K-9

Like you said, it’s part and parcel to the paid advertising by the military. As is the insistence by owners that players stand with helmets off, as the cameras slowly pan that image before fading to the flag flapping in the wind or, even more impressive, that giant field sized flag held by dozens of people imparting movement to mimic that dramatic flapping. All while the strains of the anthem are played. It’s a visual and audible dramatic extravaganza. Carefully crafted, carefully staged, carefully manipulated. Because “patriotism” was discovered to be a powerful appeal in advertising. From football to Coca Cola to Chevy trucks, patriotic imagery and music is used to get you to buy the product. In MY America, in MY view of what that flag symbolizes, these transparent displays prostitute the idea of America itself.

The 80s saw the elimination of dozens of media regulations which contribute to today’s polarization. The change in media ownership laws paved the way for the huge wave of consolidation in the media, for example. It’s a fascinating study to be a part of.

We all need the safe cushion of our bubbles.

Great point about social media. My theory is that one of the reasons it fosters and exacerbates tribalism is that the more we seek out information that we only want to hear by people we only want to listen to, the more outraged we become when we hear something we don’t want to hear from someone we don’t like. It’s no coincidence that foreign entities seek to weaponize these platforms to further create divisions and weaken our democratic principals. The very idea of America itself is under attack.

Except for Drew Brees. He doesn’t have to dribble. He’s got a right to have an opinion!

They are inextricably connected and always have been. If that offends, then prepare to be outraged from time to time. Even more so during more turbulent times like now.

It’s five o’clock somewhere!

Regarding that open market, Cousins was absolutely correct as his deal with the Vikings indicates.

Ever wonder how it got that way? It’s no coincidence, imo. I’m involved in research on behalf of a formal study seeking to shed light on the subject. From why we structured our post WWII media ownership laws and regulations the way we did to their abolishment in the 80s to the mass consolidation of media ownership to the proliferation of social media today. It’s fascinating stuff and suffice to say, it’s all played a part in the current media climate.

I’ll never say never but it’s gonna be a challenge in today’s game to be sure. I won’t say never also because there have been a few really good 7 game stretches where RBs have run for 1,000+ yards. So never say never imo, but it’s up there with DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak as far as records in sports go.

I agree entirely here. The biggest stars shine the brightest light and all that. But what it takes more than anything is a grass roots, ZERO TOLERANCE stand against the practice in the sport. At all levels. From the largest cities to the smallest towns wherever the sport is played. For everyone involved. Everyone. That means parents telling coaches where to step off, coaches telling players to get out, etc., etc. ZERO tolerance. And I was only half joking when I suggested giving Steve Downie a call.

OJ suing for libel? On what grounds?

I was assuming the pic is a joke? Please tell me there isn’t a serious attempt being made to convince people this was staged. Because it is so far fetched even for the most foil hatted conspiracy theorists would deny it. Then again, I guess the guardsman who first attended him, the EMTs who transported him to the hospital, all the doctors and nurses who treated him, including the one who diagnosed the concussion were could have been in on it the whole time. In which case I say, “Well done, sir. Well done, indeed!”

What in the actual F? I have to assume he told Krueger and JBotts? And we are so thin at the position that our best option was to keep playing the blind goalie? Should we call up somebody from the farm? Nah, go with the blind guy. Jeez!

That’s a fair concern for coaches indeed. Look at what happened to Mahomes on his 4th and 1 conversion, for example.

What if these folks in Indiana were black? This is what they brought to “peaceful” protest. Glad nobody got angry. I appreciated the protestors who said “thank-you” to the police officers who were ensuring their safety. That irony shouldn’t be lost on anyone. But I have to wonder, if things got out of hand and the shooting started, would two policeman have been able to hold off eight men with semi-automatic assault rifles?

Give Steve Downie a call?

You know that, I know that, and most rational people know that. And yet, “But Sweden...” is a common refrain from those who’ve convinced themselves shutting down and brining the economy to a crawl was never a necessity. As if we can compare our response to an entire country with 8 million less people than the NYC metro area alone. That is a very telling number about their death rate. No wonder the internal criticism is growing.

As prescient as it can get.

And all without the courage to even mention his name. So was this guy: Say what we want, but Romney isn’t afraid to buck the “expected” trend. I find that admirable.

I’ve been saying this represents a great opportunity for Fromm and his teammates to become real catalysts for change. Not to get all biblical as that’s never been my thing, but Saul persecuted countless Christians before (literally, according to the myth) seeing the light, becoming Paul and, well, the rest is history.

Help me understand the sentence in bold text. Are you saying that if black people work harder and stop complaining so much that people will be nicer to them and the racism they experience will go away?

Why am I not surprised? The logic seemed intuitive all along. Yet there are those that will still argue it was unnecessary, “Look at Sweden!” But that’s the convenience of analyzing the shutdown in retrospect; people can always say it just never got as bad as all the models predicted so it wasn’t necessary after all.

The examples are out there but that won’t satisfy anyone who doesn’t think systemic oppression exists. Unless you have someone saying out loud, “Yes, we’ve enacted these measures to oppress people.”, then the problem just isn’t real. As if actions aren’t and haven’t always been so telling.