FLAME-FREE TOPIC: Fit Man interviewed

[Earl]

I'm announcing the presentation of an experiment in this forum that shall commence with this post, the OP of this thread. I've decided to launch a thread that I will control with a rule of my own, in addition to the Forum Rules.

I propose to conduct an interview of Fit Man. The purpose of this interview is not to engage him in debate or to trip him up, but to ask him questions for the purpose of communicating and promoting understanding.

I'm sick and tired of the flaming that has already occurred. As you no doubt have noticed, I've identified this topic as being "FLAME-FREE," which means that I will not allow any other member to flame in response to any of Fit Man's comments. I will delete any posts submitted in this thread for the purpose of flaming. On the other hand, if Fit Man should personally attack any of the other members, I will offer a defense of that member. I've had enough of this nonsense.

I spoke to Fat Man on my cell phone earlier today. He has agreed that he will not flame in this topic, regardless of what Fit Man says about him in his posts. Fat Man thought my proposed experiment was a great idea. He specifically requested that I inform Fit Man of his desire to help create a flame-free setting for him to express his views.

I trust that Fit Man will allow me to interview him. In turn, I hope that he would feel free to ask me questions. I will be glad to answer any questions or charges he might have. I don't want this exchange to be merely an interrogation.

My goal is to lower the decibels level and cool everyone's tempers. I think conducting an exchange of this sort would be a welcome change from what has occurred so far. Flaming will get us nowhere.

And now (if Fit Man is willing) we shall begin ...





Fit Man, how did you find out about this website?

[Fit Man]

I was looking for a funny sarcastic website that was "anti-sports". So, I typed "sports suck" into Google. I had absolutely no idea that there was going to be a real website dedicated to the hatred of something as simple as sports.

I understand that some, you included, are more against the culture of sports. Well then, I ask, why don't you guys on this site go after the culture rather than dedicate a website to the actual sport itself?

[recovering_fan]

(I'm not flaming, Earl, I'm responding to his question.)

I understand that some, you included, are more against the culture of sports. Well then, I ask, why don't you guys on this site go after the culture rather than dedicate a website to the actual sport itself?

We do. However...

One aspect of the culture that most of us hate is the aura of invincibility and infallibility surrounding sports. Do you agree that sports is just one type of leisure activity among many, or does it have some kind of sacred, holy, superior status relative to other activities? You see, if it lacks that, then it should be perfectly alright for a site like this one to exist, and to point out that not everyone who's worth a darn cares for sports or likes it. Some of us are sick of it and would even prefer it didn't exist, and this is our place to come say so. We come here to vent in the company of like minded individuals.

[Earl]

I'm delighted you've chosen to respond.

Perhaps this topic will be more interesting than the flaming. 

I remember earlier in your topic making some crack about having my boredom relieved by a flame war.  I now regret saying that.

By the way, sometimes I take a while formulating my thoughts.  So, bear with me.

I was looking for a funny sarcastic website that was "anti-sports". So, I typed "sports suck" into Google. I had absolutely no idea that there was going to be a real website dedicated to the hatred of something as simple as sports.

Ironic, I guess ...

I understand that some, you included, are more against the culture of sports.

Your understanding is correct.   What has bothered me for a long time is that the label "anti-sports" is nebulous.  Whether or not a person enjoys one or more sports (as an athlete or a spectator) is a personal preference.  One prefers chocolate ice cream while the other prefers Neapolitan.  There's no point arguing preferences.

I've noticed that many people (including many sports fans) fail to distinguish between a sport (in other words, the game) and the culture that is associated with the game, but is not inherently a part of it.  When some aspect of the culture associated with a game (especially a popular school sport) is criticized, some sports fans react as if the game itself has been attacked.  Speaking for myself, I make a sharp distinction between the game and the culture.  As I've previously indicated, my current best friend, who is a deacon at my congregation, played football in high school, but is a humble, gentle guy.  I've also observed (or at least have the opinion) that different sports have different cultures.

The factor of whether a sport is a school sport or not can make a big difference.  For example, about a year ago a British guy who was a boxer for recreation visited this forum; and there was a brief, unpleasant bitter exchange.  I thought that was unfortunate because boxing doesn't figure into the social dynamics of high school, etc.  The claim can be made that boxing poses health risks, but that is a matter of choice on the part of the would-be boxer -- in other words, it's no one's business but his own -- and has no bearing in the lives of others. 

I have a "live and let live" attitude about sports.  I believe in respecting others.  Sports as a form of recreation are fine.  The trouble starts when sports become mandatory in one way or another.  Don't know if that makes any sense.

