For the first two we take the posture to swear our fealty and allegiance. In the third, so our bodies will not have so far to fall to the ground.
Kneeling is an ancient gesture of respect and submission. It says, "I humble myself before you and I pledge my allegiance to you." It is a reasonable and legitimate way to express one's patriotism.
It is also a protest.
The prescribed manner for saluting the flag and the national anthem is: "During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart."¹
I am not a fan of professional sports, but I admire and respect those players who "take a knee" when the national anthem is played. The action was initially taken by Black players, who have been joined in solidarity by many of their teammates of other races.
In 1787 the British ceramic artist Josiah Wedgwood created a design to be an emblem for abolitionist groups in Great Britain and America. The emblem, featuring a fettered Black slave kneeling, with the caption "Am I not a man and a brother" was a powerful boost to antislavery movements on both continents:
In the context of Black history this image has great power. The slave in the image is a supplicant. Not so those who kneel today. Their intended message is that they will not stand in recognition of a country that enslaved their ancestors and has practiced systemic racism throughout its history up to the present day.Therein, I think, is an interesting conundrum. Is there a difference in the way one kneels when swearing allegiance and when protesting? Is there some subtle difference in the placement of the knee or the angle at which the head is held? Or is the only difference in the mind of the kneeler? And if that is the case, who's to know for sure the intent of the action?
Regardless of intent, it maddens DJTrump and his ilk. Why? Mightn't it be possible that some of those kneeling are in fact offering allegiance to the United States in their hearts while physically supporting their colleagues?
Doesn't matter. They don't like it because it's not the way they want it to be. They're Conservatives, and they don't like change. They learned to put their hands over their hearts when that song played, and by God that's the only salute that should be allowed. Anything else is rocking the boat, crossing a line, going a step too far--all anathema to Conservatives.
It's one more reminder for the Whiner-in-Chief that things in this nation are moving in ways he can't control. In his mind the only good changes are those he makes, and lately he's been unable to make many, while some have been forced on him. His world is unraveling like that obscene hair he wears.
He despises everyone who is different from him, and that's damned near everyone else on the planet. He fears change, he fears anyone who might be better than him, and he fears patriotism because he's never felt it.
Patriotism lives in the heart, not in actions.
--- Diogenes, 8/3/2020
¹ USC Title 36, Chapter 10, §171. The flag rules are meant as guidelines. They are virtually unenforceable and violation of them carries no penalty.