I don’t understand why you come here and then bitch about the traditions?
Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Let's just talk about it 2.0...)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
This board has the biggest group of Texas fans you've ever known in your life... yet somehow, players that don't even know the history about the football team, like we do, know the history of that song more than we do?
Does this seem like something that is just pointed out to them to make a point, to anyone else?
Franz Josef Haydn — one of the greatest classical composers who ever lived — wrote a beautiful religious hymn, the tune of which was adopted as the German national anthem by the Weimar Republic in 1922. The Nazis expropriated that beautiful tune for their own odious purposes during the 1930s and 1940s. It would probably appall the Nazis that that tune — with different words of course — is the national anthem of Germany today, sung by millions on the left, center, and right who are members of a free and open society that utterly rejects any hint of Nazi ideology. The point is that it only has the meaning people choose to attach to it.
I don’t give a sh_t what the obscure origins of a song were, because it’s been sung by literally millions of Texans and other UT graduates as a song of unity and inspiration for decades without the least hint or intent of any racist connotations whatsoever. That controls “the narrative” for me. Assuming for a small group of people it ever did have those connotations — it’s been wrested away from them and the fact that it has been sung ever since in honor of UT and its achievements by all the races who’ve attended The University is the ultimate rejection of whatever real or imagined meaning it may have held for that handful of people well over a century ago.
Ninety years ago tomorrow, the New York Times wrote:
"And what Texan will not be similarly affected by the strains of ‘The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You’? This, the University of Texas song, is accepted, through use, as the official song of the State."
- New York Times, June 15, 1930
That is the meaning I choose to attach to it. To hell with some idiotic minstrel group who sure as hell doesn’t speak for any of us.
I don’t give a sh_t what the obscure origins of a song were, because it’s been sung by literally millions of Texans and other UT graduates as a song of unity and inspiration for decades without the least hint or intent of any racist connotations whatsoever. That controls “the narrative” for me. Assuming for a small group of people it ever did have those connotations — it’s been wrested away from them and the fact that it has been sung ever since in honor of UT and its achievements by all the races who’ve attended The University is the ultimate rejection of whatever real or imagined meaning it may have held for that handful of people well over a century ago.
Ninety years ago tomorrow, the New York Times wrote:
"And what Texan will not be similarly affected by the strains of ‘The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You’? This, the University of Texas song, is accepted, through use, as the official song of the State."
- New York Times, June 15, 1930
That is the meaning I choose to attach to it. To hell with some idiotic minstrel group who sure as hell doesn’t speak for any of us.
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The world has seemingly made those things impossible for me in the last three months.
Soon, I hope.
Written delivery is always harder than speaking. Hard to stick the landing on the tone.
I've had more compliments this weekend than normal, though. It hasn't been a total disaster.
Man, they better this year... or folks will be ready to let the boos rip IMO.My thoughts on the team.....
If the players took pride in the University the way I do, and wished to share a moment after their hard earned victories with all of us in the stands, I’d be willing for that moment to coalesce around a different song.
But we are just so divided, I’m not sure it’s in the cards. As long as there are players who are resentful of the fans, it’s just an impossibility. Because of that I think it’s really hard to give up The Eyes.
It will make me rage if we give up our traditions and the division continues. What was the point?
But we are just so divided, I’m not sure it’s in the cards. As long as there are players who are resentful of the fans, it’s just an impossibility. Because of that I think it’s really hard to give up The Eyes.
It will make me rage if we give up our traditions and the division continues. What was the point?
I've never been more nervous to hit send in my life than in the last two days.Good stuff @Ketchum but i'm just a Libtard Ketch apologist.
Oh it's gonna be a shitshow if they lose. Herman already had them restless. Mix in some covid and now this stuff. Glad I'll be in section couch, seat 3.
My prediction is that this thing goes away from the football side of things after the next week, but potentially becomes an issue again when and if someone from the band says they are protesting.
It's just one thing I've heard kicked about.
These threads sometimes can serve as free trial balloons.
Both those texts read to me like the people weren’t particularly outraged. In fact the first text read like complete indifference and surprise that this has become an issue. He does point out this is all coming from one teachers class at the school.
Much like America in general, it’s the loud folks out on the fringe that cause all the trouble for 95% of the population. Sounds like there’s one teacher stirring shit up and telling students they should be offended by this.
it’s sad that our players don’t have leaders on the team or the coaching staff that could explain to them that they are being coerced into doing something that’s ultimately causing more divide and anger. If their goal is unity, they swung and missed wildly.
Much like America in general, it’s the loud folks out on the fringe that cause all the trouble for 95% of the population. Sounds like there’s one teacher stirring shit up and telling students they should be offended by this.
it’s sad that our players don’t have leaders on the team or the coaching staff that could explain to them that they are being coerced into doing something that’s ultimately causing more divide and anger. If their goal is unity, they swung and missed wildly.
I don't really have any insight on that layer of this. Maybe? Maybe not.
I think that kind of discussion will take place, though.
Seem like? It’s obviously that.
Nobody found the song objectionable until somebody told them to feel that way with very, very weak reasoning to do so.
Have you ever read the Frank The tank story on this game?
Thanks for all your time and effort ketch
man I just feel so low about this shit - it just sucks
man I just feel so low about this shit - it just sucks
I have heard that they were very passionate about the school song issue. At least to getting their view on it on the record.
You really don't know what you're talking about.
Those inside the university system would describe him as a huge voice of reason in this moment.
I thought I was goin to jail that night. Or the hospital.
I agree with just about everything that you wrote. My biggest problem as stated is there seems to be very little ownership of the problems in the inner cities. That’s it for me.
I have a hard time as a person who’s literally zero times done something bad to a black person getting behind the idea that white people are the sole driver behind the problems. I just can’t see it.
I don’t get the point of it. I see the constant talk of privilege causing defensiveness and divisiveness. It’s hurting the chances of change taking place.
I have a hard time as a person who’s literally zero times done something bad to a black person getting behind the idea that white people are the sole driver behind the problems. I just can’t see it.
I don’t get the point of it. I see the constant talk of privilege causing defensiveness and divisiveness. It’s hurting the chances of change taking place.
Then I feel like, as someone who actually believes in stopping slavery, and not just pretending to care, that every player who uses an Iphone should be suspended or kicked off the team until they change phones.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2016/06/drc-cobalt-child-labour/
Put their money where their mouths are. If you want to fight injustice that happened 117 years ago, why not fight injustice and slavery that is happening LITERALLY TODAY?
What's more important? Being offended or fighting slavery?
But they didn’t say the song upsets them for x,y and z reasons, they said they want the song changed, right? They didn’t stop at education on the song, they made a demand it go away.
Most people are not upset with you. I disagree with most of the players requests, and disagree with some things you’ve said... but at the same time you’re in a no-win situation and this is a tough topic to tightrope over.
Again I disagree with a lot of your viewpoints but I also think you’re doing a solid job of handling it, given the circumstances.
That's not what this is about. This is about their experience as black student athletes at Texas. Is it inspired by the police brutality issues? Yes. Is this directly connected to trying to take steps for that specific battle? No.
This is multi-tasking, I suppose.
This may be the 1st time in 12 years that I've agreed with him on anything! But he Nailed it!
