When Paul Wolfowitz is
on CNN
actually saying that the whole weapons of mass destruction thing was
just
marketing, so that means it's OK, I can't help but feel that it's part
of the
same cultural phenomenon as Hack-a-Shaq.
What are government officials learning from sports?
by HappySysiphus, Unknown News
Jan. 28, 2004
Does it bother anyone but me that American sports like football and
especially basketball encourage wildly unethical behavior, by making
penalties and fouls a normal part of strategic game play?
Consider
the
phenomenon known to millions of fans as "Hack-a-Shack" wherein
Shaquille
O'Neal is physically assaulted any time he tries to make a basket,
because
he has a mental block that prevents him from making free throws. The
penalty,
that Shaq goes to the free throw line, is no penalty at all anymore,
so
what's our motivation to not just clobber him?
Sure a couple of guys
are
going to foul out of the game, but, man if we don't tackle Shaq on his way to the
basket,
you just know were going to lose 'cause he's, like, better than us.
And
everybody eats Doritos and says it's "just part of the game."
Well, I
suppose
that's true, but the game is not some sort of mineral deposit. People
wrote the
rules of basketball, so it's possible that the rules are just fucked up
and they
need to be fixed.
"No way, man, it's just part of the game. If you
can't take
it you can't take it" ... said the man in the barcalounger with the foam
finger
and the pizza.
The referee makes a bad call that everybody sees? Just part of the game.
Somebody
has their hand in your face the whole game and the ref ignores it?
That's
tough.
Maybe you should try to get away with a little bit more
yourself next
time instead of whining. And if you get caught, don't worry, you get
five
chances and it's all part of the game.
Intentionally grounding the
ball to
save time on the clock? It's OK right after the snap, but not OK when the
giant men
are coming for you and you can't find your receiver.
How are these
even
rules?
Yet this is what people spend their Sundays watching -- a vast
slab of
ethical Swiss cheese.
There is no sense that maybe you should try to
play
without fouling someone, or even that the game should be fair, or
even that
the rules should make sense.
Stop your whining! It's all part of the
game. Just accept the rules the way they come down and do whatever the
officials
say while their backs aren't turned, and if you complain, you suck.
I only bring this up because I am noticing this whole "Tough Shit"
attitude
creeping into arenas like, say, public policy.
When Paul Wolfowitz is
on CNN
actually saying that the whole weapons of mass destruction thing was
just
marketing, so that means it's OK, I can't help but feel that it's part
of the
same cultural phenomenon as Hack-a-Shaq.
It's another game played not "by the rules," but to get around the rules.
"Oh, jolly good move, Paul.
You
really scared the fuck out of everybody with that clever lie about
deadly
gas."
"But what about the...?"
"Shut up and stop your whinin' it's all part of the game, you fucking
retard. He got what he wanted, didn't he?"
This trend disturbs me. Does it trouble anyone else?
We try not to whine too much or too loudly, but we are poor and this site eats a lot of money and time. We couldn't do it without the help of our volunteers. And for those who can't afford the time, giving just a buck or two can make all the difference and keep Unknown News alive.
