…some of the time. (link courtesy Jon Solomon)
The NCAA’s jurisdiction does not extend to the Atlanta Braves, whom despite being a publicly held company, continue to entertain their numbskull fans with that Tomahawk Chop bullshit.
…some of the time. (link courtesy Jon Solomon)
The NCAA’s jurisdiction does not extend to the Atlanta Braves, whom despite being a publicly held company, continue to entertain their numbskull fans with that Tomahawk Chop bullshit.
So ‘numbskull’ is the PC version of ‘brain-dead’? Who knew???
I’m not sure what’s un-PC about “numbskull” or “brain-dead”. Unless you have Karen Ann Quinlan on your team. But if you think participating in the chop is a cool, defensible thing, by all means, let’s hear about it.
Just pointing out the (unintentional, I’m sure) similarity between your commentary and Larry Krueger’s. Of course it’s not the adjectives that are ‘un-PC’–it’s the stereotyping. As a member of the targeted minority in this case, I’m duty-bound to be outraged, right? Isn’t that how the whole PC thing works?
As for the chop, I choose not to participate. Same goes for wave, “Day-O” and pretty much every other contrived audience participation moment that goes on at a game. I, too, wish the chop would go away, but I have a really hard time begrudging that family from Rock Hill that’s sitting next me their moment to do what numbskull Braves fans do when they’re spending their hard-earned vacation dollars enjoying baseball together.
RE: The Ozzie Guillen story above
Life imitates the blogsphere?
points well taken, John. God forbid any of the Braves’ loyal fans be deprived of a time-honored tradition. I’m sure there are killjoys who’d object to a good old-fashioned cross burning too, and who the fuck are they to deny someone else a good time, let alone a family on vacation?
For the record, I’m not interested in what is or isn’t politically correct, nor is my objection to The Chop based on it being contrived. Unlike, say, the Pepsi Party Zone or spiderman2 logos on the bases, the Chop is genuinely demeaning to someone else’s culture. To quote from Kansas assistant Professor Cornel D. Pewewardy, “invented media images prevent millions of people from understanding the past and current authentic human experience of Indigenous People. These trappings and seasonal insults offend the intelligence of thousands of indigenous peoples.” In 2005, no major sports organization would dare make a mockery of Jews or Blacks, yet pissing on Native Americans is acceptable family entertainment.
If there are indeed Braves fans who aren’t numbskulls, I’ll assume they are individuals who refuse to turn a blind eye to racist behavior, and are persons unlikely to give tacit approval to this bullshit by purchasing tickets. So I apologize for stereotyping Braves fans.