The divided, confused, betrayed American public owes a debt of gratitude to the National Pastime this morning, and not for the first time. The stirring World Series win by the Chicago Cubs in Cleveland, and the joyous celebration afterwards, is exactly what this besieged and angry republic needed.
Well, that and a competent and respectable Presidential candidate to vote for, but you can’t have everything.
On social media, however, one was reminded why we have such miserable options to lead the country: ignoramuses. For during the game, multiple social justice warriors, doubtless confused because no players protested the National Anthem during the game, took to Twitter to exclaim that there was a Klu Klux Klan sign at the World Series!
Morons.
Some thoughts:
1. Here is yet another life competence and cultural literacy tip: Learn the basics about the major sports and games central to your nation’s history and culture. “K” is the baseball scoring symbol for a strike-out ( a backwards K means a called, as opposed to swinging strike three). When Washington’s Max Scherzer tied the all-time strike-out record this season, there was a row of 20 Ks in the stadium. ARGGHHH! IT’S THE SUPER KLU KLUX KLAN!!!
2. Eight years of relentless racial grievance-hustling and exploited race conflicts, real and imagined, have rendered significant numbers of people inclined to see racism everywhere. The country was like that about Communism in the Fifties. It is not a healthy state of mind
3. The old adage is “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” (It was not said by Mark Twain or Abe Lincoln.) Twitter requires an updated version, which could be called “The Trump’s Maxim,” not because he would ever say it, but because it needs to be said to him:
“It’s bad enough to shoot off your mouth when you don’t know what you’re talking about, but to do so on Twitter, where your stupidity can infect millions, is inexcusable.”
_______________________
Pointer: Mediaite
Ethics Alarms 
Good post! I do follow baseball, so this is just hilarious to me, actually. I assume many non-fans (ignorant of the game) did tune in. But better, as you said, to keep one’s mouth shut if you aren’t absolutely sure of what you’re talking about. It is tantamount to me talking about referee calls at the Super Bowl: I do not follow football and never have. So I likely won’t watch the Super Bowl and if I’m forced to,certainly won’t make comments — electronically or otherwise.
It was a good game. I was pulling for the Indians but basically knew deep down I was just trying to be contrarian and that the Cubs would win. Congrats to both teams, they’re both winners and champions, even if the Cubs have the title.
When the goal is to create a belief that racism is why someone should do this or do that then you cannot call them morons who shoot their mouths off without knowing what they are talking about. These people know what they are doing and using every opportunity create animus between groups. It’s designed to get african americans to get out to vote. This is the MO of the the radical progressive movement. You have to remind people of a problem whether it is one or not if you want to gain voters to advance your agenda.
This is just one more way to sow division.
On an aside: Injecting Trump into this post was actually irrelevant or at least unnecessary.
It was necessary for me. Remember, the underlying point was that baseball stands for values and national unity. Moreover, the post involved Twitter, Trump’s communication medium of choice. He is, in fact, the main offender in Twitter abuse.
So it was also relevant.
Also, there are more than one brand of morons. Only a moron can’t see that tugging on the frayed bonds that hold this diverse society together isn’t suicidal.
And you are giving the tweeters too much credit. Most of them are just unfamiliar with the K tradition.
When I saw the banner I knew the Ks reflected strike outs. I understand how using a benign baseball scoring method to make a false claim would rub a baseball fan the wrong way. I feel the same way. Trying to create a blemish on the national pastime is unethical irrespective of the motivation
Nonetheless, twitter and other social media methods are tools for reckless and unethical purveyors of disinformation to manipulate large groups of people who are ignorant with respect to baseball scoring methods but highly sensitive to claims of racism.
Psychology and marketing sciences have turned elections into experiments into mind control. No I am not giving them too much credit.
My point about Trump is that he is not involved in this issue and injecting him into this claim was unwarranted. Trump is not the only one using Twitter to engage in hyperbole and misinformation. Robbie Mook, Joe Biden, David Axelrod, etc also come to mind.
Trump is not the only one using Twitter to engage in hyperbole and misinformation.
Rationalization #1
Didn’t know about the KKK problem. Hilarious.
Two fan ethics questions:
1. Massive amounts of Indians fans appear (sound?) to have sold their tickets to Cubs fans. The games in Cleveland might as well have been a home game for the Cubs. The median price for tickets was evidently around two or three thousand dollars on the secondary market. A good thing for Clevelanders to do? Sell their tickets for a profit and watch the game on TV? But perhaps many of those tickets are purchased by brokers for re-sale all season long.
2. In the first two games, a smirky, yuppie-looking Cleveland fan sat in the first row right in the line of sight of the camera that showed right handed hitters from the approximate location of the visitors dug out. He’d hold up one of two signs that were gratuitously obnoxious (“Cubs are chokers”), knowing full well the network camera was getting an extended eye full. I think it went on for both of the first two games. He wasn’t in evidence the last two games. Shouldn’t the Indians have told him to cut it out? The network? The guy struck me as a Fick. Maybe you’ve posted on this before regarding the famous semi-professional jerk who goes to Wizards (or 76ers) games and heckles the players and refs.
Ever since the very first time I noticed fans hanging those big “K”‘s in ballparks to mark a pitcher’s performance, decades ago (but I can’t remember exactly when they started – was it with Mets fans?), I wondered: “When will the race-based pathological pettiness in this country catch up with a “3-K” display, and force all hell to break loose about nothing?”
Isn’t this reaction to “K” displays related to the Niggardly Principles?
(Sorry – I know I need to review the list. I should do it every day.)
I am frankly surprised that the outrage industry didn’t stink-up all major media about such a display – decades before Twitter and such – and force a ban on such. Maybe that stink already did happen, and fell on more patient and forgiving and reasonable ears, and somebody will share a link.
CUBS WIN! That was a GREAT World Series.
Next, the hearing impaired advocates will be outraged at those guys standing next to third base for no apparent reason mocking signers before every pitch.
As a hearing-impaired senior citizen, and sometimes advocate, I have no problems with the third base coach passing signs on to the batter, even if it does make him look like a chimpanzee with hives.
Chuckle.
Good quips, OB and dragon! I am already surprised that there either hasn’t been – or, has been, but with very little media coverage – an attempt to ban the “running of the Presidents” at Washington Nationals games. Well, that’s what I call it: the three or four people costumed in those oversized “mascot” shells that look like props stolen from some aborted New Year’s Day parade float, doing a lap on the field. All portrayed are white guys – RACIST! (and soon to be SEXIST, too!) At least one of those “presidents” that I had seen running was a racist – MORE RACIST!
You do know that signs were invested for Dummy Hoy, a deaf major leaguer in the 20’s, right? Before him, the coaches used to just yell at the batters.
Baseball lore. Can’t beat it with a stick. Surprised he wasn’t called Squeaky or Deffy since he could talk and was purportedly the smartest player in baseball.. His association with signs is evidently apochryphal.
Nonono. It’s not. I’ve been contacted by a group trying to get him into the Hall of Fame, and their evidence is substantial.
Of course, I should have known. I was just repeating the wiki article.
What DO you do in your spare time?
He used to have a theatre… Tee hee. WHAT spare time? He walks Rugby, maybe? Endures TSA pat-downs?
I don’t know about Rugby… assume a dog? But the question of Marshall’s spare time might be a fun line of inquiry and/or supposition. Only one thing: I think we can safely assume that Marshall is a TSA “Known Traveler” so doesn’t have to endure pat-downs. Would he have it any other way? Other than that: assuming ProEthics is a going concern, what free time would he have between that and answering everyone on this blog every day? I’m open to suggestions.