I've recently begun reading a great biography on a sports icon, baseball player Ty Cobb. While he earned more Hall of Fame votes than Babe Ruth and still holds Major League records, nearly 90 years after retiring, he is not thought of fondly. His story is filled with legends and lies, which has severely damaged his legacy over the decades.
Name-calling and accusations aren't just hurtful in the here and now--they can ruin a life, even after the person is gone. The old Jewish story of the sack full of feathers is a good reminder of that. We live in an inflammatory era, where seemingly anyone can be called greedy, bigoted, homophobic, misogynistic, racist, evil, and other terrible adjectives, particularly if they are in the public eye. It makes us feel good to put people down and to discredit their accomplishments. And this spiteful rhetoric is even more pernicious when such slurs are completely unfounded. So be careful in assuming what you hear is true. Do the proper research, analyze contexts, and be objective in your assessments, whether you are doing a project for class or just learning about baseball. Here's a good summary of Cobb's story:
Name-calling and accusations aren't just hurtful in the here and now--they can ruin a life, even after the person is gone. The old Jewish story of the sack full of feathers is a good reminder of that. We live in an inflammatory era, where seemingly anyone can be called greedy, bigoted, homophobic, misogynistic, racist, evil, and other terrible adjectives, particularly if they are in the public eye. It makes us feel good to put people down and to discredit their accomplishments. And this spiteful rhetoric is even more pernicious when such slurs are completely unfounded. So be careful in assuming what you hear is true. Do the proper research, analyze contexts, and be objective in your assessments, whether you are doing a project for class or just learning about baseball. Here's a good summary of Cobb's story: