Bob Knight: NBA has 'raped' college basketball

[tycat947]

Doesn't matter. As someone stated above, to blithely use that word, given its most widely accepted contemporary meaning (as you yourself stated), even when so many other words are available for getting his message across, is insensitive at best.

Bob Knight, insensitive??? Impossible!!!

:ez-roll::ez-roll::ez-roll:

 

[MI Sooner]

I'd bet my rent money and yours that Bob Knight, if asked, could not cite any secondary definitions for that word.

You owe me your rent, unless you think Bob Knight thought the NBA forced non-consensual sexual intercourse on college basketball.

 

[MercedeSooner]

They did away with the rule allowing kids to jump straight from HS to the NBA, correct? IMO, they need to bring it back. Give kids the option of declaring for the draft right out of HS (hopefully most would not), or force them to spend two years in college ball (or wherever). Problem solved, for the most part.

I agree and the problem with letting kids come to college for 1 year is it makes a joke of the academic system where guys have to barely stay eligible during the fall then jump ship in the spring.

Let em decide to go to the NBA/D League or actually make them work towards at least trying to be a student athlete. 1 and done basically amounts to baby sitting for a small period of time.

 

[StatGeek]

I guess something's wrong with me because his comments don't seem insensitive at all, they merely describe the guys views on the topic, the word police just expanding their domain. I mean, the idea that his comments would actually offend or upset someone simply doesn't register with me at all.

Why are his comments a story?

 

[MNsooner]

I guess something's wrong with me because his comments don't seem insensitive at all, they merely describe the guys views on the topic, the word police just expanding their domain. I mean, the idea that his comments would actually offend or upset someone simply doesn't register with me at all.

Why are his comments a story?

I think it would offend someone who was the victim of actual rape or is friends/family to a victim. It is trivializes the trauma and violence of the act by pretending a basketball rule is similar.

 

[StatGeek]

I think it would offend someone who was the victim of actual rape or is friends/family to a victim. It is trivializes the trauma and violence of the act by pretending a basketball rule is similar.

Simply don't buy the argument.

 

[MI Sooner]

I think it would offend someone who was the victim of actual rape or is friends/family to a victim. It is trivializes the trauma and violence of the act by pretending a basketball rule is similar.

Ridiculous. Is it offensive to victims or families if victims of murder ir bateery when an announcer says a team is getting killed or beaten?

 

[WTSooner]

Ridiculous. Is it offensive to victims or families if victims of murder ir bateery when an announcer says a team is getting killed or beaten?

Exactly. America has become too sensitive.

CLEARLY Knight meant no disrespect to rape victims.

 

[MNsooner]

Ridiculous. Is it offensive to victims or families if victims of murder ir bateery when an announcer says a team is getting killed or beaten?

That's a false equivalency.

 

[skyvue]

Exactly. America has become too sensitive.

CLEARLY Knight meant no disrespect to rape victims.

He very likely didn't, but does he care that using the term in such a cavalier fashion might offend or even cause pain to a recovering rape victim? Rather than whine about how we're all getting "too sensitive," mightn't we instead stop to think about which baggage-free terms we might use instead?

MNSooner nailed it. To use the term in a context like that trivializes it.

I have someone in my life who was the victim of both sexual abuse and sexual assault. The psychological and emotional damage runs so deep you cannot possibly imagine it if you haven't witnessed it. So forgive me if I can't work up much concern about an old blowhard like Knight being asked to choose his words more carefully, not when courageous people by the millions -- literally by the millions -- are struggling to deal with the emotional after-effects of what has been perpetrated against them.

"Murder" has been widely used in a figurative sense for decades; I've honestly never heard of anyone taking offense to it. But if I did, if loved ones of murder victims made it known that that usage was a problem for them? I'd do my damnedest never to say it anymore. I wouldn't fret and pout about how sensitive everyone's gotten -- I'd try to put myself in their shoes, respect their wishes, and use ONE OF THE LITERALLY DOZENS OF OTHER TERMS available to me to describe a decisive win.

