2020 Off-Season Thread: News & Rumors

**Blovius_Maximus** · 06-04-2020, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by Bmoreblitz

Firefighters spraying an intact house while the neighbors house is on fire and saying “all houses matter” All houses do matter....but the one on fire should get the attention.

That doesn't work because A) All houses do matter; and B) the limited scope of the firefighters job implies that burning houses are his priority. He wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't address the burning house.

The other reason it fails is because no one argues that burning houses shouldn't be put out. Instead, people arguing whether there was a false alarm, or how many fire engines should be called to the fire, or what kind of chemical should be used to put out the fire.

All Houses Matter.
and
Burning Houses Matter.

**Blovius_Maximus** · 06-04-2020, 08:39 PM

There was a funny/sad segment on one of the lib politi-comedy shows (John Oliver? Samantha Bee? someone like that) back in 2016 where they sent a "correspondent" to the Repub convention in 2016, and that person was sticking a mic in people's faces to ask them if black lives matter. The results were about what you'd expect.

But! The highlight & finale of the segment was when the correspondent was speaking with this super nice middle-aged guy. They wrapped up with (from memory):

host: Let's see if we can walk thru it together. Try to repeat after me.
Guy: Ok.
host: All lives matter.
Guy: All lives matter.
host: Blue lives matter. (cops)
Guy: Blue lives matter.
host: White lives matter.
Guy: White lives matter.
host: Black lives matter.
Guy: <hesitates, chokes>
host: Aww, man! We almost had it!

I can't emphasize enough how nice and "game" the attendee was, the guy. And the correspondent had evidently turned down his shitty-snarky default setting for a moment, because his "aw man" came out really warm & genuine. After the exchange, the attendee was volunteering something like, "Well I can see how people could get upset if they heard something like that" etc. It seemed like a moment of genuineness.

Instructive. The dude was clearly as good-natured as the day is long; yet even with the context prepped and the "interpolated words" said out loud and the way completely clear, he still couldn't bring himself to say the words. The "law & order" crowd* does a frankly amazing job with getting their folks in lockstep on the same page. Extraordinary.

_______________
* Euphemism alert.

That exchange can be explained by some sort of linguistic fallacy of equivocation.

The meanings of the phrases "all lives" blue lives" etc are not nearly as politically charged as is the phrase "Black Lives Matter." The attendee went along with phrases whose meanings were banal humanitarian platitudes to then realize he had been walked into a trap.

"Black lives matter" as a humanitarian platitude is equivalent to all the others. But "Black Lives Matter" as used so often today is loaded with political baggage, baggage the attendee was unwilling to carry.

Thanks for sharing the story. It proves the phrase's multiple meanings makes it easy to manipulate for political advantage.

**JimZipCode** · 06-04-2020, 09:59 PM

Originally Posted by Blovius_Maximus

The meanings of the phrases "all lives" blue lives" etc are not nearly as politically charged as is the phrase "Black Lives Matter." The attendee went along with phrases whose meanings were banal humanitarian platitudes to then realize he had been walked into a trap.

A "trap"! Admitting that black lives matter is a "trap". Shyah.

The "law & order" crowd weaponized and politicized all of these phrases. The opposite of "black lives matter" is not "all lives matter". It's, "black lives don't matter." Period.

Originally Posted by Blovius_Maximus

"Black lives matter" as a humanitarian platitude is equivalent to all the others.

Yes indeed. And yet a whole segment of our populace is completely unable to hear it and concede it.

Originally Posted by Blovius_Maximus

Thanks for sharing the story.

Strong possibility I got some details wrong. For example, the venue could have been CPAC, the dialog was probably somewhat different, etc etc.

I think there's a possibility we could steer this thread back to football.

**The Excellector** · 06-04-2020, 10:02 PM

An example of what Shaslers meant with an earlier statement: https://apple.news/A4xwIse1iRGuzvzu-3PqYOA

Who here honestly believes that I could show up anywhere, with that sort of weaponry on me, and protest peacefully?

The players know this and have lived this. For some on the other side of the coin, it isn’t even that they specifically mean harm in the things that they say, but the idea that they themselves don’t do these things, doesn’t mean no one does. These are the sort of things that some players felt Brees understood last time around.

