Oh hey

[Lysander]

Well, as you can tell, I am new here. I was searching along and somehow stumbled upon this lovely site

I am not an average 14 year old. I own nearly 3000 books, read the NY times, maintain a straight-faced intellectual outlook, am an atheist, very well-versed in the U.S. Constitution and, as you may have guessed, don't play any sport whatsoever. This, as one may guess, put me on the bottom end of the school food chain, but somehow i maintain a grip while attempting to fight stupidity.

The eighth grade right now is like a little slice of hell. Especially in the Bible Belt. Everyone here worships their own little sports star. It's as if Tim Tebow was crucified instead of Christ. Everyone is a christian, a boy scout, an anti-intellectual in their own way. I have been alienated, bullied, bitched at, nitpicked, questioned, and had a bona fide Spanish inquisition. I have 3 friends, all of which are like minded fellows. I also am happy i was born in to a family of tolerant folks, who don't care if i don't play the almighty football. I just came here to vent a little, i will do so more often as more shit happens in my life - thank you for this site
-lysander

[Earl]

Welcome, Lysander! Thanks for joining the forum! Feel free to vent all you want.

[Fat Man]

Well, as you can tell, I am new here. I was searching along and somehow stumbled upon this lovely site

I am not an average 14 year old. I own nearly 3000 books, read the NY times, maintain a straight-faced intellectual outlook, am an atheist, very well-versed in the U.S. Constitution and, as you may have guessed, don't play any sport whatsoever. This, as one may guess, put me on the bottom end of the school food chain, but somehow i maintain a grip while attempting to fight stupidity.

The eighth grade right now is like a little slice of hell. Especially in the Bible Belt. Everyone here worships their own little sports star. It's as if Tim Tebow was crucified instead of Christ. Everyone is a christian, a boy scout, an anti-intellectual in their own way. I have been alienated, bullied, bitched at, nitpicked, questioned, and had a bona fide Spanish inquisition. I have 3 friends, all of which are like minded fellows. I also am happy i was born in to a family of tolerant folks, who don't care if i don't play the almighty football. I just came here to vent a little, i will do so more often as more shit happens in my life - thank you for this site
-lysander

Hello there Lysander.

Let me be among the first to welcome you to our Anti-sports Forum.

I'm 58 years old, and I was born up north in the North Woods Area of the state of Minnesota. I was 13 years old when our family moved down to New Mexico. I'm presently residing here in El Paso Texas, a redneck town where the top city officials lay down with barnyard animals and their siblings.

Yeah, I'm rude and cynical. I'm a big fat bitch!!!

School was also a living Hell for me.

My mother taught me how to read and write before I even started school. By the time I was only in the 3rd grade I was already reading at high school and adult level and at the age of 13, I scored 150 points on a standard IQ test.

Science has always been my favorite subject, especially Astronomy.

I know exactly what you mean by an Inquisition!

I was lousy at sports. At the age of 4, I fell out of a car and busted my left knee on the pavement, so as a kid, I could not run and I walked with a limp because of my crippled up left knee.

The first time I was suspended from school was when I was in the 4th grade. I got suspended because I failed to climb a stupid rope in the gymnasium.

Never mind that I was doing well in all of my academic subjects, and never mind that I had a crippled left knee. That was no excuse! So I got suspended.

I could go on and on about the years of Hell I went through in our great American educational system, but it's getting late.

I'm not an atheist, I'm in the process of converting to Judaism and I go to a reform synagogue on Shabbot, Saturday mornings.

But, it's OK to be an atheist. I understand atheism. That's cool with me.

As for me, I have always admired the Jewish culture because most Jews place a much higher emphasis on education, on academics, instead of sports. My Rabbi supports science, and he's against all attempts by the religious right to force creationism into school sciences classes. He says that science and religion should remain separate endeavors. Back in February of 2009 on Shabbot, we even honored the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin.

So, although I believe there's a God, I'm also an evolutionist.

You know, it's really a damn shame that in our schools, being an intellectual puts one at the "bottom of the food chain" while football playing monkey-boys who's collective IQs are greatly exceeded by their shoe sizes are socially at the Top O' The Heap.

This really sucks out loud on all four cylinders!!!

Ah! But what can you expect? Silver and gold, platinum and precious gems, all sink to the bottom while scum floats on top!