 

[tycat947]

He very likely didn't, but does he care that using the term in such a cavalier fashion might offend or even cause pain to a recovering rape victim? Rather than whine about how we're all getting "too sensitive," mightn't we instead stop to think about which baggage-free terms we might use instead?

MNSooner nailed it. To use the term in a context like that trivializes it.

I have someone in my life who was the victim of both sexual abuse and sexual assault. The psychological and emotional damage runs so deep you cannot possibly imagine it if you haven't witnessed it. So forgive me if I can't work up much concern about an old blowhard like Knight being asked to choose his words more carefully, not when courageous people by the millions -- literally by the millions -- are struggling to deal with the emotional after-effects of what has been perpetrated against them.

"Murder" has been widely used in a figurative sense for decades; I've honestly never heard of anyone taking offense to it. But if I did, if loved ones of murder victims made it known that that usage was a problem for them? I'd do my damnedest never to say it anymore. I wouldn't fret and pout about how sensitive everyone's gotten -- I'd try to put myself in their shoes, respect their wishes, and use ONE OF THE LITERALLY DOZENS OF OTHER TERMS available to me to describe a decisive win.

Great post! Knight has always thought of himself at a level or two higher than anyone else and therefore, can say or do whatever he wants. It's a shame that his great basketball mind, in history, will be overshadowed by him being known as a extremely selfish jerk!

 

[StatGeek]

So really this just about people who dislike Bobby Knight getting another chance to voice their disdain for the man, that's what I figured.

And for those of you who spend so much energy trying not to "offend" others: I'm offended by your inconsistent method of picking and choosing what is and isn't offensive speech. Someone using the term murdered is different than someone using the term rape?? Really?? Seems like an intellectually dishonest and convenient position to me.

Just admit it was person delivering the message, not the message itself, that you really have a problem with.

 

[skyvue]

Just admit it was person delivering the message, not the message itself, that you really have a problem with.

You couldn't be more wrong. I have questioned this type of usage of the word rape before, here and elsewhere.

I also think Bobby Knight is an ass, but that's a separate issue.

 

[SoMuchDramaInTheLNC]

In a perfect world, the "pros or two-three years in college" rule would work. I agree with what Cuban has said, that the D-League or Europe would take over. I say get rid of the age restriction altogether. The reason one-and-done is so popular is because that is how the option is presented to these recruits--college basketball, under the rule, is perceived as a one-year stop. It's not like we magically started getting 10-15 recruits per year who are NBA-ready at 19. Let them make their decisions right out of high school, and I think the number of recruits who would stay in school for multiple years would skyrocket, leading to better-developed NBA talent.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

That's a false equivalency.

No it isn't

 

[MI Sooner]

He very likely didn't, but does he care that using the term in such a cavalier fashion might offend or even cause pain to a recovering rape victim? Rather than whine about how we're all getting "too sensitive," mightn't we instead stop to think about which baggage-free terms we might use instead?

MNSooner nailed it. To use the term in a context like that trivializes it.

I have someone in my life who was the victim of both sexual abuse and sexual assault. The psychological and emotional damage runs so deep you cannot possibly imagine it if you haven't witnessed it. So forgive me if I can't work up much concern about an old blowhard like Knight being asked to choose his words more carefully, not when courageous people by the millions -- literally by the millions -- are struggling to deal with the emotional after-effects of what has been perpetrated against them.

"Murder" has been widely used in a figurative sense for decades; I've honestly never heard of anyone taking offense to it. But if I did, if loved ones of murder victims made it known that that usage was a problem for them? I'd do my damnedest never to say it anymore. I wouldn't fret and pout about how sensitive everyone's gotten -- I'd try to put myself in their shoes, respect their wishes, and use ONE OF THE LITERALLY DOZENS OF OTHER TERMS available to me to describe a decisive win.

