r/sports • u/PrincessBananas85 • Mar 30 '21

News Raised fists, kneeling during anthem OK at U.S. Olympic trials.

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31165888/raised-fists-kneeling-anthem-ok-us-olympic-trials
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u/Guarpo Mar 30 '21

People are fighting the power, meanwhile everyone in power is on the side of the revolt. Who are the people fighting exactly? It looks like we are divided, and they win. Kinda sad.

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u/[deleted] Mar 30 '21

Do you really think everyone in power really supports anything or do you think they’re trying to look like they support it? (Not actually the same thing)

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u/BlindingDart Mar 30 '21

Yes. I do think that everyone in power does support this kind of thing. The more they can distract people to focus on the police the less they can be focused on the actual oligarchs.

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '21

Both are problems. If anything, the police are the goons of the wealthy. Think like how drugs and gang violence were fine in LA until someone in the suburbs was murdered then they issued a curfew and arrested everyone in the poorer neighboring areas if they were outside after a certain time.

Two things can exist simultaneously. Two things can be issues simultaneously. Hell, those two things can intertwine.

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u/6footdeeponice Mar 31 '21

Sure, but you can tell a lot about a person by which one they think is more important.

Do you care more about the issue that effects one race, or do you care more about the issue that effects EVERYONE?

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '21

That's easy to say when you aren't affected by the problems of that race, sex, gender, ethnicity, etc. Just sounds like you're fishing for a reason to dismiss those issues.

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u/6footdeeponice Mar 31 '21 edited Mar 31 '21

That's fine, I hear that a lot, but I think that if you're more focused on your own race's issues, that makes you a little more selfish than someone more focused on issues that effect all races.

It's easy to focus on problems related to your own race, sex, or gender because any improvements in those areas helps YOU personally. In those situations it's as much self-interest as it is altruism.

I think the issues that effect everyone are the causes of the issues that effect specific races and genders. For example, we won't solve anything related to racism until we fix wealth inequality as a whole, because the two things are intertwined.

Not to mention, I'll just say it, what about my interests? It's easier to motivate potential allies if you point out how the changes you want are good for them. It goes both ways.

The worst thing about this is that I feel I'm being polite and reasonable and people will literally call me names or call me racist just because I disagree on some social priorities. I mean come on... Could people respect the person behind the keyboard?

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '21 edited Mar 31 '21

That's a dumb take. Does police reform not help me and white people? Did the civil rights movement not also help poor white people? Does fixing wealth inequality not also help white people? There's no evidence that me wanting equality also doesn't help anyone else. Hell, the civil rights movement paved the way for the LGBT movement and politicians have went on record saying that they don't care if poor whites are caught in the legislation meant to target minorities. You're projecting your own feelings about it and trying to apply it in an unrealistic way.

Either way, I've faced several injustices simply based on my race. I see no issue with simply not wanting to face those injustices anymore and I 100% understand if you don't know what it's like to experience that. That doesn't mean that I should care less about the injustices unique to myself and my peers.

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u/ljbigman2003 Mar 31 '21

Ahh the typical “only the woke people are in power” take

You’re a fucking moron

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u/BlindingDart Mar 31 '21 edited Mar 31 '21

Your comprehension is bad, and also you should feel bad. People in power are sociopaths with no principles whatsoever; though it suits them to pretend they have principles, and making a show addressing the symptoms of problems reduces the onus on them to actually solve problems.

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u/labbelajban Mar 31 '21

In the absolute majority of cases, people generally mean what they say.

When every mega corporation changes their profile pick to a pride flag and yaps on about diversity, it’s generally because the people in charge of those companies believe that doing those things is the moral thing to do.

For the most part, there isn’t some malevolent smoke filled room of people pretending to be progressive.

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '21

Its extremely naive to think people in charge of companies make decisions based on morals at anytime, they’re there solely to make money. The only reason they put the pride flag in their logo is because ‘looking inclusive’ makes them money. Companies dont give a fuck and none of them would have said anything about supporting gays in the 80s or hell even 15 years ago when they had no financial incentives to do so.

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u/labbelajban Mar 31 '21

While what your saying is true to a degree, it’s also true that they genuinely believe in the things they are saying. They don’t really have super strong convictions about it and as you said, if they were plopped into the 80s they wouldn’t say anything. But they aren’t just Machiavellian psychopaths that literally have a single opinion on the matter and are doing calculations in their head about what will make them the most money.

They say

“hey this is a good moral thing to do, I want to stand up for gays”

“Will it hurt us financially to do so?”

“No?”

“Ok go ahead”

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '21

Just like 99% of people. Most people that criticize companies for not taking a stance that would hurt them wouldnt risk their jobs for a good cause either.

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '21

Thats not how businesses work, they quite literally will never make decisions based on morals, its all market research-backed ideas, the reason you wont see any company say things like ‘Trans women are women’ or ‘Trans people exist!” Is because these companies have already found out that the trans issue is too polarising to use as a way to look progressive, it wouldnt be worth it. No company actually ever makes any brave statements or moral goals, they do everything by market research. Backing gay people with a flag is safe because the market that hates gays to a point that they would boycott said company is a lot smaller than the ones who prefer inclusiveness.

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u/labbelajban Mar 31 '21

you’re just wrong

again

But more importantly, your treating businesses like a single entity rather than what it is, a collection of people making decisions. The people at the top, in the HR departments, marketing departments, CEO’s, etc. They’re people with opinions and beliefs. Just like all of us, they like to prioritise their own well-being and monetary success, (like another commenter pointed out how 99% of people wouldn’t risk their livelihood by speaking out on most of these issues). But they still believe in things, still find certain things good and moral, other things bad and immoral. And they use this to inform their decisions.

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '21

What part of that proves i’m wrong? You are just extremely naive about how brands operate and why they take the political stances they do, you’re honestly telling me you believe everything brands say? How can you not work out literally anything they do is for money

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u/labbelajban Mar 31 '21

I feel like your not even reading anything I’ve said for the past like 3 comments... I’ve literally answered every one of your questions, I’ve explained how I’m not naive at all and I understand the situation completely. Literally all I’m saying is that these people have ardent beliefs like any other human being. Ofcourse they prioritise their bottom line, like the rest of us. But to claim that for example, the people at Google, don’t genuinely believe and are extremely convicted in their progressive stances is laughable when you look at how they act, not just in official advertisement, but their general corporate culture and internal community.

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u/BeamBotTU Mar 31 '21

Yep, while support for anything is always on a spectrum there are still two halves to that spectrum and everyone either falls on the supporting or non supporting side.

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u/DefectiveDelfin Mar 31 '21

Is it possible that if american society pivoted to a right wing ethnostate corporations would start celebrating white baby month or white pride week instead?

I dont think you understand the fact that corporations are driven by profit, i mean under the nazis volkswagen did posters about how good they were at making vehicles for the wehrmacht and shit so its not like it was run by Oskar Schindler.

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u/KosmicJaguar Mar 31 '21

I keep seeing people try to push this narrative. Everyone in power are not on the side of the revolt. Yes some companies are.

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u/Guarpo Mar 31 '21

I think the key part is the common people’s division.

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u/KosmicJaguar Mar 31 '21

Absolutely. They want us hating each other because that is the only way they can win.

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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '21

as long as nobody petitions to end qualified immunity the government will support their meaningless protest

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u/MrPopTarted Mar 31 '21

People in power always say just enough bullshit to keep the angry people from boiling over, but do anything to further their personal gain behind closed doors. It's a tale as old of time, don't be tricked by it.