What We\’re Dealing With
By Aaron Nagler on Mar 31, 2009 with 35 Comments
Go here. Look at the picture of the shirt, think about it, and then come back. (And yes – I have never linked to the site before, nor will I ever again, but I thought this the perfect example as to why…)
Now, I know I talk about the idiocy of the irrational Thompson haters, and I do so because, well, they’re idiots. But one need look no further than a picture of Ted Thompson in the cross hairs on a T-shirt to know how singularly depraved these idiots truly are. Seriously? A gun sight? Does the owner of that shirt have any moral compass whatsoever? I mean, I’ve felt some irrational hatred towards public figures in my day (like, say, at George Lucas for destroying a story I loved dearly as a child) but to make and wear that T-shirt is the height of stupidity.Â
In a way, it’s helpful and instructive. The next time you see an idiotic rant about how Ted Thompson needs to be fired, you can pause, think of that T-shirt, and say to yourself “Oh that’s right – those are the ravings of a depraved mind with no moral direction whatsoever in their life, without ability to think or reason, just lashing out like the dumb animal they are – there’s really no need to engage with someone like that”.Â
Once you realize these people aren’t operating on a rational level, it really does make life easier…
Filed Under: Packer Blogs • Ted Thompson
Just another example of why most advertising on Sports Talk Shows and sports blogs are from criminal lawyers and strip clubs. That said, I reserve my right to criticise Thompson for mistakes I feel he is making. That is my right as a fan. I will never be an unthinking lap dog.
Criticizing Thompson is one thing. (I have done so myself) But that site, and the type of person it represents, is a whole different animal…
I agree completely on the fine job Lucas did of destroying one of my all time favorites. Actually two of my all time favorites if you include the new Star Wars “episodes”.
What he did to Indiana Jones though…
I agree with Aaron. Putting TT in the cross hairs is a bit too much. I have been to that site from time to time just to read how far these guys are taking it during this offseason. When I saw this a couple weeks ago I cringed.
Let me tell you this. I made a career out of putting people in the cross hairs for 8 years. It is real easy to put a person in the cross hairs, but it is ten million times harder to pull the trigger and after you do, you will be a changed man forever.
Get rid of the shirts guys it really is lame. Does the man deserve to be shot? Come on….
Are these the same BringBrettBack people?
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was, Dusty.
I agree with Aaron entirely. If you’re someone who thinks that shirt is ok, imagine it with someone you care about on it.
It’s a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he’s got and all he’s ever gonna have.
Ok, now I’ve done it.
Hell, I even thought I was dead ’til I found out it was just that I was in Nebraska.
Aaron you should’ve never linked that pathetic site. Those scum bags don’t deserve even one hit to that site.
I’ve always wondered how people could hate someone so much over a GAME. The even more disturbing thing is he doesn’t even play the game or even coach it for that matter, but he is at the root for all the hatred.
I find it funny how all the anti-Thompson crowd blames his 31-33 record, but don’t ever consider what he had to clean up. They also discount that he is pretty much responsible for partly putting together the best season since… I’ll leave that one for you guys to figure out, but hey according them it was ALL Brett’s doing that year. Another thing is everyone acts like Ted blew up some perennial Super Bowl contender, but the reality is since 2001 the Packers went past the divisional round 1 time. Guess who could be credited for putting most of that team together, & keeping the good holdovers on that team?
I don’t completely agree with all of Ted’s decisions( Brady Poppinga deal ), but for the most part I think he is doing a good job. Now the coaching on the other hand is another thing.
As for the ” unthinking lap dog ” comment- I understand to a certain extent what you mean, but I’m willing to bet most of your thinking is based on hindsight or jumping to conclusions over deals that weren’t done or moves that weren’t made, or just plain dislike for certain people. I’m also willing to bet that you nor I have the least bit on knowledge on how to run an NFL team. If me deferring to the professionals makes me an ” unthinkable lap dog ” then so be it, but I consider myself more along the lines of a realist who doesn’t pretend to know something that I have not one ounce of experience in doing.
