In Your Face, without 'tude ... Grace is dead

I really don't get it.  

 

 

Aside from reaffirming to me that Mitch Albom is the leader in BS-driven narratives and that I really shouldn't waste my time reading what he writes because it has no substance whatsoever, I don't understand the point of his column. Is he saying that athletes need to act differently for any particular reason? Or is he just another person reliving the "glory days" while telling people of the younger generation to get off his lawn?

TCW you see "grace" really is dead (in sports and on earth).  JH and bmania don't even get the point.  They are not trying to be rude it's just the world they grew up in.  While it is sad they will never get it.  

That article was written 20 years ago.  I am old enough to understand what he was writing as I had the same sentiments at the time.  If you don't remember Barry Sanders scoring a touchdown and simply handing the ball to the official then you probably won't understand the article. Times have changed, times have changed.

Why is it sad?

Article appeared in VHSL program for a game that was played on Saturday, December 2, 1995.

 

http://articles.dailypress.com...hard-work-mike-smith

That's a great article. Don't blame a young athlete like JH if he doesn't get it. He didn't see it growing up. He's grown up in an era of kids wearing "In your face. I'm better than you" tee shirts. Grace isn't just dead. Humility is dead. At the beginning of every football season I have to readjust to players throwing a "look at me party" because they made a tackle. I sit there mumbling, "BFD you did your job."

That is one of the reasons I don't like the Heismann award.  It took an offense and defense to make the team successful and not just one man.

I find that many athletes draw the line between entertaining and disrespectful. I would never disagree with that. I don't believe anyone in my generation would.

 

I also find it ironic that many individuals that grew up in the generation (or, in some instances, a few generations) before I did consider themselves the definitive voice in judging the negative culture of my generation. It's as though there was never anything that said individuals did that was disagreed upon by the generation(s) before them. It's also as though the media, marketing and financially-driven world of today's sports culture was not/is not heavily influenced by the actions of said individuals.

 

I'm not directing my words to anyone here in particular, it is admittedly more of a generalization. I am simply saying that I wish some would take a look in the opposite direction and realize that cultural changes occur from generation to generation, and just because things happened a certain way in the past does not mean it was the right and only way.

JH ... We're a culture in decline. The decline of grace and humility is a big part of it. The trash that's run by us daily on tv is a big part of it. Through not fault of your own you've been on the receiving end of liberals taking over the education system and redefining normal as part of your education. There's a difference between acceptance and normal. Don't even try to debate the decline of education. The US used to be near the top of the charts.  Now it's barely on the charts. 

 

I'm not trying to debate the decline of education or anything political. All I'm trying to point out is that sometimes, points are made by often-hypocritical sources.

Hahaha theses type discussions alway crack me up. When ever we look back at our childhoods it always seems to be with rose colored glasses on. I do it too. I think all the time how much worse my sons age acts than I remember my friends and I acting. But I also remember when I was having this discussion with my grandfather. He was telling me how my generation didn't have any morals. I put my arm around him and said yeah segregation that was the hight of morality. Then I apologized for talking back to him lol.

Point is moralities and social norms constantly change with every generation. Some get better some get worse. I would say general maners were way better in the 50's than they are now but not not letting a man enter a building because of his skin color. I'll take today's moral beliefs on that on. I'll take tolorence over humble athletes any day.

Humility goes back quite a few generations...the Bible  called people to humble service and that hasn't changed.    But JH has that nailed so some of those "old time" things do live on...

 

Thanks hokieone. Humility and respect should never disappear. I'm sorry if I came off as condoning some of the actions that work against those things. The rose-colored glasses, as noted by Scotty83, was more what I was referencing than anything else. 

Every generation thinks that the newer generation is worse than the previous, and that society is going downhill. I've heard my grandparents say it, my parents say it, and now I sometimes think it, but then I remember that it's not true.

RJM,

 

Please leave your political trash for the other toxic thread

Thank you for telling me my opinion is trash. I owe you one. I always pay my debts.