Thats the thing though, its not going to be a white guy who gets flagged, ITS GOING TO BE A BLACK GUY.
You have a guarantee on that? You think Incognito is the only racist white guy out there?Either way, who cares who uses it? You don't make a rule for only some players, you enforce it universally or don't enforce it at all, this, after all, is what promotes a balanced game.
I insist that parents can't control everything that their kids are exposed to, and not to make excuses for poor parents out there, but saying kids shouldn't be allowed to watch a sport is absurd. What we're doing is making excuses for the players to run their mouths afoul by declaring racism "a part of football" - THAT is nonsense.
Right, controlling everything your child is exposed to is impossible, so why should players in the NFL be the ones to do it for them?In the heat of battle it is human nature to sometimes yell an obscenity. I make excuses for no one. I argue based on principal. If you think your child is not mature enough to distinguish good sportsmanship from bad sportsmanship during a football game then you should be there to educate them about the subject when something shameful occurs. If you cannot at least do that than, no, they should not be watching sports. Period.
We're not censoring profanity, we're censoring RACISM. There is a huge difference. We're not censoring a stress-relieving F bomb, we're censoring "F you N**", "you're nothing but a N***", etc. How is that ever ok? You ARE making an excuse, there is NO place for racism in sports, or do you believe being racist is perfectly understandable? And please don't give me the "the n-word doesn't carry the same connotation it once did" because I guarantee you at least some blacks all over the US would go crazy if a white guy used it (look at Incognito).
Would you say that anyone that calls someone that word is in fact a racist?Or is the word just a part of their vernacular?When I call my friend a dumbass, idiot or retard, do I really believe they are those things? Or is it part of our speech?
Absolutely not. I too use "dumbass", "idiot", etc. But these don't carry racist connotations, and we cannot let the Referee decide who's being racist and who's using it as a "term of endearment" (THAT is giving them subjective power). But I use any of those words above in ANY other work environment, I'm guilty of harassment. If there is a place for these words it's at home. The fact that you, or I, are desensitized, does not mean we are not making derogatory claims. Go up to your boss and call him an idiot, and see how it goes. My point is that we cannot impose this "vernacular" of ours onto anyone. Objectively, these terms are derogatory. The N bomb is racist, period. Whether someone chooses to interpret it as racist is not up to anyone, but that person alone, and because of that we need to make it a universal rule (applying to both blacks and non-blacks) - because it would be interpreted as racist by at least some people.I don't care what they do about profanity as a whole, I played football, I understand the trash talk, the insults, the mind games, etc. There is ZERO room, or need, for racism in football.
That is exactly why they should just butt the hell out. Yes, it sounds great on paper, 'keep racism off the football field'. But its all the underlying issues that arise when you actually try to enforce the concept. Who is going to be penalized? Why stop with just that one word? How far are they going to take this rule? What type of evidence will a ref need to penalize a player for that infraction? Are locker rooms really that bad where we need this rule? Where is the penalty money going to be distributed? How can you be sure a ref is not just manipulating the game? What does profanity have to do with football?
Let them say whatever they want on the field. Just get rid of that friggin' October pink crap.
I insist that parents can't control everything that their kids are exposed to, and not to make excuses for poor parents out there, but saying kids shouldn't be allowed to watch a sport is absurd. What we're doing is making excuses for the players to run their mouths afoul by declaring racism "a part of football" - THAT is nonsense.
Right, controlling everything your child is exposed to is impossible, so why should players in the NFL be the ones to do it for them?In the heat of battle it is human nature to sometimes yell an obscenity. I make excuses for no one. I argue based on principal. If you think your child is not mature enough to distinguish good sportsmanship from bad sportsmanship during a football game then you should be there to educate them about the subject when something shameful occurs. If you cannot at least do that than, no, they should not be watching sports. Period.
We're not censoring profanity, we're censoring RACISM. There is a huge difference. We're not censoring a stress-relieving F bomb, we're censoring "F you N**", "you're nothing but a N***", etc. How is that ever ok? You ARE making an excuse, there is NO place for racism in sports, or do you believe being racist is perfectly understandable? And please don't give me the "the n-word doesn't carry the same connotation it once did" because I guarantee you at least some blacks all over the US would go crazy if a white guy used it (look at Incognito).
Would you say that anyone that calls someone that word is in fact a racist?Or is the word just a part of their vernacular?When I call my friend a dumbass, idiot or retard, do I really believe they are those things? Or is it part of our speech?
Absolutely not. I too use "dumbass", "idiot", etc. But these don't carry racist connotations, and we cannot let the Referee decide who's being racist and who's using it as a "term of endearment" (THAT is giving them subjective power). But I use any of those words above in ANY other work environment, I'm guilty of harassment. If there is a place for these words it's at home. The fact that you, or I, are desensitized, does not mean we are not making derogatory claims. Go up to your boss and call him an idiot, and see how it goes. My point is that we cannot impose this "vernacular" of ours onto anyone. Objectively, these terms are derogatory. The N bomb is racist, period. Whether someone chooses to interpret it as racist is not up to anyone, but that person alone, and because of that we need to make it a universal rule (applying to both blacks and non-blacks) - because it would be interpreted as racist by at least some people.I don't care what they do about profanity as a whole, I played football, I understand the trash talk, the insults, the mind games, etc. There is ZERO room, or need, for racism in football.