People should also do their damnedest not to take offense when not was intended.

I had a relative die of cancer, please stop referring to Ryan Humphrey as a locker-room cancer.

 

[skyvue]

People should also do their damnedest not to take offense when not was intended.

I had a relative die of cancer, please stop referring to Ryan Humphrey as a locker-room cancer.

I haven't and probably wouldn't use that term, and while I feel reasonably confident you're being facetious (about the offense, not necessarily the unfortunate relative), if you were sincere in objecting to the term, I would endeavor not to use it anymore (and certainly not around you). And doing so would place no great burden on me, given that the English language is rich and varied and there are countless other ways to express the same ideas.

Unlike the metaphorical use of "murder," this usage of rape is not one of long standing; it's a recent development and it's a harmful one. Have you ever heard the term in an old movie, for example? I haven't, and I've probably seen more pre-1970 movies than everyone else on this board combined. But the metaphorical usage of "murder" shows up frequently in movies as far back as the 1910s and '20s. That doesn't mean the usage shouldn't be revisited, if people really do take offense at it, but the next time I hear someone (outside this thread) raise an objection to it will be the first time, and I've been here on God's green earth for quite a long time.

My mom beat cancer twice and she died of Alzheimer's. To be honest, I cringe a little and ache a little more when I hear people make a joking Alzheimer's reference when they've suffered a normal lapse in memory. But as much as I loved my mom and as much as I miss her, I know that people who make such joking references mean no harm and it never feels as if they are trivializing the actual disease, so I've never said anything about it and very likely never will.

Using rape as a metaphor is very different.

I sincerely hope none of the "too sensitive" crowd has ever loved someone upon whom sexual violence has been perpetrated; if, God forbid, it should ever happen and your loved one is still debilitated by the experience years later, trust me, you can expect to feel differently.

The FBI says that, in 2012, there just under 90,000 rapes committed in the US (and the FBI definition of rape is very narrow -- there were actually many more than that). It is estimated that only 15 to 20 percent of victims ever report the crime, so deep is the sense of shame and fear associated with it (is there shame associated with murder or assault? Or diseases like cancer?).

These are indeed false equivalencies.

Anyway, I've stated (perhaps overstated) my piece, so I'll leave it at that and move on.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

I had a relative die of cancer, please stop referring to Ryan Humphrey as a locker-room cancer.

oh snap, you beat me to it. You really murdered that one. absolutely killed it.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

if you were sincere in objecting to the term, I would endeavor not to use it anymore (and certainly not around you).

if you stop using terms just b/c somebody might be offended by them, you will run out of things to say

this usage of rape is not one of long standing;

what? And the use of murder in the other sense is long standing?

My mom beat cancer twice and she died of Alzheimer's. To be honest, I cringe a little and ache a little more when I hear people make a joking Alzheimer's reference when they've suffered a normal lapse in memory. But as much as I loved my mom and as much as I miss her, I know that people who make such joking references mean no harm and it never feels as if they are trivializing the actual disease, so I've never said anything about it and very likely never will.

Using rape as a metaphor is very different.

No it's not

 

[Sooner04]

Are we really doing this? Are we really bickering amongst each other over the flippant ramblings of an old basketball coach who, while an absolute genius in the sport, is widely considered to be an asshole?

Some folks are more sensitive to PC issues and words than others. What one man experiences in life cannot be held against those who have no clue about the miles walked in those shoes. AND VICE VERSA!

Wish each other well, and agree to disagree. Hope the person who thinks the world is better with PC sensitivities enjoys just as much happiness as is possible. AND VICE VERSA!

It could be worse, I suppose. We could be worrying about recruiting. Or Marcus Smart. Or Travis Ford's buyout.

In the meantime, if my position needs to be clarified, I'll be elsewhere downloading nude pictures of Heather Graham. Have a nice afternoon, everyone. I know I will.