General Chat

I'd also like to say, the footballers were 'taking a knee against racism and to promote equality.'
'Equality' wasn't specified, but I think many of us could do with some, especially those of the female sex - see Dermot's post on virginity tests!

RTR - To be honest, using BTKnee or Tkt is poor English. - as you yourself have said.
Is it really too difficult to type Take the Knee and Bend the Knee?

The term is also 'Take a Knee'. Well, that's what those who do it call it - perhaps you now better!
Also, I 'Bend a Knee' every time I take a step - that's easy.
'Taking a Knee', however, involves more effort and creaking from the knee joints!
:-D :-D

only two reasons to " Take a Knee" in my opinion



first is before God and the other is
before the queen...

Ttk is poor English no wonder it means so many different things to different people. Take it off? Take it for a walk?

Isn’t the phrase ‘take the knee’ not ‘bend the knee (BTK)’?

The world is full of dastardly deeds, past , present and no doubt future.
As a short term gesture relating to recent events it fulfilled a need especially in the USA. The world, as it is wont to do, has moved on and now we have new sets of dastardly deeds in the Yemen, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Brazil and China only to mention the leaders of the pack. The UK is weighing up the pros and cons of joing in more than it does alread (Yemen).

Taking the BTKnee logic we would have acts of contrition on a regular basis for all kinds of misdeeds. We do not because the world is not made that way. Not even for the Holocaust. The BTK has been successful in raising the profile of a significant minority but continuing it for ever and a day would be counter productive. IMHO it should not extend into the upcoming UK football season still less the World Cup in 2022.

Ooo I say LOL

*Waves to number one fan* ~~~~~~~~~ pmsl

Much of history is so entwined that it must be very difficult to extract the history of only one race.

Did Dermot report Islands’ post or someone on his behalf?

I really believe that the most powerful weapon against racism is education . Our schools take part in Black History month but why a month, why isn't history inclusive of all. History isn't only about white people..

Like JustGinnie, I am not sure about 'taking the knee' for I wonder whether it will go the same way as 'the fist' - that black power salute most of us must recall from one of the sixties Olympic Games, but which was also used as an indication of solidarity by the labour movement many decades before that. (I have no doubt that Labour took the gesture as its own from an earlier time, too.)

The fist seems to have been adopted and adapted and is now raised to no more than head height to encompass most of the following feelings: 'great', 'fabulous', 'I did well', 'I won', etc. It can be seen used by one and all, black and white,men, women and children, in a huge variety of circumstances - not just sports events.

When Priti Patel spoke of 'taking the knee' as a token gesture, I could see where she was coming from when I thought about 'the fist'. Whether 'the knee' stays true to its original intent or whether it ends up being adopted and adapted for some other cause is anyone's guess but it made me wonder whether that was in the back of Patel's mind when she spoke out or whether she spoke that way because she could not understand why white people would 'take the knee'. If it was the latter, reason, I feel that she is on dodgy ground as far as racism is concerned and I would then question her stance.

Perhaps government brainstorming may find a solution to racism, but I wouldn't bank on it, particularly as 'positive discrimination' has been tried already. I am afraid there is no easy answer as successive governments must now know.

I don’t think that quote helps the discussion.

Old age & a touch of rheumatism will eventually curtail this childish carry-on. ;-)

Sadly racism does exist in sports as in other areas, and as soon as those penalties were missed I said to my husband watch the racist comments start up. Not really sure taking the knee is going to change that as those that are racist aren't going to change because of the kneeling....education is needed.

I am not sure about 'taking the knee' but I do think it has to be a choice.

I do agree that the 'Stand up To' or Stand against ' is a better fit. Well to me it is others may disagree.

Yes all lives matter of course but I have never felt that I am judged on the colour of my skin as people of colour are. Sad but it is true that a lot of people in the area I live in still are very racist.

Wasn't surprised at all with the amount of racist comments after the game.

At risk of 'taking the rollo' ......
I was aware that this preceded the George Floyd murder but....

Taking the knee (or taking a knee) is a symbolic gesture against racism where the person kneels on one knee. It was originated by American football player Colin Kaepernick on September 1, 2016 to call attention to the issues of racial inequality and police brutality in the United States, and it led to a series of national anthem protests.[1] It has been adopted in other sports, including soccer, and has been seen in non-sporting contexts, such as Black Lives Matter protests.[1] It has also been adopted in other countries around the world and has been present in UEFA
Euro 2020.[

Live and let live I say and be kind.

English football players are taking the knee to highlight racial inequality and discrimination.

Ironic that the depth of racial bigotry came to the fore after the EURO's!

yes, Florence you are right , all lives do matter , no matter what the colour of your skin is. and i don't think people should keep taking the knee, i knell in church and before my queen . :-)

I thought it was originally to show support for the guy that was murdered because the police man had his knee on his neck and he suffocated?

Im not sure if its now proper to continue indefinitely

In anycase, it should be All Lives Matter shouldnt it?

Florence in the hebrides

To me, kneeling in front of someone is subservient. You kneel before your betters.

Why theAmerican Black Lives Matter uses this is beyond me. Some of the American BLM motives are politically difficult. Here we had Stand up to Racism, like we have Stand up for Cancer. It seems a better fit for us here.

It took me a long time to understand what the Black Panther film was about.