Nassar Banner: Not a Good Look

Submitted by GRBluefan on November 19th, 2019 at 4:00 PM

Just saw this on CNN, but apparently the Psi U fraternity thought it would be good idea to hang a banner making a joke about Larry Nassar from one of their windows on Saturday.  Simone Biles was not amused.  Nothing quite like pissing off an American legend.  Way to represent, boys...

 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/19/us/simone-biles-michigan-tweet-trnd/index.html

MGoBoard

TrueBlue2003

November 19th, 2019 at 4:55 PM ^

No.

Not everyone in the world has the identical priorities ordered by global impact.  We're all shaped by our own experiences.

If your son drowned in a pool and you spent the rest of your life advocating for the safety of kids around pools for example, how would you feel if someone scoffed and told you there are more important things to worry about than pool drownings (they'd be correct on a macro level but not to you on a personal level)?

So you're wrong.  To some people, especially those who are victims of sexual abuse (as a man, you might not realize how many women this includes), it is really important for sexual abuse to not be made a punchline or normalized.

And the fact it doesn't move the needle for you (and a lot of people) is exactly why people think it's important to talk about how common and damaging sexual abuse is.

It's also not my style for this particular issue, but I get that it is for a lot of people and I'm not gonna minimize them.  Empathy and introspection go a long way.

Joined: 01/05/2010

MGoPoints: 38075

xtramelanin

November 19th, 2019 at 5:12 PM ^

you miss it.  anyone who gets the joke implicitly agrees (as any sane person would) that sexual assault is bad.  and to compare child deaths to poking fun at sparty is a ridiculous reach.  

again, those banners aren't my style but come on, be upset about stuff that actually matters, not making fun of sparty. 

Joined: 12/09/2014

MGoPoints: 15438

TrueBlue2003

November 19th, 2019 at 5:55 PM ^

and you just don't get it.  as is often the case.

if you think this is simply making fun of sparty in a perfectly tasteful way...well, I shouldn't be surprised. 

but the point is, why would you tell other people what should matter to them?  that's ridiculous.

i did not compare child deaths to anything.  I compared someone telling someone else that there are more important things than what they're advocating for (any random advocacy) to telling someone else that there are more important things than what they're advocating for (awareness about their experiences with sexual assault and how jokes about it affects them and the culture in which we live).

Simply using the ridiculous logic that there are more important things to argue that they shouldn't care about what they care about, is stupid.  Do you expect everyone in the world to concern themselves singularly with the number 1 issue facing humanity (whatever that is)?  C'mon man.

Let people care about what's important to them and don't tell them what's not important, especially when you haven't walked in their shoes.  People care about what affects them and that's a really efficient way of dealing with problems because the problems that affect more people in a greater way get more attention (and this is somewhat appropriately getting relatively little attention).

Joined: 01/05/2010

MGoPoints: 38075

Teeba

November 19th, 2019 at 6:32 PM ^

I took a cross-country, round-trip flight last week and got a biscuit. 12 freaking hours on a plane and I got a biscuit. At least they had in-flight entertainment, but the movie (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) wasn't even that good. Maybe it's good on a theater with a good sound system, but on a 4 inch screen and headphones, not so much. Good grief, another revenge fantasy flick from Tarantino. Been there, done that.

Joined: 09/25/2019

MGoPoints: 3282

Drew Henson's Backup

November 19th, 2019 at 6:22 PM ^

MH and XtraM I usually am aligned with you guys but here I part ways. I think you’re missing True Blue’s point. He’s not asking you to be offended. He’s saying don’t demean the people who are offended. They have a right to be and in some cases good reason to find it hurtful.

Edit: Well I see XtraM’s last comment indicates he did get it but that he is impervious to being offended by a joke and therefore does not think anyone else is allowed to be either.

Joined: 08/19/2019

MGoPoints: 6499

MGlobules

November 19th, 2019 at 4:14 PM ^

"Virtues have to signal." What does that mean? You want to shut down every effort at all to maintain some kind of decency and then connect it to YOUR politics, too? How many contradictions can we spy in that? I'd bet that the people who came up with that meme would rather not connect it with you OR the sign, but--hey--I could be wrong. Wouldn't seem to be an advertisment for them. . .

The OP didn't make a big stink--he said not a good look/way to represent. I'd say he got it about right.

