Sports Nicknames and Racism

There is a large debate going on about racist team nicknames in the two countries I'm most closely affiliated with: England and the USA.

In the US, the football team from Washington, DC has been getting some press for their nickname: The Redskins.  Supporters say it's a tribute to the bravery of the Native American people, and shouldn't be stigmatized.  Dan Snyder, the toad that owns the team, has said he'll never change it.  (I say toad not because of this, but because of everything else he's done in ruining a once proud football team.)  The supporters of the club say they don't want it changed.  Rick Reilly even wrote an incredibly condescending article on the uproar for ESPN saying that it was White people telling Native Americans that they should be offended, and if they aren't we'll be offended for you.  (No links, as he really doesn't deserve it.  The man is truly the Mitch Albom of Sports Writing.  Except that Mitch used to write sports too.)

What Mr. Reilly, who points out in his article that there are high schools with majority Native American populations that have Redskins as their nickname, doesn't seem to understand is that there are numerous Native Americans that objected to the name previously over the past 40 years.  Heck, the only reason they're playing in Maryland right now instead of Washington, DC proper is because Ben Nighthorse-Campbell supposedly put in a rider on a bill stating that no national government funds could be used for a stadium until they changed the nickname.  The main problem Reilly has is assuming that all Native Americans feel the same way.  Of course they don't.  They aren't a homogenous group, they are different tribes.  The Seminole tribe in Oklahoma expressed their anger towards Florida State for being the Seminoles, and asked the NCAA to make them change their name.  The Florida tribe said they had no problem with the name.  Who do you go to on this one?  The head of the Oneida nation wants it changed, and has a challenge for anyone who believes it isn't a slur: Come to his house, look at his grandchildren and say, "What a cute couple of Redskins they are!"  If you can't do that, then it is not honorific.

In England, there is a similar uproar over the unofficial nickname for the team I support in the Premiership.  Tottenham Hotspur, the only team named after a character in a Shakespeare play, is unofficially known as the Yids.  Their supporters also say that this is a tribute, as the area surrounding White Hart Lane, their stadium, is majority Jewish.  They say that they've taken on that nickname as a badge, after having it used against them for so long by other clubs.  And this is true.  Supporters from clubs like West Ham United and Chelsea have long made hissing sounds to simulate the sound of the gas chambers.  In fact, last year during the Europa League, nine Spurs fans were attacked in Rome by Lazio fans, and it has been strongly suggested that it was due to anti-semitism.  So the point the supporters are making is, "Ok we've decided to take on the identity proudly that you want to place on us."  When a player on the field does something great, he's greeted with the chant, "Yiddo, Yiddo."  When Jergen Klinsmann joined Tottenham, he was serenaded with this ditty: "Chim Chimmery, Chim Chimmery, Chim Chim Cherooo, Jergen was a German, but now he's a Jew."

Then in 2012, Comedian David Badiel, who is Jewish, brought out that he was offended by the chant, and asked for it to stop.  This brought out statements of support from the Society of Black Lawyers in the UK, and a threat that if it continued then they would file a police complaint.  I completely agree with David on this one, and I think it's time to stop the chants.  However, Mr. Badiel probably was the wrong person to do it.  Daniel Levy, the chairman of Tottenham, should have been the one to broach the subject.  There probably would have been less push back from Mr. Levy because he sits through all the games.  Mr. Badiel, you see, is a Chelsea supporter.  So his concerns were automatically dismissed since some of the biggest complaints in the past about anti-semitism towards Tottenham fans came from Chelsea games.  Mr. Levy has started a dialogue with the fans to turn away from the chants, but with threats coming against them, I don't see that happening in the short-term.  (By the way, Ajax Amsterdam also have the same issue as Tottenham, and many of the same questions are being asked in Amsterdam as in London.)

So where does it stand now?  Well, the Washington football team will still be the Redskins, and Tottenham fans will continue to call themselves Yids.  Both say they are honoring, rather than disrespecting, the people that the nicknames refer to.  However, take the challenge offered by the Oneida Nation: If you can go up to a Native American and call him and his family Redskins, or to a Jewish family and call them Yids, then you can use the phrase.  If you can't, then you shouldn't call your team that either.

Watching Rugby When Lovely English Lass has an Idea

South Africa played New Zealand in Rugby this weekend.  For those of you that don't know, this is how the All Blacks (the New Zealand Rugby Team's nickname) start all of their matches.