This is also why Goodell’s message hasn’t been received well.

We’re in a situation where, aside from the looters who everyone disagrees with, you are telling people to protest peacefully, they are doing so and being met with excessive force. The way Brees wants this to be is the way we all want this to be, but it’s not playing out like that and the flag isn’t some symbol of escape from this issue. For many players, there is no escape from this issue.

**Blovius_Maximus** · 06-04-2020, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by JimZipCode

A "trap"! Admitting that black lives matter is a "trap". Shyah.

The "law & order" crowd weaponized and politicized all of these phrases. The opposite of "black lives matter" is not "all lives matter". It's, "black lives don't matter." Period.

Yes indeed. And yet a whole segment of our populace is completely unable to hear it and concede it

According to that great font of wisdom, Wikipedia, Black Lives Matter is collective "made up of more than 150 organizations"

How many organizations make up the "All Lives Matter" collective?

Again from Wikipedia,
"The organization's platform, entitled "A Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands for Black Power, Freedom and Justice," has six 'demands':

End the war on black people
Reparations
Invest-Divest
Economic justice
Community control
Political power"

What are the platform demands of the aforementioned White Lives Matter?

You can't answer those questions.

BLM used in one context is a platitude. Used in another context it is noun that carries plenty of political baggage. The attendee you referenced balked because he was aware of this equivocation and was unwilling to have support of the platitude be interpreted as support for the politics.

**The Excellector** · 06-04-2020, 11:12 PM

It seems that Brees apologizes publicly, spoke to his teammates and they seem ready to move on.

I will say that Brees has done a lot of good and I don’t think he “used his White privilege” as one player claimed.

There was some error in what he said, he got checked on it, he realized the error (We hope), apologized, spoke with his teammates and we can move on.

**Ravenswintitle** · 06-05-2020, 08:01 AM

So the Titans rode Henry to the ground all year then tagged him, yet they paid Tannehill over $100M? did I get that right?

**GOTA** · 06-05-2020, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle

So the Titans rode Henry to the ground all year then tagged him, yet they paid Tannehill over $100M? did I get that right?

We rode Jamal Lewis over 2000 yards in 2003 and never did pay him the huge contract he wanted and it was proven to be right move. Those 300+ carry seasons do not lead to great future season for most running backs. Unless you know you have a young Adrian Peterson I wouldn't be paying huge money for work horse running back either.

**Shas** · 06-05-2020, 08:19 AM

Let's pretend an entire race of people was being rounded up and systematically exterminated by the State.

To call attention to this atrocity I might utter the phrase, "Jewish Lives Matter."

Someone else may respond with hundreds of convoluted sentences justifying why I can't express this thought, asserting I may only use the phrase, "All Lives Matter."

That person would be a racist.

That's the last thing I will say on the matter.

**Ravenswintitle** · 06-05-2020, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by GOTA

We rode Jamal Lewis over 2000 yards in 2003 and never did pay him the huge contract he wanted and it was proven to be right move. Those 300+ carry seasons do not lead to great future season for most running backs. Unless you know you have a young Adrian Peterson I wouldn't be paying huge money for work horse running back either.

Don't disagree but I'm not convinced Tannehill was a big part of their success and worth $100M for one decent year. I guess when you go so long in mediocrity they don't know how to handle a little winning

**Bhcforlife** · 06-05-2020, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle

Don't disagree but I'm not convinced Tannehill was a big part of their success and worth $100M for one decent year. I guess when you go so long in mediocrity they don't know how to handle a little winning

I was looking at it on Spotrac just now and seriously, what are the Titans doing? The cap hits are 30M and 34M in 2021/22, and the dead money means they have no way out when he's inevitably not playing up to the contract. Another team falling into the trap of paying enormous money for a mediocre QB. Tannehill also uses his legs a fair bit and he's 32 when this season starts...

**stevez51** · 06-05-2020, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by Bhcforlife

I was looking at it on Spotrac just now and seriously, what are the Titans doing? The cap hits are 30M and 34M in 2021/22, and the dead money means they have no way out when he's inevitably not playing up to the contract. Another team falling into the trap of paying enormous money for a mediocre QB. Tannehill also uses his legs a fair bit and he's 32 when this season starts...

He's also had a few knee issues when he uses those legs.