Well, it's getting late, and I need to log some sack time.

Once again, a big fat welcome from the Fat Man to our forum.

Welcome aboard!

[i_like_1981]

Well, as you can tell, I am new here. I was searching along and somehow stumbled upon this lovely site

I am not an average 14 year old. I own nearly 3000 books, read the NY times, maintain a straight-faced intellectual outlook, am an atheist, very well-versed in the U.S. Constitution and, as you may have guessed, don't play any sport whatsoever. This, as one may guess, put me on the bottom end of the school food chain, but somehow i maintain a grip while attempting to fight stupidity.

The eighth grade right now is like a little slice of hell. Especially in the Bible Belt. Everyone here worships their own little sports star. It's as if Tim Tebow was crucified instead of Christ. Everyone is a christian, a boy scout, an anti-intellectual in their own way. I have been alienated, bullied, bitched at, nitpicked, questioned, and had a bona fide Spanish inquisition. I have 3 friends, all of which are like minded fellows. I also am happy i was born in to a family of tolerant folks, who don't care if i don't play the almighty football. I just came here to vent a little, i will do so more often as more shit happens in my life - thank you for this site
-lysander

Hello, lysander, and welcome to the forums. Glad to see another sports hating member join us. I understand perfectly how you feel about being excluded at school - not much more than a decade ago, the same things were happening to me. I was subjected to the odd brutal beating by the bullies at my school - I had the misfortune of growing up in inner-city London where everything is rough and crime is high. It is one of the worst areas for knife crime in the world, I think. But I'm no longer there anymore - no, I'm up north now and everything is better. Don't worry - I know how you feel. 14 years ago I had my head flushed down the toilet by several of my tormentors in the bullying ritual known as a "swirlie". I was just using the toilet, minding my own business, when suddenly three or four people who were roughing me up came in for a smoke and saw their taunt victim standing on his own in an ideal place for a beating. I tried to escape and even kicked one of the bullies as hard as I could in the testicles in a hope of flattening him and being able to escape - but as he played rugby for the school team, he was wearing some sort of a cup which withstood my blow. Basically I was pretty screwed. I was dealt a sharp blow to the solar plexus which whisked my breath away and knocked me onto my knees and was grabbed by the back of my shirt, picked up and slammed head-first into the toilet of a cubicle six feet away which someone had urinated in and not flushed. The whole thing lasted about 40 seconds but when they left I was sat there crying, bleeding from the blow my head had taken being smacked into the ceramic bowl, close to vomiting from having my head immersed in urine-filled water and extremely humiliated. It was awful. There is more I could tell you, lysander, but I just want to assure you that you are not alone. Hell, being an academic is far better than just following the mindless crowd. It shows you are a free thinker, a man who is prepared to go his own way in life and does not have to live through the achievements of some sweaty men in tights who you'll never meet anyway. Feel free to come back here as much as you want. We need all tne new members we can get.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[Earl]

Hi, Lysander. My adolescence wasnâ??t exactly the best time of my life either; so, believe me, I know how you feel. Youâ??ll receive a sympathetic hearing in this forum.

All of us, including yours truly (and Iâ??m 59 years old), need role models to inspire us, especially when we're discouraged. Since you undoubtedly read a lot, you may have already heard of Raoul Wallenberg, who was one of the greatest heroes of World War II -- even though he wasnâ??t even a soldier, as he was a citizen of a neutral country. (Several members of this forum might be groaning inwardly, since Iâ??ve previously mentioned Wallenberg in posts many times.) Instead of writing a lengthy post about this manâ??s great heroism, Iâ??ve chosen instead to post a link to the en.wikipedia.org article about him. I would have attempted to copy and paste the text of the article; but I didnâ??t know how to attach the eleven photos that accompany the article, which I urge you to read. (For further reading, you might want to do a Google search on â??Raoul Wallenbergâ? and visit some of the websites that are listed; and, of course, a number of Wallenberg biographies are also available.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Wallenberg

