County singer's anti-anthem protest song has backfired spectacularly thanks to grammar error

You have by now undoubtedly heard about the NFL protests, in which players are "taking a knee". It all started with the now much-maligned quarterback

, who kneeled during the national anthem to make a statement about racial injustice in the U.S. The NFL player said that he couldn't stand for and respect a country where black people are still being oppressed and on the receiving end of

. Perhaps due to these actions, Kaepernick left the 49ers in March this year, and is

by another team despite being lauded as a great sportsman. His protest was taken up by other NFL players, who similarly took a knee and refused to stand for the national anthem at their games.

then weighed in, taking the elegant and presidential route as always by instructing NFL coaches to fire anyone who takes a knee, and calling anyone who joins in on the peaceful protest a "son of a b*tch". Now, country singer Neal McCoy has released a

 

new song in opposition to the protests in which players attempted to draw attention to systemic racism and police brutality, with his new, terribly-titled, song: Take A Knee, My Ass (I Won't Take A Knee). [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/nbc4i/status/931605656284536833]] You can see what he was going for with the title, but it definitely doesn't work as well without the emphasis that comes with saying it out loud. He clearly came across this problem himself, choosing to add what it really means in parenthesis, which just highlights how badly-worded the title was. As you can expect, a plethora of people came out to mock the song and it's name. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/931682167041622016]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/BunkiePerkins/status/931688845124554755]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/flubby/status/931688237814501376]] This really does go to show how the structure of a sentence, even one as short as this, can change a meaning of a sentence - with many joking about what he may mean by the song. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/jamesmcnamara27/status/931674448180035584]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/onlxn/status/931637706458664961]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/kashanacauley/status/931629669966692352]] He also posted the music video, wherein the title has been changed to the much-clearer "Take a Knee... my Ass!" The video features a slideshow of photos of the men and women serving in the military, as well as shots from funerals and of the veterans who have suffered serious injuries - all while he talks about patriotism and why he'll always sing the national anthem and put a hand to his heart. Bob Costas, a noteworthy sportscaster for over 30 years, had a compelling take on the issue. "Wrapping yourself in the flag and honoring the military is something which nobody is going to object to," he said back in September. "We all respect their sacrifice. We all honor their sacrifice, and yet what it has come to mean, is that the flag is primarily and only about the military." "Martin Luther King was a patriot, Susan B. Anthony was a patriot, dissidents are patriots, school teachers and social workers are patriots," he continued.

 

Ultimately, Costas' point of view is that protest against the flaws you perceive in your country is a patriotic act. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BbcJBSllf2K/]] McCoy, who is known for hits such as Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On, has since spoken about the song to media outlets, informing them that the song isn't really against those who choose to take a knee. Speaking to Fox News he said:

It's unclear what the right time and place would be for the country singer, and when you listen to the song it does seem to be critical of those who protest in this way, so it's unclear what his ultimate intent would be other than hoping that players like Kaepernick wait until another time to use their right to free speech.