Well then, I ask, why don't you guys on this site go after the culture rather than dedicate a website to the actual sport itself?

Again, good question.  I wasn't one of the creators of this website.  My understanding is that the originator of the home page was someone who was sick and tired of hearing fellow employees talk about sports.  "DEDICATED TO THE ERADICATION OF SPORTS" is hype.  There are even a few statements on the home page with which I disagree.

Unfortunately, I've got to stop writing. Can't stay up late anymore. Doctor's orders. I've had a sleep disorder for several years. I started seeing another pulmonologist, who has put me on a new routine. I need to start following it.

I realize this "interview" takes time, especially when one or both of us can't stay online for a long time; but I think this approach will be far more preferable in the long run to the rapid flaming.

Have a good day tomorrow.

[Fit Man]

Recovering Fan: I simply believe that the sport in itself isn't a problem. Yes, there are going to be assholes who believe they're superior because they are athletes. At the same time, there are those hotheads who think they're superior to others because they are more successful and have a better job. Does having a good job have some kind of sacred, holy, superior status relative to other jobs?

It's PEOPLE who are the assholes. You can't blame the sport for that. People will always find a way to try to make themselves look better, no matter which activity.

Do you honestly prefer sports to not exist? Sports make millions and millions of people happy. I find it extremely selfish of yourself if that's how you truly feel. I suggest you guys instead focus on people, rather than the game itself. There's nothing wrong with sports in their purest form.


Glad we are coming to an understanding, Earl. We both agree that mandatory sports in school don't work at all. On a different note, I'm not even sure if the creator of this site was serious in his hatred of sports. Like the main page tagline, which says something like "Not EVERYONE is a brain dead sports fan". It truly does almost seem like a troll joke thing.

However, there are clearly many of this site who have interpreted this site to be legitimate, which I can see too. If the creator of the site IS legit in his hatred of sports, however, I find HIM to be the brain dead one for not being able to separate the sport from the culture.

[Weltall]

It's PEOPLE who are the assholes. You can't blame the sport for that. People will always find a way to try to make themselves look better, no matter which activity.

Do you honestly prefer sports to not exist? Sports make millions and millions of people happy. I find it extremely selfish of yourself if that's how you truly feel. I suggest you guys instead focus on people, rather than the game itself. There's nothing wrong with sports in their purest form.

My thoughts exactly, as I stated in another thread, this forum should be more of a "anti-bullying" instead of going after sports, since all the posts (except some) seem to be that way.

[Fit Man]

Well hopefully this discussion will allow those people to see that sports in themselves aren't the problem.

[HugeFanOfBadReligion]

I'm not even sure if the creator of this site was serious in his hatred of sports. Like the main page tagline, which says something like "Not EVERYONE is a brain dead sports fan". It truly does almost seem like a troll joke thing.

However, there are clearly many of this site who have interpreted this site to be legitimate, which I can see too. If the creator of the site IS legit in his hatred of sports, however, I find HIM to be the brain dead one for not being able to separate the sport from the culture.

The creator of this site is legitimate in his views on sports, he has made many posts on this forum but has been almost completely inactive on the forum for a while.

[Earl]

I'm pleased that the name-calling has stopped (at least in this board) and that we're actually discussing issues.

It's PEOPLE who are the assholes. You can't blame the sport for that. People will always find a way to try to make themselves look better, no matter which activity.

Do you honestly prefer sports to not exist? Sports make millions and millions of people happy. I find it extremely selfish of yourself if that's how you truly feel. I suggest you guys instead focus on people, rather than the game itself. There's nothing wrong with sports in their purest form.

My thoughts exactly, as I stated in another thread, this forum should be more of a "anti-bullying" instead of going after sports, since all the posts (except some) seem to be that way.

Hi, Weltall. I see your point of view. (Incidentally, I'm pleased to see that there are a number of websites that do deal with all kinds of bullying. There was a time when victims of bullying had no voice, which means they had no forum from which to be heard. Some people in the United States have no problem with bullying in the schools. From my limited knowledge, the problem in Great Britain may be even greater. I really don't know how bad it is in that country, compared to the U.S.)

The reason I don't have a problem with this forum not being devoted more to questions of all kinds of bullying (although such issues can be brought up here freely) is because there has been a connection between the sports culture and some kinds of bullying.

At the risk of being offensive, in the United States (and in other countries as well, I'm sure), masculinity has been defined in terms of physical strength, especially in connection with sports. Decades ago there was a New York college sociology professor who published a hateful book in which she expressed her concern that boys and men in the U.S. were being "feminized." (I'm not going to say who this woman is or say what the title of her book is because I don't want any of you buying it. I don't want to help put any money into this woman's pockets -- oops! I mean purse.)

