Well when 25% of the worlds jail population lives in the USA, what does that say about freedom? Either the laws are designed to put people in prison or that America is disproportionately producing more criminals than the the rest of the world.

Research the private prison industry in the states and the tell me that the USA is not as bad as the rest of the world.

Trust me, no media outlet is reporting on that.
- TheUltimateJet

My strategy to avoid going to prison is to not break the law. And if a cop pulls me over for speeding or a broken tail light, well, I become extremely polite and do exactly what they ask me to do. But that's just me. Other people like to swear, argue, fight, steal weapons, run away, etc...To each their own.

Like how a team like the Oilers have a player who is black, Asian, and East Indian. But the banner says we skate for BLACK LIVES. Yeah, that's a great step towards equality and justice.
- Kooleus

The point about Black Lives mattering is that for so much of American history, they quite demonstratively did NOT matter. A black person could be enslaved, beaten, and killed with impunity. There was literally a law on the books that designated them as 3/5 of a person (for representational purposes, but still.. Three Fifths! of a person!).


Of course all lives matter, but the point of saying that Black Lives matter is to refute the way black people have been treated in the U.S for the last 300 years, and to say that such treatment is unacceptable in this place and time.

Point being...things need to be put in perspective. America perfect? NO, BUT before protesting something, one must look around and realize that America is a pretty God dam good place to live. The protesting is over the top, and the only thing that's systemic in this country is the media bias, and their willingness to only report a one sided story.
- rrentz

Very Well Said.
- Amanion

No, this is not well said. This is just basic "whataboutism" and it's a logical fallacy. "Our country is better in all these other ways compared to country A and B, so they shouldn't protest about whatever." Fine if it doesn't impact you, but if others want to fix these injustices/issues then why do you care? There are plenty of good places to live, all with their own faults. If you don't want your country to continue to evolve and be better in all aspects, you are either indifferent, lazy or both.

The point about Black Lives mattering is that for so much of American history, they quite demonstratively did NOT matter. A black person could be enslaved, beaten, and killed with impunity. There was literally a law on the books that designated them as 3/5 of a person (for representational purposes, but still.. Three Fifths! of a person!).


Of course all lives matter, but the point of saying that Black Lives matter is to refute the way black people have been treated in the U.S for the last 300 years, and to say that such treatment is unacceptable in this place and time.
- Doc_Sarcasm

Like the slogan says, all lives will matter, once black lives begin to matter.

Well when 25% of the worlds jail population lives in the USA, what does that say about freedom? Either the laws are designed to put people in prison or that America is disproportionately producing more criminals than the the rest of the world.

Research the private prison industry in the states and the tell me that the USA is not as bad as the rest of the world.

Trust me, no media outlet is reporting on that.
- TheUltimateJet

Not finding anything to backup your 25% claim.

No, this is not well said. This is just basic "whataboutism" and it's a logical fallacy. "Our country is better in all these other ways compared to country A and B, so they shouldn't protest about whatever." Fine if it doesn't impact you, but if others want to fix these injustices/issues then why do you care? There are plenty of good places to live, all with their own faults. If you don't want your country to continue to evolve and be better in all aspects, you are either indifferent, lazy or both.
- Pavfan13

Well stated!

I use hockey as an escape from reality. Every corner and person nowadays has a strong opinion. It gets exhausting.

Not finding anything to backup your 25% claim.
- Mph6689

What websites are you looking in? This stat will be very hard to locate on the Internet.

You might want to email The Innoncence Project in New York, or the Howard Johnson societies equivalent in the USA to get uptodate stats.

Edit* If you have access to Google Scholar, there are plenty of peer reviewed journal articles on there that could also help you out!

No, this is not well said. This is just basic "whataboutism" and it's a logical fallacy. "Our country is better in all these other ways compared to country A and B, so they shouldn't protest about whatever." Fine if it doesn't impact you, but if others want to fix these injustices/issues then why do you care? There are plenty of good places to live, all with their own faults. If you don't want your country to continue to evolve and be better in all aspects, you are either indifferent, lazy or both.
- Pavfan13

Besides some individual cases, in which cops are brought to justice, rightfully so, America give more financial, educational, and social assistance to minorities then anywhere else in the world. Why do people from all over the world immigrate to the USA?! Because they know that living in AMERICA gives them the best chance to make a life for themselves.

How can you say politics is being left out of it when you bring up BLM (political org), are kneeling for nation’s anthems, and holding black power signs in the air??

Also, I listened to Reaves. He said fine things regarding the flag and military, but ended by saying “Only to come back and find out this country isn’t free for everybody”.
Huh? Unless you commit crimes, EVERYONE is very free in America.

Also, I have a major problem with Dumba (a Canadian) kneeling for the US flag.

To say the kneeling is not political, doesn’t actually make it not political.
- Mph6689

This is what I find perplexing. And then Dumba stands for the Canadian one. Would these guys do the same for the Chinese or Russian ones during a sporting event? Activists tend to pick safe targets.

