Comments on: Inflategate https://habitablezone.com/2015/01/22/inflategate/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:41:18 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: hank https://habitablezone.com/2015/01/22/inflategate/#comment-32230 hank Sun, 25 Jan 2015 06:01:56 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48677#comment-32230 That's the trouble with meritocracies. Remarks like "Winning isn't everything, its the only thing.", or "He who dies with the most toys, wins." used to be considered contemptible. Even people who felt that way kept it to themselves. Now its considered admirable, evidence of competence, determination, ambition. Gordon Gekko is the new hero, Glengarry, Glen Ross the new paradigm.. We've entered the age of the bully, where the Chris Christie's and Dick Cheney's of the world are looked up to as heroes, because "they get things done" and "they don't take no shit from nobody". Whether the "shit" is real or not, and whether what they get accomplished is worthwhile, is irrelevant, the intimidation of perceived weaklings is elevated to a character strength. The thug is a hero and his victims are effeminate and cowardly. This is not limited to politics and sports, its just more noticeable there. Look at how Penn State rallied around their pedophiles, the rape, violence and drug culture in sports, the cult of firearms... What's pathetic about these new role models of ours is not how cruel and ruthless they are in seeking out victory, but to what trivial and petty lengths they will stoop to to win. That’s the trouble with meritocracies.

Remarks like “Winning isn’t everything, its the only thing.”, or “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” used to be considered contemptible. Even people who felt that way kept it to themselves. Now its considered admirable, evidence of competence, determination, ambition. Gordon Gekko is the new hero, Glengarry, Glen Ross the new paradigm..

We’ve entered the age of the bully, where the Chris Christie’s and Dick Cheney’s of the world are looked up to as heroes, because “they get things done” and “they don’t take no shit from nobody”.

Whether the “shit” is real or not, and whether what they get accomplished is worthwhile, is irrelevant, the intimidation of perceived weaklings is elevated to a character strength. The thug is a hero and his victims are effeminate and cowardly.

This is not limited to politics and sports, its just more noticeable there. Look at how Penn State rallied around their pedophiles, the rape, violence and drug culture in sports, the cult of firearms…

What’s pathetic about these new role models of ours is not how cruel and ruthless they are in seeking out victory, but to what trivial and petty lengths they will stoop to to win.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2015/01/22/inflategate/#comment-32229 bowser Sun, 25 Jan 2015 03:10:57 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48677#comment-32229 When one considers the money, time and effort people put into these games, it seems to me that a level playing field is imperative. People like Belechik who cheat, who aren't willing to play by the same rules, are screwing everyone else involved in the game. I have absolutely no use for them, or him, and think he should be banned as well as fined. Between this guy and Ed Hockuli, the mistake-prone referee who seems to make bad calls toward the end of important games, throwing the outcome to the team from the larger market, a person could believe the Mafia is running the league. There's a morality involved, or lack thereof. And that lack is tolerated if not encouraged these days. The country is the less for it. Heck, when I played it was considered poor form to try to force a fumble. Now they will miss tackles trying to grab the ball. When one considers the money, time and effort people put into these games, it seems to me that a level playing field is imperative. People like Belechik who cheat, who aren’t willing to play by the same rules, are screwing everyone else involved in the game. I have absolutely no use for them, or him, and think he should be banned as well as fined.

Between this guy and Ed Hockuli, the mistake-prone referee who seems to make bad calls toward the end of important games, throwing the outcome to the team from the larger market, a person could believe the Mafia is running the league.

There’s a morality involved, or lack thereof. And that lack is tolerated if not encouraged these days. The country is the less for it.

Heck, when I played it was considered poor form to try to force a fumble. Now they will miss tackles trying to grab the ball.

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