The “funny” thing about all this outrage over NFL players (and others) deciding not to stand or participate during the national anthem (or the Pledge of Allegiance) is that white people are proving—whether purposely or not—that they know the protest isn’t about the anthem or veterans but about white supremacy.
Take Anton Uhl, for example, who lives in West Deer, Pa. After the Pittsburgh Steelers declined to take the field for the national anthem over the weekend, Uhl decided that it would be a fantastic idea to paint a swastika over the team’s flag in retaliation.
Now, why would he do that? There are a thousand other ways to show one’s displeasure. But Uhl directly went for the swastika.
“I’m upset [team owners] the Rooneys didn’t want to participate in the national anthem, so to me, they’re anti-American,” Uhl told WXPI-TV about his decision to paint the swastika.
Uhl insisted that he didn’t support Nazis, but he wanted to show how he felt about the Steelers being unpatriotic.
“There’s a lot of kids that want to play football; you don’t need to pay millions of dollars for these people to stand in some type of, kneeling down, giving disrespect for everything,” Uhl said.
He also said that the team’s decision was disrespectful to veterans like him and that he wanted more than just a statement from the team’s owner.
Right. And so you went immediately to the image of a swastika. Not buying it, Anton.
Anyway, Uhl told the news station that the team had the right to protest—just, apparently, not in a public forum (huh??? How else are you supposed to demonstrate?) in uniform.
“If they want to demonstrate, they have every right to do that. Out of uniform in a public forum; not in a uniform representing the Rooneys,” Uhl said. “I find it was upsetting not to have patriotic participation.”
Uhl later reached out to WXPI with a statement, saying that he should not have singled out the Steelers and that the swastika should be worn by all NFL players who do not stand for the flag (honestly, guys, you can’t make up these mental gymnastics):
I want to tell your viewers that I was wrong in placing a swastika on the Steelers’ flag. The flag has been removed. I’m not apologizing, but should not have singled out just the Steelers. The swastika, a symbol of hate, should be worn by all the NFL players who do not stand for our nation’s flag and anthem. If the players and owners want to demonstrate against President Trump and the disparity against races, then they should unite in uniform and march on Washington.
Well, good luck to you, Anton Uhl, but you showed us exactly what you thought when you first painted that swastika on a flag.
Read more at WXPI-TV.