Kevin Allen: Kneeling NHLers say it's about human rights, not politics
Two Dallas Stars and two Vegas Golden Knights the first NHLers to take a knee for the U.S. anthem in uniform.
- Kevin Allen

so why does the nhl showcase dumba, a canadian making a living in the states, take a knee for the us anthem but stand for his anthem


things like this will turn me off of hockey because honestly it's an escape from all the crap going on in america


I don't watch the oscars because I could care less about actors political views

same for athletes, I could care less for their political views

especially when black lives matter is founded by domestic terrorists

Funny, Tim Tebow was kneeling and the same wasn't said for him.
- SABRES 89

SSHHHHH!!!! Elephant in the room.

Also Anna Nicole Smith married that 89 yr old dude for love...

This is what I find perplexing. And then Dumba stands for the Canadian one. Would these guys do the same for the Chinese or Russian ones during a sporting event? Activists tend to pick safe targets.
- 67hawks

I mean it’s not like Canada has a long history of racism and oppression, it’s just perfect🤣🤣

SSHHHHH!!!! Elephant in the room.


- Only_A_Ladd

No tebow never did knee during the National anthem, but he did pray after he scored and before he ran on the field.

No tebow never did knee during the National anthem, but he did pray after he scored and before he ran on the field.
- Therat36

You didn't know believing in a "higher power" is a sign of stupidity, and meant to be mocked!? Come on man, get with it

I mean it’s not like Canada has a long history of racism and oppression, it’s just perfect🤣🤣
- Therat36

As a Canadian, I do agree with you. Dumba should also have kneeled for the Canadian anthem. The history of racism in this country is just as grotesque as that of the USA. Again these stats are not well kept in Canada, proportionally speaking many black, people of colour and indigenous people are killed by Canadian Police yearly.

I give these guys a ton of credit to keep politics out of it. Politics and the divisive nature of that debate becomes the story instead of the real issue of human rights...which transcends whoever is in (or running for) office. Just another example of how these players just kind of "get it."
- Eklund

They aren't keeping politics out of it. That's impossible.

If NHL wants to be progressive STOP PLAYING THE ANTHEM. I have no idea why sports do this. It causes nothing but problems.
- RogerRoeper

This is a ridiculous comment. National anthems have been played for decades with no issue.

The point about Black Lives mattering is that for so much of American history, they quite demonstratively did NOT matter. A black person could be enslaved, beaten, and killed with impunity. There was literally a law on the books that designated them as 3/5 of a person (for representational purposes, but still.. Three Fifths! of a person!).


Of course all lives matter, but the point of saying that Black Lives matter is to refute the way black people have been treated in the U.S for the last 300 years, and to say that such treatment is unacceptable in this place and time.
- Doc_Sarcasm

Of course everyone should be in favor of racial equality and equal rights for all. However that needs to be separated from the Black Lives Matter movement which is a domestic terrorist group.

Besides some individual cases, in which cops are brought to justice, rightfully so, America give more financial, educational, and social assistance to minorities then anywhere else in the world. Why do people from all over the world immigrate to the USA?! Because they know that living in AMERICA gives them the best chance to make a life for themselves.
- rrentz

The data does not support this. First off, "some individual cases". Any data for this? Cause I can show you a lot of it. The point is that many of these officers are not prosecuted for these issues. A study by the Burea of Justice Statistics released a study in 2019 that showed 1-1.7% of police are charged with a crime and rely heavily on non-transparent internal investigation. So when you have a group, that is targeted 2.5x more often by police than whites (PNAS peer reviewed study), and then are prosecuted less than 2% of the time when crimes are committed is why human rights violations are such a large concern. NO ONE should be above the law, especially those that are supposed to uphold it.

Secondly, America does not give them the best chance to make a life for themselves. Studies in 2019 by Jones et al, show ongoing racial inequality for African Americans and other minorities that reduce opportunity to attain education, healthcare, jobs, and pay rates.

Three separate studies by the World Bank, Freedom House Civil Liberties House and Sustainable Development Solutions Network (a group linked to the UN) in 2018 all demonstrate that we aren't even in the top 10 for quality of life in relations to social and political factors. We are number 14. Our education and healthcare is not the best at all. In 2020 we are ranked 37th in healthcare behind such countries as Columbia, Dominica, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development study in 2015 shows we were ranked 40th in math, 25th in science and 24th in reading. A study by Desilver in 2017 showed that we have stayed at or within 1 place of those rankings.

So again, it's easy to make anecdotal comments to brush aside large issues or to say, "we are soooo great, so quit whining" or this only happens to "few people" without digging into actual data.

We should strive to be better in all these areas.

Until they start mentioning China and its human right violations. I can’t take this seriously. If I want to see kneeling or fist pumping, I can watch over 100 cable channels showing this daily. I want to watch a game, not political statements. And that is exactly what it is.

Until they start mentioning China and its human right violations. I can’t take this seriously. If I want to see kneeling or fist pumping, I can watch over 100 cable channels showing this daily. I want to watch a game, not political statements. And that is exactly what it is.

Of course everyone should be in favor of racial equality and equal rights for all. However that needs to be separated from the Black Lives Matter movement which is a domestic terrorist group.
- MJL

https://www.politifact.co...t-terrorist-organization/

Not according to every definition of the term "domestic terrorist group"

Until they start mentioning China and its human right violations. I can’t take this seriously. If I want to see kneeling or fist pumping, I can watch over 100 cable channels showing this daily. I want to watch a game, not political statements. And that is exactly what it is.
- sharp619

So when NBA stars called out China and their censorship of Americans, and they were told to "shut up and dribble" did you care then?