Now, what was the leading criterion of masculinity in her mind? What was a leading characteristic of "feminized" males? Yep, you guessed it ... no interest in sports. Now, Fit Man won't appreciate the following comment she made; and that is, some sports are more "manly" than others. She considered tennis to be a sport that was likely to be taken up by "feminized" males.

This woman is a bigot and an idiot. She bemoans the fact that a lot of boys and men haven't been all that strong physically for decades now (actually, more than half a century). It's because this country has gone from being mostly agrarian to being hi-tech. In other words, most of us haven't grown up on a farm. Don't get me wrong. I actually wish I had grown up on a farm and done a lot of physical labor. That way, I wouldn't have had to join a health club at the age of 57.

She went on to say that many "feminized" males posed a potential threat to society, a ridiculous assertion. She claimed that the assassins of President John F. Kennedy in 1964 and Senator Robert Kennedy in 1968 were "feminized" men who were driven by a jealous rage against the "manly" Kennedy brothers. That's drivel. Oswald had Communist sympathies, and Sirhan was a Palestinian who hated Senator Kennedy for being a strong supporter of Israel. Their problem was neither of them valued human life, not that they were somehow "feminized."

Edit: Oh, how could I forget to add this: In 1968 during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, there was a chaotic interaction between mostly young anti-Vietnam War demonstrators and the local police. This woman claims the reason the demonstrators were disrupting the city is that they were driven ... (yep, you guessed it) by a jealous rage against the virile cops. I think most, if not all, of the cops themselves would have said that they simply didn't respect authority or they were Communists or something like that. It is to laugh.

Also what is notable is her scathing description of nonathletic male professors. One wonders, if she hates nonathletic intellectuals so much, why in tarnation did she choose to making a living as a college professor, an occupation that only put her in close proximity with men she hates? I mean, why didn't she do something like drive a truck instead? (Not that there's anything demeaning about doing that kind of work.)

When I had occasion to skim through a paperback copy of her wretched book, I learned how a Jew feels while examining anti-Semitic literature or a black person feels while reading white supremacist hate literature. I felt that I was personally attacked by someone who had never met me, and I didn't care to have someone make a stereotype that I would be subjected to simply because I fell into a particular category (i.e., nonathletic guys) -- a stereotype that described certain attributes to me that I, in fact, did not possess.

The "feminized" male stereotype ascribed to nonathletic kids is also accompanied by a fair amount of anti-intellectualism, which has been a component of American culture since Colonial times. This particular stereotype depicts men of intellect (as well as nonathletic boys who excel academically, which doesn't mean that there are no athletes who excel academically as well) as effete wimps or cowards. Never mind that opponents of dictators have often been intellectuals and scientists (yes, along with individual athletes as well).

Sorry I got off track.

I'm afraid even if this website were clearly represented as being against only the negative aspects of the culture associated with popular school sports, and not against simply participating in athletic activies, that it would still elicit a strongly negative reaction from a lot of people.

I certainly don't agree with every single statement expressed by supporters of this website (especially the hateful ones) and even a few items on the home page and elsewhere in this website. I can see why some football players would be offended. (Hey, tough guys have feelings, too.)

But there's a fact that needs to be remembered; and that is, there's a website for every opinion anyone has. This website is not a threat to anyone. It doesn't represent any sort of a mass social movement. This forum is little more than just a rant board. If anyone wants to gripe about sports (and even make outrageous comments about them), they have that right.

I'm a big Twilight Zone fan. When the series was telecast, I went from the third grade through the seventh grade. Rod Serling was like a father figure to me, albeit his presence was limited to the boob tube. If I learned there were an anti-Rod Serling website dedicated to bashing him and telling lies about him, I wouldn't be the least bit motivated to visit that website. I'd consider doing so a waste of my time.

I mean, I don't have a great problem with sports fans visiting this website. But what do they expect to find here? Why do they visit a website that they know is likely to offend them? (Of course, in the case of Samdaman , I bet he was looking for somone to bully. )

Do you know what? I talk too much.

[Millhouse]

I understand that some, you included, are more against the culture of sports. Well then, I ask, why don't you guys on this site go after the culture rather than dedicate a website to the actual sport itself?

Getting caught up on posts here. Without reading the other posts...

To 'Fit Man' (whom I believe is a previous member that has simply created a new identity)... to answer that question of yours...the ridiculous one in the 'quotes' above...

You didn't even bother reading the manifesto from the front page did you? Well, that's fine, because now I am not going to bother linking it.