Joined: 11/17/2008

MGoPoints: 48086

RedRum

November 19th, 2019 at 4:20 PM ^

Politics? I'm arguing that it is dumb to repost the joke. People say stupid things all the time. 

Further, let me ask you MGlobules, have you ever done anything that you wouldn't want posted? Call the joke stupid, which it is, and don't spend a ton of time on it.  Nothing said here is going remove the sign from Saturday... unless you have keys to time travel.

The OP posted it. That is IPSO FACTO making a stink about it.

Sorry if logic is political.

Joined: 08/20/2017

MGoPoints: 21564

RedRum

November 19th, 2019 at 4:26 PM ^

Think the joke was bad and wish it hadn't appeared on the campus I love most. But who gets to decide? Lenny Bruce really pissed people off. Is it okay that he was arrested because he offended people horrified about glue sniffing? 

I'm not going to die on this hill - seems stupid to repost this on mgoblog so we can all feel better about ourselves condemning it.

I believe you have a PHD, hopefully you can see the argument for what it is.

Joined: 08/20/2017

MGoPoints: 21564

RedRum

November 19th, 2019 at 4:58 PM ^

It's an interesting conversation. If one has the premise that the joke was bad, from there I'm willing to hear divergent opinions. To the extent that this is in poor taste and offensive to the victims, couldn't agree more. If it is offensive, doesn't it follow that reposting it here is counter to the concern that it causes offense? 

Joined: 08/20/2017

MGoPoints: 21564

FauxMo

November 19th, 2019 at 4:37 PM ^

There is no crime here, and no one is saying these guys should be kicked off campus, beaten by an angry mob, arrested and jailed, etc. At least I am not. 

But, posting a story that has gone national here on MGoblog, about a joke that is at the very least in incredibly poor taste and that makes the university we all follow look bad, is not "virtue signaling." I hope the frat guys involved offer a public apology and then spend a little time thinking about why this was a bad idea. Because if they don't, these guys will become the asshole who private messaged Ronnie Bell's dad a few weeks back, or will do something far worse that fucks up their own lives. 

FYI, I saw this on RCMB on Sunday. I didn't mention it or bring it here because I didn't want to give these idiots any more time than they deserved. But now it's attracted the attention of the actual abuse victims. Like it or not, it's a story worth mentioning. JMHO... 

Joined: 06/17/2010

MGoPoints: 137622

bacon1431

November 19th, 2019 at 4:10 PM ^

Awful taste. MSU is up for criticism for Nassar. But this joke doesn't take a punch at MSU, but rather the survivors. I know that's not their intent, but that's what happens when you don't take a second to think about another perspective. 

Joined: 07/26/2008

MGoPoints: 25297

OwenGoBlue

November 19th, 2019 at 4:10 PM ^

A lot of valid MSU criticism and outrage gets tossed in the “used as ammo for rivalries” bucket by people who want to dismiss it. 

Actually using Nassar in this way undermines actual criticism and helps those who want to dismiss it (i.e. the MSU AD) do so. 

Joined: 04/03/2016

MGoPoints: 31534

HailHail47

November 19th, 2019 at 10:18 PM ^

Not really. If anything it brings it to the front of mind. MSU did bad and they should be reminded of it. It’s bad PR for MSU and they should want it to stop. They can make it stop by taking positive actions. 

South Park made fun of Penn State and that didn’t undermine anything. It brought attention to it. Nothing wrong with that. 

Joined: 10/07/2017

MGoPoints: 5305

Mitch Cumstein

November 19th, 2019 at 4:13 PM ^

College kids do/say dumb things. Course work isn’t the only area of learning and development. Pretty poor taste.  Hopefully, no one who saw it was seriously offended or saddened.
 

Simone was right to call them out. Hopefully, they are remorseful and learn from it.  Do better next time (Like the lower banner).

Joined: 10/02/2009

MGoPoints: 14072

4godkingandwol…

November 19th, 2019 at 4:18 PM ^

I know college kids can make some really stupid decisions, but how does a group of 50? plus students, many of whom are probably upperclassmen end up thinking this is a good idea? Was there not one voice of descent saying “hey guys, maybe this could make us look really bad. Is it really worth the risk?” 
 

at the end of the day, it’s a bad joke and the fact that no one there realized how bad is what intrigues me. 

Joined: 08/06/2008

MGoPoints: 31454