(03-18-2021 09:30 AM)Stammers Wrote: (03-17-2021 03:07 PM)Tigerx3 Wrote: (03-17-2021 01:10 PM)aardWolf Wrote: (03-17-2021 07:32 AM)AlonsoWDC Wrote: (03-16-2021 05:50 PM)bluecrew Wrote: I honestly think the University's using the athletic program for political reasons (whether you were for or against) is going to hurt for several seasons to come. It really has to do with habits as much as anything- if you lose a customer/donor, it takes a bit to get them back.
There is nothing political about the fact that black lives matter.
Sorry this is such a difficult concept to grasp, but the majority of Tigers athletics will be black men.
The stickers weren't about the statement itself, but the political movement. Pretending the stickers isn't political is equivalent to sticking your head in the sand. Using the capitalized initials implies support for the organization, not just the statement in general.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Lives_Matter
Quote:Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement protesting against incidents of police brutality and all racially motivated violence against black people.
Most people can quote you two lines from the BLM movement. There is a national organization but to most people it is simply a way to brand a problem in our society that needs to be addressed. Decentralized means it is not one thought, one action, one offense, one organization. It is a philosophical gathering place for those who see racial injustice. Too many time we focus on everything we can find that is wrong or questionable rather than the good that is being attempted.
Although I can't give you a percentage I would venture that much of the negativity associated to the BLM letters is attributed to violence perpetrated by people who have no alliance with the reason there are marches and protest. There are extremes in every movement. There are extremes in the republican and democrat parties. Get past the extremes who by definition are disruptors and look for common ground.
The important issue isn't extremists. As an example, the KKK hasn't had any impact in decades, is a fringe movement at best and is denounced by 99% of Conservatives. The Capitol riots were denounced unconditionally by Fox News and all Conservative media.
That is the difference. All of the rioting, violence and protests were encouraged by the left. None of the vile rhetoric by the extremist side of BLM was denounced. The extremist element in BLM isn't a fringe element. It is espoused by a huge part of the population.
I didn't want this thread to turn political. A few comments and I'm done.
Stammers, in my experience and my observation that is not true in either case. When you generalize you miss the whole truth.
There are some on Fox that spoke the words once but follow that up with more conspiracy theories (a staple of some on Fox and fringe right wing that I don't call conservatives)
Instead of letting the Capitol riots stand on it's on we had some Fox hosts host repeating yea but why don't they punish the rioters from last summer, they didn't punish them (they did, thousands were arrested and prosecuted). Tucker Carlson is in his own fantasy world.
The fringe right wing does not represent conservatives in the republican party. Tru KKK are not relevant anymore but there are plenty of fringe elements embraced by the Right Wing extremism of the republican party. The Proud Boys and all of that ilk do not represent the conservatives in the republican party. The Steve Bannons and that ilk do not represent the conservatives of the republican party. There were many at the Capitol that did not riot and did not storm the capitol and did not cause harm or disruption to anyone but that was reported widely by the left wing of the democrat party because it did not fit their agenda.
There is a Fringe Left and some of those represent the extreme views of the BLM movement. They do not represent the mainstream of the democrat party. Like the Fringe right wing the fringe left wing are load and visible. There were some that promoted violence and some that would not condemn violence and destruction. Most of the mainstream left are not like that. They wanted criminals prosecuted. They also followed the destruction and helped rebuild but that did not get reported widely on Fox news because it did not fit the agenda.
The extremes of both parties are more about agendas and destroying the other side than trying to build what is best for all of us. Take out the extreme pols on both side of the isle and watch us fly. Get both parties to hold their own people accountable and watch us fly.
Keep demonizing the other party and spend 90% of the time trying to destroy the other party and we fall. Bring civil discourse back and we have a chance.
I have friends at every level of extremes to moderates on both sides of the isle. There are some on both sides I have distanced myself from because all they promoted was hate. I've defriended a bunch of people that can't seem to mute the hate speech. Often a differing opinion is just different not bad.
This country was carved out of wilderness by people from all walks of life. Native and immigrants. There was lots of good and lots of bad that went into building this country. My first ancestor to this country was a forced indentured servant from Scotland. He served 7 years for a paltry sum from the age of 13 and then sold himself for another 5 for land in Siler City, North Carolina. His son hired out to a Dr. to drive a covered wagon west and settled in a place in west TN. For 150 years my family farmed. My Great grandfather married a women who lived with the Cherokee Tribe but DNA Ancestry tracing says I have Asian bloodlines through her. Nobody fully knows that story. My dad dealt in livestock. He was a social and fiscal Democrat and my mothers bloodlines were Irish. Her family was conservative Republican.
I was the first college graduate in my family. I am a fiscal conservative and social moderate that believes in accountability. I have almost always voted Republican in national elections and I split tickets in state and local. I do not believe that politics and religion mix well although I try to seek out moral conservatives regardless of party. I think there is a growing number of people like me who can not accept the extremes of either party.
I could never swallow what Trump or H. Clinton sold and in the past two elections I voted with the same write-in candidate. I gave Trump his chance but found morally lacking in almost every way and his purposeful divisiveness harmed this country well beyond anything positive he brought to the table. I did not support Biden but I will give him the same opportunity to earn my support I gave Trump. By midterms we will know who he really is.
So yes I am different. I was molded differently than anyone I know but uniqueness is a core strength of our nation.