Pretty cool, no?  During the most recent Rugby World Cup, they really got into it.  The other team just watches while they do this.  It's a war chant and ritual, and in fact one of the teams was fined for not standing there.  I suggested that maybe England should answer with Morris Dancing.  Lovely English Lass came up with a few, and I collected the 5 best from our talk.

Top 5 Answers a Rugby Team Should give in response to the Haka

5) Read a newspaper.
4) Stare them down like Wales did in the 2011 World Cup.
3) Slowly walk towards them, like Ireland did in 1989.
2) This:
and this one is straight from LEL:
1) The Slow Clap

I honestly think that last one would lead to a riot on the field.

(Editor's note: Every Kiwi I've ever met has been very lovely.  Especially our friend in Durban.)

MILB: "Paid in Full" by Eric B. and Rakim

When you're the best, you don't have to sound like the rest.  At a time when other MCs in the rap field (LL Cool J, Kool Mo Dee, Chuck D) were high energy, Rakim decided it was time to slow the flow.  It changed the face of rap, and made for one hell of a good song.

"Paid in Full" was one of the biggest songs ever for Eric B. and Rakim.  It came on their first studio album, and definitely was something new to the New York rap scene.

Understand, at this time, the majority of the rap world could be found within 100 square miles. The New York metro area was basically it.  The Beastie Boys hadn't yet decamped to LA to record Paul's Boutique, and NWA was at least a year away from turning rap on it's ear.  Ice-T was big with "6 in the morning" but it wasn't anywhere near as universal as the stuff still coming out of New York.  Basically, it was the 5 Boroughs and Long Island, with Philly thrown in as well.  At this time, Eric B. decided he needed an MC if he was going to be big.  The story goes that he was taken by a friend to one rapper's house, but the guy wasn't home.  So they went to Rakim's house, and that was that.

Rakim tackled rapping with a methodical means.  He wrote all his lyrics, and read them off the paper.  Meanwhile, with a booming voice and a slow flow, he captures your attention in a way the normal yelling wouldn't.  The dramatic difference between Chuck D and Rakim (both of whom are very political in their rhymes) is fantastic.  Both are heavy-weights in rap, but I think Rakim is the better MC. His cock-sure rhymes put me in the mood of a beat poet.  He definitely wasn't the first with the slow flow (I'd say that was more Slick Rick), but he was the best.  Considering all the people the man influenced, you could say that he was one of the most influential people in the history of Rap.  I mean, Tupac, Biggie, Snoop and Nas credit him as being an influence.  Snoop even covered this song in the movie "Old School."

With "Paid in Full" the song starts with a typical hip-hop beat of drums and cymbals.  Then strangely, the bass and a flute come in.  There aren't many instances when a flute is used in rap music, and this may have been one of the first.  Eric B. then starts asking Rakim questions, basically giving a shout-out to their team.  (Management, Agent and Record Company all are mentioned.)  Then Rakim goes into his flow:

"Thinkin of a master plan/cuz ain't nothin but sweat inside my hand/so I dig into my pocket all my money is spent/so I dig deeper but still comin up with lint" 

That's a pretty good opening right there.  Everyone's been there previously, when you just don't have any money.  The rap goes on to discuss how he can make money and the options he has.  He used to rob people, but he doesn't feel right doing that any more.  So he decides that he and Eric B. are going to make music so he can get paid without doing something illegal.  (Funnily, he says he just wants to record and eat fish, which is his favorite dish.)  The beat keeps going while Eric B. jumps back in to tell Rakim they need to visit their girlfriends because his girl is mad that they took too long to make the album.  This is probably meant as an inside joke, since it only took a week to record the entire album.

This song is 3 minutes and 49 seconds, but the rapping makes up maybe half of the song.  However, it's still very influential to the history of the genre.  Rakim usually rapped about how great his rhymes were, or his religion (Islam), so he didn't get into the whole gangster rap idea.  This album has been rated as one of the 500 best albums of all time.  It's certainly one that will give you an appreciation for the work put into it.  Eric B. had a great ear for beats and especially what would go well with Rakim's flow.  Shortly after this album came out, NWA dropped "Straight Outta Compton" and the Rap scene changed forever.  What would rap sound like now if it was Eric B. and Rakim that made the huge splash that NWA did?  It's an interesting thought.  Personally I think it was a media hype that made the difference.  Why listen to a sweet flow when you can be completely horrified by gangster images.  Still, "Paid in Full" is a great song, and one you should listen to.  Listen to it as an artifact of what could have been in the rap world, and then listen to it because it's a great song.

