That's your subjective opinion. You're consciously choosing to ignore the large number of people who perceive the anthem and flag differently from you.
He's kneeling during the American anthem. What % of all Americans are the racist cops?
He's a fucking idiot. A large number of people who would have supported his protest against racism, injustice and brutality now despise him. And did he do anything to fix the problem? How about concrete suggestions? That's called a failed protest.

so, if marching is bad. if assembling is bad. if quietly kneeling is bad. what is the 'good' way for a black man to protest? what use is a protest that is so antiseptic it gets no attention?

"Bad" is choosing to protest where the result is more people dislike you than support you or want to listen to you.
He has no clear message.
Wherever he chooses to protest should be a place he can clearly convey his message:
"I am protesting (insert detailed reason) and my suggestion to rectify the problem is (insert detailed solution)"

 

[Droppersneck]

<edit>top Picture is Tebow praying after a TD. This is indeed a meme, as this is the meme thread. The fact that it is on topic is completely unrelated. When posting in the meme thread plz post memes like the one I have posted above.

In America, if I decide to excersice my free speech by cussing out my companies customers my boss has the right to either discipline or fire me. Kneeling was hurting the NFLs bottom line so they decided to do something about it. Personally I’ll never watch or go to another game, but some fans may come back with the new policies implemented. I’m hoping for the XFL to really take off, think it’s starting soon.

 

[Xorkoth]

The only reason it hurt the NFL's bottom line is because Trump decided to drum up mock outrage and tweet-skeet all over the Internet about it. I can actually much more understand the NFL taking action as a result of the outrage than I can understand the outrage itself.

Also I don't understand your meme... I'm pretty sure liberals as a whole aren't outraged by the kneeling, are they?

Maybe this stuff should get moved to its own thread since this is the meme thread.

 

[JGrimez]

Wow JGrimez, I gotta say, your reasoning makes no sense at all. You're helping them by telling them there's a better way to protest? Is that why the NFL is firing them? To help them? Give me a break. Just admit, as you admitted that they have a right to protest by kneeling, that the response to this is fucked up. You can do it, I believe in you.

I read an article in my parents' local newspaper today that a firefighter knelt during the national anthem in some event to honor fallen first responders in their town, and some of the crowd got so incensed that he's being fired from the force. Like, what the fuck? Would anyone have even thought a single thing except, aw, that's nice, if this stupid NFL shit hadn't happened? I'll say again, since when has kneeling during the national anthem been considered disrespectful, until now? Can you point to another time in history it was considered disrespectful?

Well it's interesting, recently I spoke to an Irish guy who was in the military and I asked him for his opinion on NFL players kneeling. He told me that sometimes he knelt for something he want to pay respect for., I forget what exactly but he thought kneeling was more respectful. In a way I agree, if Colin wanted to really protest he would've laid down on the ground and performed grass angels.

Who did the NFL fire? That's news to me.

And no, because as I've stated before, free speech is also the right to criticize someone for a shitty protest.

 

[alasdairm]

i believe you're guilty of false patriotism, jgrimez. we can agree to disagree.

on tebow, that meme is just pandering. i don't think anybody gave a shit when tebow kneeled. i wonder why?

alasdair

 

[Xorkoth]

Well it's interesting, recently I spoke to an Irish guy who was in the military and I asked him for his opinion on NFL players kneeling. He told me that sometimes he knelt for something he want to pay respect for., I forget what exactly but he thought kneeling was more respectful.

Okay, so you agree with me then? Now I'm confused. Did you speak to this Irish guy since you made your last post? Did you forget about this conversation when you made the rest of your post above? Or do you just disagree with this Irish military guy?

Who did the NFL fire? That's news to me.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: Players who disrespect the flag won't be allowed to play (not fired I guess but not allowed to play. Similar but I guess I was somewhat mistaken.)

College football player cut from team for kneeling during national anthem (not the NFL but extremely relevant... this guy was actually "fired".)

And, of course, regardless of implementation, Trump's intention is very clear: Trump wants to see NFL players fired for kneeling during anthem

A true patriot would support a person's right to protest nonviolently and publicly. See Ali's post. It seems that every way for a black man to protest police brutality is "the wrong way".

 

[alasdairm]

indeed the guy who suggested to kaepernick that he kneel was a former green beret who saw action in afghanistan and iraq:

I thought about how far I’d come and the men I’d fought alongside who didn’t make it back. I thought about those overseas who were risking their lives at that very moment. I selfishly thought about what I had sacrificed to get to where I was, and while I knew I had little to no chance of making the Seahawks’ roster as a 34-year-old rookie, I was trying.

That moment meant so much more to me than even playing in the game did, and to be honest, if I had noticed my teammate sitting on the bench, it would have really hurt me.

I’m not judging you for standing up for what you believe in. It’s your inalienable right. What you are doing takes a lot of courage, and I’d be lying if I said I knew what it was like to walk around in your shoes. I’ve never had to deal with prejudice because of the color of my skin, and for me to say I can relate to what you’ve gone through is as ignorant as someone who’s never been in a combat zone telling me they understand what it’s like to go to war.
...
We sorta came to a middle ground where he would take a knee alongside his teammate. Soldiers take a knee in front of a fallen brother’s grave, you know, to show respect. When we’re on a patrol, you know, and we go into a security halt, we take a knee, and we pull security.
...
After hours of careful consideration, and even a visit from Nate Boyer, a retired Green Beret and former NFL player, we came to the conclusion that we should kneel, rather than sit, the next day during the anthem as a peaceful protest. We chose to kneel because it’s a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy.

and:

[Kaepernick] reached out and we were able to sit down together for a couple of hours before the last preseason game last year. It was really cool to hear him just listen, too, and be very open-minded, too, and [say] “Look, I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t want to hurt your brothers and sisters.” I showed him text messages of friends of mine and some of them were saying I was a disgrace to the Green Berets ’cause I was even meeting with him. And some of them were like, “I’m with you man but it really hurts me to see that.”

So when I talked to them, it was mutual. Me, him, and Eric Reid [said] “I think maybe taking a knee would be a little more respectful. It’s still a demonstration. You’re still saying something but, people take a knee to pray. So for me it was a common ground, at least, to start from.

(my emphasis)

alasdair

 

[JessFR]

WHO TOOK THE MEMES AWAY AGAIN?

Whyyyyy?

 

[Xorkoth]

Sorry, here you go. I think maybe the conversation should be moved to its own thread though.

 

[SheWasLvL18]

I got one for you guys. Match the statements to the person described:

1. Populist leader who promised to return the country to a time of imagined prosperity.

2. Scapegoated minority populations for political unification.

Name Bank: Hitler, Trump...

 

[alasdairm]

^ lol.

alasdair

 

[swilow]

 

[spacejunk]

 

[etnies]