So would it be better for society and the culture as a whole if these words lost their power and meaning?Or is it better for people to get upset, angry and emotional over a mere vibration of the vocal chords?
That is exactly why they should just butt the hell out. Yes, it sounds great on paper, 'keep racism off the football field'. But its all the underlying issues that arise when you actually try to enforce the concept. Who is going to be penalized? Why stop with just that one word? How far are they going to take this rule? What type of evidence will a ref need to penalize a player for that infraction? Are locker rooms really that bad where we need this rule? Where is the penalty money going to be distributed? How can you be sure a ref is not just manipulating the game? What does profanity have to do with football?
I agree it's impossible to remove profanity from sports. Trust me I concede that. But racism? People weren't killed, hanged, enslaved, or beaten because someone thought they were idiots or pussies. There's no room for that anywhere, not just sports. If the Ref is manipulating a game, enough reports will pop up to remove them. There is zero difference from them calling a fake unsportsmanlike conduct (which is absolutely open to interpretation) call from them calling a fake "n bomb". I'm not advocating for ending profanity, but definitely for ending racism in the game, and it shouldn't just be the N bomb, but cracker, wet back, and everything else. The mere fact that this is even being considered makes me wonder how bad the locker rooms actually are.
Racism is bigger than a word. Just because someone says the n-word doesn't make them a racist. If that were true, just about every black person you know of, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., should be considered a racist.
I insist that parents can't control everything that their kids are exposed to, and not to make excuses for poor parents out there, but saying kids shouldn't be allowed to watch a sport is absurd. What we're doing is making excuses for the players to run their mouths afoul by declaring racism "a part of football" - THAT is nonsense.
Right, controlling everything your child is exposed to is impossible, so why should players in the NFL be the ones to do it for them?In the heat of battle it is human nature to sometimes yell an obscenity. I make excuses for no one. I argue based on principal. If you think your child is not mature enough to distinguish good sportsmanship from bad sportsmanship during a football game then you should be there to educate them about the subject when something shameful occurs. If you cannot at least do that than, no, they should not be watching sports. Period.
We're not censoring profanity, we're censoring RACISM. There is a huge difference. We're not censoring a stress-relieving F bomb, we're censoring "F you N**", "you're nothing but a N***", etc. How is that ever ok? You ARE making an excuse, there is NO place for racism in sports, or do you believe being racist is perfectly understandable? And please don't give me the "the n-word doesn't carry the same connotation it once did" because I guarantee you at least some blacks all over the US would go crazy if a white guy used it (look at Incognito).
Would you say that anyone that calls someone that word is in fact a racist?Or is the word just a part of their vernacular?When I call my friend a dumbass, idiot or retard, do I really believe they are those things? Or is it part of our speech?
Absolutely not. I too use "dumbass", "idiot", etc. But these don't carry racist connotations, and we cannot let the Referee decide who's being racist and who's using it as a "term of endearment" (THAT is giving them subjective power). But I use any of those words above in ANY other work environment, I'm guilty of harassment. If there is a place for these words it's at home. The fact that you, or I, are desensitized, does not mean we are not making derogatory claims. Go up to your boss and call him an idiot, and see how it goes. My point is that we cannot impose this "vernacular" of ours onto anyone. Objectively, these terms are derogatory. The N bomb is racist, period. Whether someone chooses to interpret it as racist is not up to anyone, but that person alone, and because of that we need to make it a universal rule (applying to both blacks and non-blacks) - because it would be interpreted as racist by at least some people.I don't care what they do about profanity as a whole, I played football, I understand the trash talk, the insults, the mind games, etc. There is ZERO room, or need, for racism in football.
So would it be better for society and the culture as a whole if these words lost their power and meaning?Or is it better for people to get upset, angry and emotional over a mere vibration of the vocal chords?
It would be better for people to actually become civilized and stop being racist.Is it so far fetched to believe that words have meanings? In the real world - not in the hood with your bros - and in our legal system, there are consequences for failing to correctly select one's words.
Racism is bigger than a word. Just because someone says the n-word doesn't make them a racist. If that were true, just about every black person you know of, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., should be considered a racist.
Using the N word isn't all that racism is, but rather an ACT of racism.
Not so much these days, my friend, not so much.
Not so much these days, my friend, not so much.
Not so much is not enough.
Yes, not enough to be considered a racist act. You are right.
What was that Riley Cooper thing all about again?
Let them say whatever they want on the field. Just get rid of that friggin' October pink crap.
To absolutely no one's surprise, I like that pink crap. Especially on black uni's. I think it looks cool. What were we talking about?
Adolf Hitler