Now whether the Pack succeed this year or not is yet to be seen, but I think last years team was a hell of lot better then they showed & expect a great improvement. I’m one who thinks Ted has this team on the right track & honestly expect that this team will be good for some years to come starting this year.
Sorry for the rant, but that site really gets me pissed off to see such garbage slanted towards a human being over a GAME.
Keep up the good work & next time I will keep A LOT shorter lol.
In other football news…Jeff George says he can still QB the Queens. This guy is the ultimate tool.
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfc.....dness.html
Saw that the other day. Must admit, my first thought was: Well, he couldn’t be worse than Travaris Jackson…
Yeah, yeah, good points about TT haters and the insanity that often accompanies their “reasoning.” But let’s talk about something really important – are you talking about Star Wars Aaron? Before you answer, please know that I am the ultimate Star Wars nerd. All the movies, all the novels, all the video games. I’m staring at about 40 books as we speak. So, I’m hoping you are talking about I.J. or this could get ugly.
FYI, if you google “NFL draft party” the first thing that comes up is Fleet Farm’s Packer Draft party. God, that’s so awesome.
Andrew – after Gary Kurtz left, and Lucas was left to his own devices, everything having to do with Star Wars went to hell. A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back are absolutely brilliant pieces of pop art. Return of the Jedi is tolerable, though the strains were beginning to show. The prequels are almost unwatchable…
As for the auxiliary things, books, etc – the one thing I have enjoyed is watching my 7 year old daughter get completely engrossed in the Clone Wars – but even there, I see the old joke about Lucas coming to fruition, the one where Mark Hammil always said – “If there was a way to make movies without actors, George would do it” – well, if he can just get the computers to do the voices, he’s there…
Fleet Farm!!! Ha ha! I have not heard that place in a while.
My 8 year old is a Star Wars geek. Everything he got this year was Star Wars related. His ultimate gift was the huge 2×3 ft Millennium Falcon with all the bells and whistles.
His room is the ultimate Star Wars/Packers/Badgers shrine.
I just don’t understand how these people call themselves fans. Criticizing his decisions is one thing…but essentially boycotting the team because of one man? I understand those who criticize what Thompson does or those who may get upset with the direction of the team, but it’s like these people refuse to root for the team because Thompson is there. Really?
I don’t know how these guys can even call themselves fans. They’re not. They’re pathetic.
I am curious as to they type of crowd at a Fanfest. Where there any people that just go above and beyond when it comes to Packer Worship?
Some of them. Most were just great fans who love the Packers. Real cross section of young/old, rich/poor etc. Everyone Corey and I met were incredibly nice…
I find your lack of faith disturbing. Nothing will ever be as good as episode 4, but the prequels unwatchable? Hardly. I have more of a problem with the casting than I do with all the computer generated stuff. Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa was simply aweful and a bad cast. So was Samuel L. as Mace Windu. But the whole Chancellor Palpatine backstory unwatchable??? How Anakin becomes evil, unwatchable? Please! I have seen episodes 1-3 at least 50 times each with only the minor complaints I mentioned (well, and maybe too much Jar Jar Binks in episode 1).
Simply put, this series is epic. All 6 episodes and all the books that followed. I’m looking forward to when the later novels get turned into movies. Can’t wait to see Luke and Mara Jade in their later years, the Solo children, battles with Grand Admiral Thrawn, etc on the silver screen. I respect ya like crazy my friend but sometimes you protest too much. This is one of those times.
I think you guys need to relax a bit. While the shirt is certainly done in poor taste, I don’t see anything that suggests people should actually shoot Thompson.
Fans hang players from opposing teams in effigy all the time, that doesn’t mean they want to literally hang them. It’s just a form of expression.
Loved the Thrawn books. And yes, the Palpatine stuff in the prequels was brilliant (due to Ian McDiarmid).
