Oh-Say-Can-I-Kick-Your-Ass?

     I attended the Nets vs. Rockets game last night with my brother and all-in-all, for someone who doesn't necessarily get all hot and bothered about basketball, it was pretty entertaining. I mean the game wasn't the most exciting game of basketball but it was fun ... And I realized I need to figure out what hair products this guy uses.

Luis Scola, #4, Houston Rockets, Photo c/o espn.com

     Also, I did prove myself the nerdiest person in the world because at one point I pulled out a highlighter and "Conclusion: making meaning of mobiles - a theory of Apparatgeist" by James Katz and Mark Aakhus (he's one of my professors!) ... because I needed to finish my homework (yeppp, that's the life of a graduate student right there ... If they scanned the "Oblivious Cam" over me at that moment, I'd be pretty damn oblivious!)
     But anyway, we got to the game, sat down and were watching the beginning of the game with the kids of season-ticket-holders and the Nets dancers and whatnot ... and then it came time for my favorite part of any sporting event ... the Presentation of the Colors and the National Anthem.

     The announcer requested everyone stand and the entire stadium began to stand ... except for two women in front of me ...

     Now if you know me, you know there are not a lot of things that can get me really, really, really mad. But this is one thing that infuriates me ... Infuriates me to the point of no return ... Literally to the point of wanting to start physical violence ... I told my brother I wanted to throw something at the back of their heads. Then I said I wanted to kick them in the back of their heads. Overall, the back of their heads were not safe. 

     Now I know that these women were not American. They were speaking some foreign, possibly Eastern European language, and some people say that is an excuse for this. I think that is complete and utter non-sense. If you are in someone else's country, you need to respect it. All it takes is standing up. Literally, for what? A minute? A minute and a half?

     And some people say "Oh, well it's not their country." Who cares!? If I went to Gabon, I'd stand during their National Anthem, and hell, I just pulled that country off the African map for effect.

     "Maybe they didn't understand what was going on!" ... I call BS. Ummmm, there's an American flag in the middle of the court, someone singing, and entire stadium standing. Even if their two brains couldn't put it together, their two butts should have thought to come off their seats when they saw everyone else's come off theirs. 

     You know why? Because it's a matter of respect. Because people love their country, and even if you don't agree with them, or "belong" to it, you should still respect it while you are in it. I'm sure if she heard her own National Anthem being sung from that court, she would have wanted the same respect shown that people expect shown to ours ... And I would have given it to her. 

     This is how people should react when someone else's National Anthem plays ... in every case.

"Khabi Khushi Khabi Gham"

     By the way, I have a feeling most people don't know ... Our National Anthem actually consists of four stanzas, not one. In case you're interested, here's a video of the entire song. You may have heard the fourth stanza because it's sung on formal occasions. If I could have found a better video, I would have.