Anger and Resentment

As I've said previously, sometimes it is difficult to be a Management Officer and not be angry and resentful of your co-workers.  Most people I work with are very nice and lovely people.  And then there are some that treat me like the help.

You see, Management officers of all stripes walk a tight-rope.  We are not only a service provider, but also a co-worker.  Many times people can't see the difference.  And hey, I get it!  It's hard to be angry at someone because they've refused your travel or told you something you want to do can't be done, and then act like nothing is wrong when you see them at a party later on.  It's human nature to carry that professional anger into your personal life.  It's ruined friendships, and caused many of scene at an Embassy event.

(I have Management friends worldwide that don't go to Mission events because of how often they will be cornered with issues someone has with their house or with not getting something they've requested.  I don't recommend that... but I understand!)

The way I see it is that you have two ways you can go as a Management Officer.  1) You shrug off the professional issues and keep as separate a line as you can with your professional and private lives, or 2) You become bitter and angry and resent people for what they do.

Trust me when I say that number 2 is sadly the easiest to do.  How dare they come into your office and tell you that they can do your job better?  You've busted your butt trying to get their housing right, their office correct, and help them the best you can with limited resources, but they come in and act like you're just in from orientation classes.  Everyone appears to be an expert on your job, and they think it's so easy to do!  They never see you answering phone calls at 2 am from someone complaining that their toilet is clogged (even though they have 3 other bathrooms in the house) or having to come into the office on Saturday and Sunday to ensure that the end of year procurements have gone through.

The problem with that one is you quickly start to hate everything.  Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, etc. etc. etc.  To paraphrase another movie, It's not personal, it's just business.  Management officers must learn to section off their private life from professional, or else you need to find something else to do.

I'm writing this because I was on the verge of number 2 recently.  I was grumpy, and not being very helpful.  Thankfully I have a lovely wife that let me know I was being a pill, and I took a good look at myself and thought I needed a change.  Working out more has helped as well, I gotta say.  Still, it's hard to walk that tight-rope.  I'm just glad I have a net for when I fall off so I can get back up there again.

MILB: "We Used To Be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols

(Editor's Note: This blog is not aimed at anyone.  Well, anyone that actually reads my blog posts.)

You might have heard this as the theme tune for "Veronica Mars" or on the radio.  Maybe you saw the video.  However, this song really does deserve to stand on its own.

The Dandy Warhols made it huge with "Bohemian Like You", with a sound like "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and a great beat.  Their next album brought out "We Used To Be Friends."

Growing older has given me a unique perspective on life, as it usually does.  This song is obviously about growing up and the lessons you learn as you get older and that sometimes friends just fade away.  The main theme of the song deals with remembering someone with whom you used to be close, but something happened and you aren't any more.  The opening lines of the song pretty much sum it up:

A Long Time Ago/We used to be friends, but I/ Haven't thought of you lately at all./  If ever again, a greeting I send to you/ short and sweet to the soul I intend.

This is growing up right there.  The difference between when this song was released and now is that with email, Facebook, twitter, etc, it's becoming less and less common to lose touch with people from your past.  Heck, I even found a friend on Facebook that I hadn't heard from since I was 8 and moved from Arkansas to Florida.  Sometimes, though, people you've been very close to seem to drift away.  Many times there isn't even a reason for it to happen.  The song puts it like this:

It's something I said, or someone I know/or you called me up maybe I wasn't home

You see, sometimes there isn't a reason for growing apart.  You just do it.  I know there are friends that I'll always be close to in life.  We don't talk for a bit, but then we chat and it's like nothing happened.  But then there are people I hardly ever hear from.  I'll go years without hearing from them, and then one day they'll contact me and I'll be, "Wow, has it really been two years since I spoke to them?"  It's nothing personal, but life does get in the way you know?  The good news is that if you are really interested in maintaining relationships, you can do it now, no matter where in the world you are.  Heck, here I sit in Johannesburg and thanks to social media I can watch my nephews and niece grow up.  Or I can chat with one of my former college roommates online while he sits in a cafe in Brussels and I sit in my house in South Africa, which happened last month.

However, sometimes that's not enough.  The Dandy Warhols made a great song which perfectly fits in with growing up.  Sadly I know one day I'll run into someone with my family, and after introducing everyone, and a brief chat, I'm sure Lovely English Lass will ask me, "Where did you know them from?"  My response will probably be, "Well, we used to be friends."