Sunday, January 15, 2012

Noted in passing

Just an observation, based on what I see from social media (Facebook and Twitter):

I have a number of friends and people I follow on Twitter who are from Chicago area. Many of this number are Bears fans. Not one has indulged in any schadenfreude concerning what happened to the Packers today. In fact, on my Facebook feed, the Bears fans have been quite respectful.

On the other hand, I've seen at least a dozen "ha ha the Packers suck" and "the cheese is melting" comments from various Minnesota-based correspondents. I'm not sure what that means, or if you can draw any conclusions from it. But I find it quite interesting.

12 comments:

W.B. Picklesworth said...

0 for 50 gets a little discouraging and you've got to find your joy somewhere.

Gino said...

its beef sandwhiches that make us feel good about life in general.

Brad Carlson said...

I always enjoy when the Packers lose but to say "Packers suck" is juvenile.

I'm intellectually honest enough to say that the Pack had a great season and is still built for the long haul. And when they have success (like winning it all last year) I acknowledge it and give GB credit where its due.

NFL fans in general are a fascinating study in human behavior. Many can't bear to acknowledge a team's success if it's not their favorite club.

Mr. D said...

I always enjoy when the Packers lose

See, that's what I don't get. I don't take any particular enjoyment in seeing the Vikings lose. I want my team to win, always, but there's no joy in seeing someone else fail. Even when I lived in Chicago and was surrounded by braying Bears fans, I didn't see any point in enjoying it. I still don't.

Brad Carlson said...

My enjoyment in GB losing mainly stems from my WI realtives who are so insufferable when the Pack wins.

Nothing is more pathetic then people who are so braggadocios when their favorite sports team wins that they act like they themselves have accomplished something. Granted, those people are fun to mock, but it's equally enjoyable when the air is sucked out their proverbial ego balloon.

Mr. D said...

I get that, but I say this sincerely -- I will be the first to congratulate the Vikings, and their fans, when they do win a championship, and I think they will someday. Joy in the misery of others diminishes everyone involved.

Gino said...

for me, its like this:
i cheer whoever is playing the Packers. so, when they lose, my team for that game has won. that would make me happy.

when the Packers win, i'm happy that my Cheesehead freinds are happy, and wait (sometimes very patiently...) for the day when its the Bears who make them unhappy again.

its just football. its not personal. and i enjoy the rivalry.

my name is Amanda said...

I only have one Bears fan friend on FB, and he was vocal about his glee. I wasn't vocal, but my feelings were the exact same. Too many years of putting up with negative, nasty comments from all the co-worker/school acquaintance/friend Packers fans who live their entire adult lives in Minnesota, and still want to bad-mouth the home team every chance they get! It seems that you, Mr. D, are one of the good Packers fans who aren't like that. But suffice it to say, I'm amused and thrilled that the Packers lost in the playoffs, especially after such a remarkable season. (And I am perfectly fine with anybody calling those feelings immature.) I mean c'mon - you won a Superbowl last year! The Vikings don't even have a decent quarterback. (Oh, and as Packers fans LOVE to tell me, *have never won a Superbowl* either.) Why not let their fans have a backwards victory? It's still not as sweet as a real one.

Mr. D said...

Amanda,

I realize that I hold a minority view on this one. I don't much like schadenfreude and think it's corrosive, although I'll admit I understand the temptation and haven't always been 100% pure on the issue myself.

Night Writer said...

I admit it was amusing to watch the Packers fall apart, and I wondered if the "Lambeau Leaps" would be from the top deck of the stadium, but didn't bother to wait around for the end of the game to find out.

In general, though, I refrained from mooning Packer fans in their comment sections or on FB, with the exception of a couple of people who have been over-the-top in not just celebrating their team but dissing others. Those few did get a few bars of the "Schadenfreude Polka", but relatively gently.

Look, we all know that life is short. Even so, the chances are most of us will see several more games and seasons. There is no "game to end all games" so you have to expect the worms to turn. Today's strut may be ruined by tomorrow's torn ACL so, as with the rest of my life, I try to adere to Micah 6:8's dictum of "acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly (with your team)".

Gino said...

on the brighter side for cheeseheads: your team made history again this year.

'15-1 and done' has never before been accomplished.

and you got jerry angelo fired. the word is the McCaskeys were upset about the depth comparisons tween the two teams, and losing four straight within 12 months was too much to bear.

LearnedFoot said...

Particularly this year, Bear and Viking fans talking smack about the Packers losing is kind of like the jackwagon WR that does an elaborate celebration after scoring a TD to bring his team within 21 during garbage time.

No. It's exactly like that.