Taking The Knee

[jon1959]

Swansea have decided they will stop this season.

https://www.swanseacity.com/news/swansea-city-statement-taking-knee

My impression from a statement on the Cardiff website last week was that we will continue (I may be wrong).

It feels like the number of clubs continuing to make the gesture is dropping, and it will be the minority that carry on.

Most of the statements from clubs that have decided against Taking The Knee talk about finding other ways of making a stand and fighting discrimination. Do any of them actually do anything to back that up? Or is it just a move from a gesture that highlights a cause and maintains a conversation to nothing at all?

Personally I hope we carry on. It is not enough, but it is something. All the shouting from a section of the support and public about BLM and 'Marxists' (to my mind usually displaying their own ignorance and prejudice) makes me want to see it continue even more. My guess is that players like Mahlon Romeo who faced abuse from his former club's fans for taking a stance will be strongly in favour of carrying on.

[Des Parrot]

Re: Taking The Knee

I went to the Poland v Wales game with my Polish colleagues from work. Wales took the knee Poland didn’t. I asked my colleagues why they didn’t. The answer is difficult to articulate here but the shortened version, is that it’s not their problem and they see it as a reaction to historic slavery, you caused it, you have to deal with the consequences.

These are professional people and they see zero relevance to them or their country in taking the knee. Having lived here a couple of years now and living in a predominantly Indian community, I personally have seen or heard zero issues and their mindset seems to be more open.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Taking The Knee

Swansea have decided they will stop this season.

https://www.swanseacity.com/news/swansea-city-statement-taking-knee

My impression from a statement on the Cardiff website last week was that we will continue (I may be wrong).

It feels like the number of clubs continuing to make the gesture is dropping, and it will be the minority that carry on.

Most of the statements from clubs that have decided against Taking The Knee talk about finding other ways of making a stand and fighting discrimination. Do any of them actually do anything to back that up? Or is it just a move from a gesture that highlights a cause and maintains a conversation to nothing at all?

Personally I hope we carry on. It is not enough, but it is something. All the shouting from a section of the support and public about BLM and 'Marxists' (to my mind usually displaying their own ignorance and prejudice) makes me want to see it continue even more. My guess is that players like Mahlon Romeo who faced abuse from his former club's fans for taking a stance will be strongly in favour of carrying on.

If the players want to continue then good on them

[Citizen's Nephew]

Re: Taking The Knee

Swansea have decided they will stop this season.

https://www.swanseacity.com/news/swansea-city-statement-taking-knee

My impression from a statement on the Cardiff website last week was that we will continue (I may be wrong).

It feels like the number of clubs continuing to make the gesture is dropping, and it will be the minority that carry on.

Most of the statements from clubs that have decided against Taking The Knee talk about finding other ways of making a stand and fighting discrimination. Do any of them actually do anything to back that up? Or is it just a move from a gesture that highlights a cause and maintains a conversation to nothing at all?

Personally I hope we carry on. It is not enough, but it is something. All the shouting from a section of the support and public about BLM and 'Marxists' (to my mind usually displaying their own ignorance and prejudice) makes me want to see it continue even more. My guess is that players like Mahlon Romeo who faced abuse from his former club's fans for taking a stance will be strongly in favour of carrying on.

Yeah, good post. I agree. It's vital imo to keep this going. Keep this in people's consciousness. I'm also like you insomuch that if it pisses people off then I want more of it because I find that kind of attitude very revealing.

In terms of diversity, the club is still woefully bad at encouraging its local demographic to attend games and if we are seen as supportive of this then that's a positive for the club.

We see diversity on the pitch but not enough in the fanbase.

[JamesWales]

Re: Taking The Knee

I'm not a fan of it for several reasons, largely because I think it's pretty pointless and doesn't really raise nor solve any of the issues it purports to do. I also am not a fan of the formal BLM movement, which again I don't think will solve any issues and is divisive with it.

That is of course not to say there are no issues about racial discrimination, I just don't think this is a way to solve it.

That said, I have noted how the gesture has become far less controversial, and just a kind of pre-match tradition like tossing a coin or exchanging pennants or something, which shows that it is now both not as controversial as it's critics stated nor has the impact it's supporters claimed.

Personally, I'd drop it and stick with the more established and less divisive 'Kick it Out' messages.

[Feedback]

Re: Taking The Knee

I'm not a fan of it for several reasons, largely because I think it's pretty pointless and doesn't really raise nor solve any of the issues it purports to do. I also am not a fan of the formal BLM movement, which again I don't think will solve any issues and is divisive with it.

taking the knee isn't going to solve racism, but it makes it clear that racist still persists. It should be a personal choice whether someone takes the knee or not, and no inference should be made if they do or don't.

That is of course not to say there are no issues about racial discrimination, I just don't think this is a way to solve it.

taking the knee is about awareness, its not meant to be a solution.

That said, I have noted how the gesture has become far less controversial, and just a kind of pre-match tradition like tossing a coin or exchanging pennants or something, which shows that it is now both not as controversial as it's critics stated nor has the impact it's supporters claimed.

so we become oblivious to taking the knee and it becomes the norm. A bit like casual racism then?

Personally, I'd drop it and stick with the more established and less divisive 'Kick it Out' messages.

why can't we have both?

[BLUETIT]

Re: Taking The Knee

I went to the Poland v Wales game with my Polish colleagues from work. Wales took the knee Poland didn’t. I asked my colleagues why they didn’t. The answer is difficult to articulate here but the shortened version, is that it’s not their problem and they see it as a reaction to historic slavery, you caused it, you have to deal with the consequences.

These are professional people and they see zero relevance to them or their country in taking the knee. Having lived here a couple of years now and living in a predominantly Indian community, I personally have seen or heard zero issues and their mindset seems to be more open.

We were not the only country involved in slavery !

The Vikings were doing far worse, years before this country got involved !

People can’t keep going back to the past !

Now and the future are more important

[splott parker]

Re: Taking The Knee

If Swansea have dropped it (no shock there) it’s all the more reason for us to continue. More gestures to oppose racism should be encouraged, not fewer.

[Citizen's Nephew]

Re: Taking The Knee

We were not the only country involved in slavery !

The Vikings were doing far worse, years before this country got involved !

People can’t keep going back to the past !

Now and the future are more important

Said the person mentioning the f*cking Vikings!

[delmbox]

Re: Taking The Knee

Said the person mentioning the f*cking Vikings!

[splott parker]

Re: Taking The Knee

Now and the future are more important

Exactly, get the ‘now’ right and there’s a fair chance of a better future. ‘Taking the knee’ is now

[WJ99mobile]

Re: Taking The Knee

We were not the only country involved in slavery !

The Vikings were doing far worse, years before this country got involved !

People can’t keep going back to the past !

Now and the future are more important

It's not about slavery of the past is it? It's about the racism they still experience now, be it blatant or unconscious bias.

Vikings ffs

[WJ99mobile]

Re: Taking The Knee

I don't want it to continue as I don't want football to be used as a political football excuse the pun.

We're seeing sport being used more and more for activism, and whilst I agree with everything they're supporting at the moment, I just want to see a ball get kicked around.

[Citizen's Nephew]

Re: Taking The Knee

Hope mine arrives in time for tomorrow's match.

images.jpeg

[Citizen's Nephew]

Re: Taking The Knee

If Swansea have dropped it (no shock there) it’s all the more reason for us to continue. More gestures to oppose racism should be encouraged, not fewer.

When we play the Jacks we should do it at the start of the second half too just to really p*ss them off!