And note – I said ‘almost’ unwatchable. Sure there is some kick ass stuff – the pod race, the Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon fight w/Darth Maul, the opening to Sith (although even that was filled with cheese – buzz droids? SERIOUSLY?) My biggest gripe is Lucas – everyone involved did their jobs just about as well as it could be done, but the writing and direction, Lucas’ main jobs, were atrocious throughout. I mean, the ‘love scene’ in Attack of the Clones? How on EARTH can you defend that? Epic? Yes it all WANTS to be epic. And the story of a young knight falling to the dark side against the backdrop of a galactic civil war? Yes PLEASE. But the execution is just so disappointing…
“Fans hang players from opposing teams in effigy all the time” – and when they did that shit with Favre’s jersey in Minneapolis I hated it there as well…
I can’t debate the execution in some places. The biggest issue is the real time between episodes 4-6 and 1-3. That’s really hard to overcome from a technology standpoint alone. Lucas had 6 movies in his head but clearly underestimated the time and effort (and fan reaction) to shoot them all. And yes, certainly some cheesy scenes. But it is absolutely epic Aaron. Just not debatable at all IMO. I think one could easily make another series just off the stuff between episode 6 and the children of Luke and Han. Then one could make an infinite number after that. Question tho – will Lucas ever give up the movie rights while he is alive? Prob not.
No way he lets anyone touch Star Wars in a theatrical release. But he’s already given some control away in television with the Clone Wars and the upcoming live-action series set between III and IV (which could be BRILLIANT if done right…)
Aaron, I’m curious. Did you like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill? How about violent movies in general?
The fool (fools) that initiated that site have been running wild since & during the Favre Fiasco. They’ve dropped their link on untold websites looking for hits to spread their asinine message. They also were involved with the protests in GB during the Favre Affair. Are they sick? Yes. Are they dangerous? I wouldn’t want them as my neighbors.
Keith – I loved Pulp Fiction. I thought Tarantino disappeared up his own ass on the Kill Bill movies…
Ok, just wanted to see if you had a thing against violence as a means of expression.
Normally I defend your rants because you usually make a good point. However, I think you’re just making noise here. You recently had a blog post titled: “McCarthy in the Crosshairs.” That t-shirt is just a visual representation of that phrase. I seriously doubt that those guys literally Thompson dead, the same way I doubt that you meant that McCarthy was literally in someone’s crosshairs. I think this is an overreaction because you so vehemently disagree with their point of view. I also agree that posting this rant was one of the worst things you could have done because now more eyeballs have seen their site.
Kill Bill I was awesome. Vol II left me scratching my head. Wow though, talk about an eclectic group of posts on this one! Guess that’s my fault. Saawee
Thanks for the site promotion!
I am disappointed you posted the link, too, because I went to the site and now feel as though I’ve rolled in the same sh*t my dogs do. Those creeps should have the tables turned on them.
Keith – I was sure someone would bring up the McCarthy post – just didn’t think it would be you. Really? REALLY? You’re right – a blog post with the word ‘crosshairs’ in it and a shirt with a man’s face in a gun sight are the exact same thing. How foolish and double-standardy of me…
As a longtime Thompson Critic, it is stuff like this that does frustrate me. When someone takes it to such an extreme, it then becomes easy to shorten any legitimate criticism that can be intelligently offered.
For example, I offered some criticism of Aaron Rodgers on my own blog this past season, and received plenty of “Rodgers Hater” comparisons to the people who took their Favre Love to unhealthy extremes.
There is always…always…room for criticism. It is stuff like this that makes it easy to dismiss anything that you don’t agree with, though.
Aaron, Like I said, while I consider the tshirt to be poor form, I just think you guys are blowing it out of proportion. In no way did I attempt to equate the two, however, it could be argued that those guys were visually expressing their belief that Thompson should be in the crosshairs for doing a crappy job.
In other words:
We all have it coming.