News-Record.com

Joe is absolutely right. It happens everyday everywhere. The only difference now is the media needs viewers/readers and the race issue is bigger than ever--especially here in Guilford County. Had all whites been beating the hell out of all whites or blacks kicking some black bootie, it would be NO big damn deal. But because folks like Skip and Deena want you to think that everything is based on hate/race crimes the media jumps all over this and explodes it into a near Duke diseaster. It makes me sick.

This is so over and done with. Get over it Allen.

How Skip and Deena became part of this equation, I'm not sure.
But I'll remind you that two of the alleged assailants in the Guilford case are black.

Joe's certainly right in some respects.

I don't understand what's up with N. Carolina.
It's like all of a sudden we've become this large crucible of metaphor for the whole country and all these larger cultural issues of the day.

It seemed to start off with American Idol, then Duke and now Guilford college. All these cultural things that are really bellweathers for the whole culture.

I've only lived here ten years, but I don't think, when compared to other southern states N. Carolina is some type of bastion of racism. Not compared to a lot of the other states furthur south. I mean, I guess there was the Wilmington incident and of course there is KKK, and the CWP battle of '79. And there was the Woolworth's sit-in.

I guess there is a precedent for this, but why?
Is it because NC is sort of in the middle between north & south????? Is it just coincidence?

So, it's no big deal when fights occur on a campus affiliated with pacifists; when the number of alleged attackers is so lop-sided to the alleged victims; when that larger group of students, by and large, happen to play a rather aggressive, some might say brutal, sport; and last but not least, the smaller group involved is Palestinian in an era, post-9/11, when incidences of bigoted behavior toward Muslims is nearing all-time highs.

Ostriches. Like Germany in the late 1920s.

I like your barrage of questioned incidents, though, Skeet. Maybe there is some great divide mentality around. Of course, many of the alleged pugilistic football players are likely from other regions. I think the line is more East/West than North/South.

Allen, sorry about my delay in responding to this post. I must have overlooked it inadvertently with the busyness of the last several days.

The statement you quoted was based on my assessment, based on statements from the news reports at that time, that the injuries sustained did not appear to be major trauma. Yes, there were injuries, but not of the type that ordinarily would lead to banner headlines.

Also, my post reflects misgivings I share with some others in conservative circles regarding hate crime laws.

What happened in the course of this incident was awful regardless of the intent of those on the athletic team. Someone (or more than one) should be subject to criminal charges-- I do not know who-- regardless of the intent.

Thanks for the response, Joe. I appreciate your questions about the tricky semantics of "hate crime" laws. I just thought to greet this event with a response that such episodes happen all the time seemed harsh to me.