I'm not of a fan of censorship. "Do what you please," that's my mantra. Well, not exactly. My mantra is actually, "Last call? According to who? The state? That's wonderful, but the state doesn't control my liver; pour me another, barkeep."
Anyway, back to censorship. I think we all have an internal sense of what's reasonable and what isn't. Take my site for example, Hoya Suxa. To some, that notebook is just one float in a parade of Internet vileness. To me, though, I can reconcile the material to reasonableness given its broad approach and the license inherent in humor. The yuks may not always hit the bulls eye, but it always maintains its satirical bent.
The short of the long, I guess, is that while I don't like censorship, I am an advocate and practitioner of self-censorship. I know where the line is and I constantly assess whether I've crossed it. Unfortunately, some Orange partisans don't understand or practice the same level of self-censorship. And I'm pretty pissed about it.
It doesn't take a graduate of the University of Intelligence with a Bachelor of Arts in "Genius" to know that Syracuse fans are frustrated with the Orange's recent struggles. I've seen countless comments on this site voicing various levels of displeasure. This is totally reasonable, in an airing-of-grievances kind of way. What isn't reasonable is when some clowns think that engaging the basketball team via Twitter to vent their anger is appropriate under the circumstances:
Classy. Wait, strike that. It's decidedly not classy. In fact, it's despicable.
Now, I know that this cat isn't the only fool that pops smack at Syracuse ballers (the growth of this activity has skyrocketed lately among many "fans"); I highlight these particular exchanges only because they were brought to my attention. Regardless, it's beyond foolish; it's dickish to the dick degree. I'll provide an example to illustrate this asshat's exceedingly pathetic comments:
- Let's pretend that you're at the mall with your little abortion survivor son (all children, I presume, are abortion surviviors as a child is among life's worst investments, much like ponzi schemes and cults). Your little poop machine starts whining and screaming that he wants you to buy him some stupid toy or baseball glove or whatever the hell else children want. I, as an interested member of consumerist society that enjoys the peacefulness of shopping in general quiet, begin to scold your child because, presumably, I either hate your child's antics or am unhappy with his product choices. I'm really mean, forecasting for your child a life of poverty, remedial education classes, and a spouse of Georgetown pedigree.
This would piss you the hell off, no? What right do I have to scold your child?
This is what Jim Boeheim, the coaching staff, and the parents of these Syracuse players must feel when you directly chide a player's efforts and comments, right? Simply because you maintain an interest in something doesn't give you carte blanche to say or do whatever the hell you want directly to a primary actor.
The counterarguments to this position are unpersuasive:
- They're grown-ass men that have achieved the age of majority. Wonderful, but that doesn't mean that you should piss and moan at these guys. We live in a civilized society; act like it. You wouldn't want Scoop Jardine to send you messages about how you do your job, right? Not that Scoop would because, you know, he doesn't give a damn about you.
- Their accounts are unprotected and open. I don't care. Act like a fucking human being and not a breathing phallus.
- Don't tell me what I can and can't do. I'm not, and I won't. But simply realize that you are an embarrassment to yourself and others.
- I was angry and it was an accident. Horseshit. Would you have said this face-to-face with him in an alley behind Faegan's? Watch what you say and watch how you say it. Comments on this site, an indirect vehicle, are appropriate; taking it direct to the player or players is creepy and wrong.
- These guys don't care. Liar. As much as you or I care, they care infinitely more. This is their life; it is our hobby. Fix your head, you fucking Shemp.
I simply can't understand why someone would chastise a player on Twitter (or Facebook, or whatever vehicle of social media you choose). Does it make you feel closer to the team? Do you think that you're motivating these guys? Is this what you consider "fun"? None of it makes sense. Leave the frustration here; don't take it directly to the source of your frustration: a twenty-something baller experiencing a height of notoreity he hasn't known before, coupled with fragile twenty-something confidence and a knowledge of the world yet unrefined.
Players play; coaches coach; fans cheer and support (and sometimes get angry). When you start mixing roles, you run into problems. Use your heads out there, people. As Syracuse fans, we should aspire to be the models that other fanbases hope to become; when members among us dabble in detestable behavior, all of us are tainted. Use social media correctly or don't use it at all.