Now, you may be wondering why Iâ??ve mentioned Wallenberg. Iâ??ve mentioned him because he was a sports hater! Since youâ??re intellectually inclined, I shall provide proof of my claim. The following is a quotation from page 27 of Righteous Gentile (subtitled The Story of Raoul Wallenberg, Missing Hero of the Holocaust), which was written by John Bierman and published in 1981. Two other individuals are mentioned in this quotation by name, whom I shall identify now. At the time Bierman wrote this biography, Gustav von Platen was the editor of the daily paper Svenska Dagbladet (p. 27). Nina Lagergren was Wallenberg's half-sister (p. 20). Here's the quotation:

Von Platen remembers Wallenberg "not as a particularly dashing type of person -- more of a dreamer," and this is the recollection of everyone who knew him at the time. Nina Lagergren confirms this: "He was definitely not the square-jawed hero type, more an anti-hero, I should say. He detested competitive sports and team games (my italics), though he kept himself physically fit, and while he was not a military type he was considered a first-class officer in the Home Guard [Sweden's reserve citizens' army]. He had a great gift, too, for irony and self-mockery, behind which he used to hide his true feelings."

So, the next time some guy puts you down for not liking sports, just remember Wallenberg and think to yourself that the jerk whoâ??s trying to put you down will never be the real man Wallenberg was. Morally speaking, he'll just be a wimp (unless he changes and grows up). (And Iâ??m sure youâ??re aware that there are many other nonathletic men who have made great contributions to mankind.) I just thought this might encourage you.

Earl

[Earl]

Hey, i_like_1981, did you notice what year that Wallenberg biography was published?

[Fat Man]

I'm getting so sick and tired of how these jocks can go around harassing everybody else and getting away with it.

I think the Government should step in and regulate sporting equipment just like guns are regulated.

For example:

You go into a sporting goods store and you purchase a brand new football for $30 dollars. Then you should have to register it just as you would need to register a gun, and the registration fee should be twice the value of the football, and then a $100 dollar state tax plus a $200 dollar federal tax for a total cost of $390 dollars for a $30 dollar football. Before you have made the purchase of the football, you should be photographed and fingerprinted.

Then, if after 5 years you have not committed any crimes, like assault on another person, the registration fee will be refunded, and after another 5 years without incident, than half of the state tax and half of the federal tax will be refunded back to you.

So another words, after buying a football, or any sporting equipment such as helmets and jerseys, etc. etc. you had better be on your best behavior for 10 years.

But if you bully anybody around, or assault anyone during your 10 year probation, then you'll be subject to immediate arrest and sentenced to life in prison, or for rape, the death penalty.

I believe that this new law should be on the statute books for 200 years.

Then, after that time, if there has been no more bullying in our schools and if the quality of education in our schools has improved, then that law will be repealed.

This is what needs to be done to put a stop to the bullying in our schools and to put an end to crimes committed by professional athletes such as rape.

Does this sound Fascist?

You betcha!!!

Yeah! I'm a bitch! I'm a great big fat bitch!!!

I'm also in a bad mood!

OK, I'm just kidding about this law, because I know it would never pass.

But something has to be done about the bullying in our schools and the rapes committed by professional athletes.

How about if we just enforce the laws we already have against assault and battery and rape by NOT letting these monkey-boys get off with just a slap on the wrist.

[i_like_1981]

Hey, i_like_1981, did you notice what year that Wallenberg biography was published?

How could I have missed it? Any reference whatsoever to that year is enough to make me spring into action. Putting those four digits together in that order is enough to warrant a swift response to any topic from me! Anyways, you make good points about Wallenberg. Sports have absolutely no bearing on true heroism. True heroism is standing up for what you believe in and devoting your life to making it happen - kicking a ball around and running round a field makes no difference to the world on the grand scale of things. Sports are just meagre entertainment - they're not the be-all and end-all. If the sheep want their sports, they can have them, just don't raise them to the status of religion and patriotism. Those two things are judged in other ways than sports.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[Lewis]

Well, as you can tell, I am new here. I was searching along and somehow stumbled upon this lovely site

I am not an average 14 year old. I own nearly 3000 books, read the NY times, maintain a straight-faced intellectual outlook, am an atheist, very well-versed in the U.S. Constitution and, as you may have guessed, don't play any sport whatsoever. This, as one may guess, put me on the bottom end of the school food chain, but somehow i maintain a grip while attempting to fight stupidity.

