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LTC Stephen C.
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Hilarious and timely commentary, CPT (Join to see)! This well known movie scene is about women playing baseball, but I think that it's even more appropriate for men playing football!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M8szlSa-8o
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CPO Nate S.
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Racial slurs hurled by blacks to blacks, blacks to whites, whites to whites, whites to black or any other combination of ethnicities have no place in human discourse either on the field of play or elsewhere!

You can be competitive and emotional, but not rude!!! I have no problem with appropriate celebration for scoring or recovering a fumble. That is the game. But personal insults or spitting on other players is NOT part of the modern game. If targeting is ejection worthy a lapse of mental discipline for what comes out of one's mouth with malicious intent must also be.

Perhaps, micro recorders should be placed in helmets so that when a racial epithet is slung the person using it is on tape and treated like a soccer player getting a RED CARD. They should be ejected from the game, the school fined $250K, and the player suspended for a minimum of 3-games and issued a FORMAL letter reprimand.

I am not naive; people say stupid things in the heat of the moment. Being competitive is about - being competitive, if you need to use racial epithets to gain an edge you are not a true competitor! You are a coward!!!

In closing, CPT (Join to see) I am not a fan of as you say:

"All my life I have heard black men and women hurl racial epithet's at each other. I don't particularly like hearing that kind of foolishness..." As you say "..., but this is the world in which we live..."

But must it continue to be tolerated?
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CPT Special Forces Officer
CPT (Join to see)
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I appreciate your comments and understand the points you have made. Behavior like this does not exist simply because we tolerate it. The cost to what little is left of civility would far too high. Unless you desire a return to 1870's Dodge City living, we are pretty much stuck. If school districts were to immediately cease their activist agenda and begin to teach civics, manners, it would be at least 60 years before it made much of a dent in the problem. It needs to be remembered that at most a teacher has influence over their students for 8 hours/day. The remaining time family (for better or worse), friends, and the local community at large are in control. Also the people running through the streets stealing everything not nailed down, as well as committing murder and mayhem are going to be alive for a long time. Their influence of their attitudes and actions will continue even longer.
Referencing your call for a $250K fine for the school an offender attends, that institution has no ability to prevent anything being done by a fully autonomous individual. The school cannot be held liable in this manner for the player's sins. It is very much like seizing firearms from law abiding citizens when a criminal murders someone. It's also like taking all cars away from innocent drivers because a criminal killed someone in a DUI related accident!
The fact remains that all change must come from within. In our 'outrage' we need to use care that we don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
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CPO Nate S.
CPO Nate S.
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CPT (Join to see) - I don't disagree with you, generally speaking! Please read the attached.

I am not sure I am tossing the baby with the bathwater. Yet, one must draw a line in the shifting sands somewhere!!! Yes, it is difficult, but it is about genuine dialogue and mutual respect. What is lacking today is - mutual respect. E.g. I offer an opinion and you pushed back a bit. I am responding and we are having a dialogue that is mutually respectful in the language and tone we are both using. However, this is not true for some, even some here on RP.

You are 100% correct the remaining 16 hours/day are home and community. Perhaps that is why I have been a coach (Chess/Soccer), a scout leader, etc. and worked to help kids find and have focus to be productive. Not all young people have an engaging home life. Yet some kids find the strength independently to learn to do the right thing, while others who have everything call themselves - bored and strike out, not because they don't know better, but because it is seen as youthful daring, while they are told it is OK and for which consequences will be waved for them because they are part of this group or that group and it is OK to act with disrespect.

Although I could write a treatise on your response, I don't really have that kind of time. So, I'll close with this. In the case of Old Miss Coach Lane Kippen and his comments regarding racial epithets and spiting on a human being (one of his players) the Preamble to the US Constitution could offer insight:

In that when "We the people..." tolerate behaviors from any of our population that do not contribute in a positive manner that for we as a people to edge closer to the goal that is to help "...form a more perfect union..." within ourselves and among others that "...provides for the common defense..." as a white coach comes to aid of a black football player so that this player sees his coach is providing for the "...common defense..." of all his players black or white so that as an honorable sportsman he sets the example of what it means to "...promote the general welfare..." of his team so that on the field or off he has provided his players the tools to "...insure..." their "...domestic tranquility..." such that as a result of their coach's leadership such a person is seeking "...to establish justice..." in such a manner and to such a degree his players are inspired to rally so that the team he leads will for themselves "...secure the blessings of liberty..." not through uncontrolled bravado, but thru "...humility...". It is when we understand the opening words of OUR NATION'S Constitution created by imperfect men that we realize this is the standard of our behavior both individually and collectively to which we are striving. When this is not taught as a matter of critical thinking then the nation has been lost and being concerned with the baby being thrown out with the bathwater is a moot point!

In closing, it makes no difference if the offended player cried or not. What makes a difference is that such words or behaviors are that of a thug who is NOT being coached to have honor but is being coached to have dishonor! If the Coach of the Red Raiders of Texas Tech does not respond to at least have the player make a F2F public apology to the Ole Miss player, a teachable moment for the nation and human relations has been missed! But for this to happen both schools and both coaches must exercise courage and not lose this - teachable moment!

I have had friends who are special operators such as yourself. While very rough and resilient outside, some of these operators have demonstrated a cautious gentleness I would not have imagined. A close friend was a Chief Boatswain Mate SEAL who passed about 4-years ago from cancer. He was a Vietnam Era SEAL. In fact, when I retired (I am NOT a SEAL, he honored me, by bringing out his uniform, Trident and all, to pipe me over at my ceremony. He also happened to have a college degree, loved poetry, and was a bit artistic! But when we went to range, I learned even more than I already knew about firearms and their proper use.

Just saying........................
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