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Head Coach [784]
TigerPulse: 99%
Posts: 293
Joined: 9/9/17
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Tigers Have Stripes
Jun 5, 2020, 1:28 PM
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In light of recent events, I've refrained from posting here. However, I can't stay silent any longer.
From the time I was able to say "Go Tigers," I was told about the "Solid Orange" family that is Clemson. How we unite 82,000 strong in Death Valley, how we rally behind the good guys wearing solid orange on college football's biggest stage. Most of the Tigers we rally behind on the gridiron are black males, which brings me to this conclusion: though we bleed "Solid Orange," a tiger is nothing without its black stripes.
It pains me to have read some of the comments from some of my Tiger brothers & sisters on here and elsewhere, ones responding to Black Lives Matter with "all lives matter." I could rehash for hours the meaning of the #BlackLivesMatter movement & how it doesn't mean that other lives (read "White Lives") don't matter, but rather that black people in this country are systemically and systematically targeted because of the color of their skin. But, that's not the point of this post.
For years, I, alongside of you, have high-fived my fellow Tigers when Sammy Watkins & Nuk Hopkins caught TD passes from Tahj Boyd, and celebrated the exploits of the Power Rangers D-Line of Bryant, Ferrell, Lawrence, & Wilkins, just like you. These black Clemson Tigers represent the stripes of Clemson.
You must be thinking, "Why do you have to point out that they're black?" Simple: to overlook their blackness & say, "I don't see color" denies the uniqueness of how God made them. And because Tigers are nothing without their stripes, Clemson football wouldn't have its 3 national titles without the talents of its black football players.
Yes, they represent the color orange when they don the Tiger paw on Saturdays, but when they take their uniform off, they become just another black person in the eyes of many. The very essence of who they are is wrapped in black skin. And, while you may know who they are & care for who they are because they score touchdowns & sack quarterbacks, would you care who they were if they were just another black person? Would their black life matter to you? It'd be easy for you to say "of course I would," but this question isn't intended for you to respond to on Tigernet. Instead, I urge you to reflect on this question privately & personally.
If you see #BlackLivesMatter and it angers you to the point of responding with "all lives matter," I leave you with another thought to respond to, again, in private: What if one of our black Clemson Tigers became the next hashtag? Would you care about his black life, simply for being a black human, or would you care simply because he scores touchdown for your beloved Tigers?
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Oculus Spirit [83625]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 63724
Joined: 12/31/06
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agreed***
Jun 5, 2020, 1:34 PM
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Hall of Famer [24624]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 15140
Joined: 2/13/15
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POTD!!!!***
Jun 5, 2020, 1:49 PM
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CU Guru [1205]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 600
Joined: 6/29/08
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Re: Tigers Have Stripes
Jun 5, 2020, 3:21 PM
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Well said, great post!
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All-In [34486]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 13513
Joined: 8/30/19
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Very eloquent and thoughtful post. Thank you***
Jun 5, 2020, 3:44 PM
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All-TigerNet [12274]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 5402
Joined: 9/12/04
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Context plays a role here too...
Jun 5, 2020, 4:11 PM
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I fully support the statement "Black Lives Matter" so long as you are talking about actual black human lives. Say it loud, say it proud!
However, I do not support the Black Lives Matter activist organization. I disagree with their Marxist inspired rhetoric and solutions that hearken back to the anti-capitalist Black Liberation Movement of the '60's and '70's.
So when someone references "Black Lives Matter" my reaction will be based on the context. If you are talking about actual black human lives - absolutely they matter! If you are talking about the activist Black Lives Matter organization then you should have no expectation that I or anyone else must support that ideology simply because of their organizational name.
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CU Medallion [58489]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 46371
Joined: 4/23/00
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Exactly. If the BLM movement was simply about fighting
Jun 6, 2020, 8:13 AM
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racism and the killing of black men by police, it would be a no-brainer to get on board. The truth is, rightly or wrongly, the current BLM movement is about much, much more than that, and to pretend otherwise is either dishonest or naive, and it's something I will not do.
I oppose racism in all of it's forms, and understand the shameful history of it in our country and the impact it has had on African-Americans. I believe that black people, young black men in general, face a level of racism to this day that I as a white man will never be able to fully understand. However, the current BLM movement is all tangled up with an opportunistic political movement and ideology which I oppose. It is a political ideology driven by people at the highest level that don't give a #### about black lives, and is only using this to acquire votes and power. So, while I may agree with the basic tenets of BLM, I cannot support the organization because of their political associations.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I think a lot of people feel the way I do.
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Legend [19979]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 16737
Joined: 11/28/00
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Re: Exactly. If the BLM movement was simply about fighting
Jun 6, 2020, 9:24 AM
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I agree with Smiling Tiger on this.
An analogy would be; when you’re hungry, you might be able to find a good slice of bread in a moldy loaf but there’s no way you’re makin sammiches out of the whole thing.
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All-In [27366]
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Legend [16540]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 11657
Joined: 9/1/01
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Don't think facts are going to get in the way of opinion on
Jun 5, 2020, 5:54 PM
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this one!
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Replies: 9
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