The eighth grade right now is like a little slice of hell. Especially in the Bible Belt. Everyone here worships their own little sports star. It's as if Tim Tebow was crucified instead of Christ. Everyone is a christian, a boy scout, an anti-intellectual in their own way. I have been alienated, bullied, bitched at, nitpicked, questioned, and had a bona fide Spanish inquisition. I have 3 friends, all of which are like minded fellows. I also am happy i was born in to a family of tolerant folks, who don't care if i don't play the almighty football. I just came here to vent a little, i will do so more often as more shit happens in my life - thank you for this site
-lysander

Hello and welcome Lysander! I hope you enjoy it here.

[Lewis]

Hey, i_like_1981, did you notice what year that Wallenberg biography was published?

How could I have missed it? Any reference whatsoever to that year is enough to make me spring into action. Putting those four digits together in that order is enough to warrant a swift response to any topic from me! Anyways, you make good points about Wallenberg. Sports have absolutely no bearing on true heroism. True heroism is standing up for what you believe in and devoting your life to making it happen - kicking a ball around and running round a field makes no difference to the world on the grand scale of things. Sports are just meagre entertainment - they're not the be-all and end-all. If the sheep want their sports, they can have them, just don't raise them to the status of religion and patriotism. Those two things are judged in other ways than sports.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

Are you an Ashes to Ashes fan 1981?

[i_like_1981]

How on Earth did you guess that Lewis? Yes I am.

The first series was set in 1981... my favourite year. Yep, back in February 2008, just realising that fact was enough for me to flick my TV on every Thursday night and tune into the whole series. Unfortunately I didn't think it was as good as Life on Mars... the series seemed to lack the brutal, sarcastic and gritty edge of the original series from which it came and yes, the whole time travel theme was no longer an original idea. I enjoyed it for the on-screen depiction of the lavish and seedy London of 1981 and of course, plenty of 80's hits which I love (I own the soundtrack CDs for both series) but it seemed to lack something Life on Mars had. The chemistry between Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt seemed better than that between Alex Drake and Hunt in the spin-off series. Oh yes, and I also like The Sweeney, which Life on Mars was strongly based on - those two shows seemed a bit more tough and sharp than Ashes to Ashes' first series did. Perhaps it was something to do with the 70's when political correctness was a real rarity, as is very much shown to effect in Life on Mars with some of the stuff coming out of Gene Hunt's mouth. Truly classic dialogue. Modern music has gone down the pan but modern TV continues to churn out its greats. Life on Mars was a prime example of that.

But the second series of A2A was better... 1982 proved to give more satisfying on-screen results than 1981, as much as it pains me to admit that. The toughness and black humour of Life on Mars felt present again. It made my summer, that did. And the ending to Series 2's last episode was all... very surprising. It left me hungering for a third series, which shall be coming out this year. Answers to the big questions shall be given, Lewis, such as who Gene Hunt really is. I shall definitely be tuning in, and I gather you will be too. I can't wait.

Good to see another fan of Ashes to Ashes on here!

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[greencom]

I'm getting so sick and tired of how these jocks can go around harassing everybody else and getting away with it.
I think the Government should step in and regulate sporting equipment just like guns are regulated.
letting these monkey-boys get off with just a slap on the wrist.

You know I agree with you Fatman but I've learned to face the fact that 98 % plus of the American people are sheeple and treat sports like a necessary commodity like food and water so things like your plan will never come to pass, people will always view sports as manna from heaven . Non sports people will always be shunned and abused , it stinks and it's unfair but we live in a society that is becoming increasingly anti-intellectual . Don't let the idiots win by playing into their hands big guy, sit back and try to surround yourself with the things you love in life, you are not alone, there's lots of people who hate sports like us, it's just that we're not sheep and that's rare. It reminds me of the old Soviet Union when you were considered insane if you did not believe in the system so they sent you away, it's just as bad here when it comes to sports.
Greencom

[abitagirl]

I'd be happy if people would just quit treating these muscleheads as though they were above the law just because they can throw a ball. Same with other celebrities, in fact. It's pretty scary how shallow society has become.

By the way, welcome!

[Ray]

It's as if Tim Tebow was crucified instead of Christ.

I know what you mean! I thought my cousins kept talking about TIVO! I wasn't getting it until I eventually figured it out. They are crazy about him! (He's a football player for a Florida team, I forget the name.)

Oh welcome and thanks for stopping by.