From: Grant Callaghan (grantc4@hotmail.com)
Date: Sun 19 Jan 2003 - 15:53:15 GMT
Kenneth:
>Understanding that you were to be a jerk, no intention here of course, if
>you had always be convinced that you were not, breaks down any neural
>pathway you have about the Self you are. To make room, so to speak, for the
>new info, it must be skewed in, memes have to commit suicide. It is the
>fastest way to make place for than superior memes.
The following is from a site called THE RAGE which is concerned with sports
on the Net. I think it casts some light on what you were talking about.
THE RAGE ON CONVERSATIONAL SPARRING: SMACK AND TRASH TALK
Like it or not, verbal sparring is part of just about anything remotely
resembling a sports contest. We are fed by a steady diet of obnoxious talk
shows. We must constantly endure cell phoneys strutting through airports
intentionally talking loud trying to impress upon people they don't even
know how important they must be. They really think we all want to see their
incredible "multi-tasking skills" (don't you hate that term?). With wireless
technology, we now all get to hear how some insecure CEO wannabe can ream
their employees or how they must certainly be bringing the service rep on
the other end of the phone to their knees. And then there are the countless
sports commentators grasping for the mother of all metaphors, trying
desperately to be the next Dick Vitale (for some reason). There are even a
few out-Rageous babblings on this very website. So let's talk about two
tools of "conversational competition" commonly called "smack" and "trash
talk," and see where runners might fit in.
Smack
I might be wrong, but I will go out on a limb and say that out of all the
methods of expressing one's self in the spirit of competition or just plain
verbal jousting, "smack" is spoken best. Why? Because it's short, sweet and
coming from the right person and done at the right time, timeless quotes are
often produced. You don't have to go too far to read some classics. Just
check out the 10K Truth quote page.
In short, smack can be defined as clever, eloquent and spontaneous one
liners, perfectly timed that adds fuel to competition (see full definition
in Runnerspeak). Okay, so let's set the stage for our smack example: The
game is at Lambeau Field and the temperature is a tad bit above zero. Anyone
with any appreciation for some Truth conditions, either running or playing
some good 'ol smash mouth football knows what I'm talking about…wind chill
about fifteen below, everyone blowing on their hands…sort of like getting
ready to run the 99 Steens Rim Run
O.K., back to the scenario at Lambeau…Not since the Fran Tarkenton days have
the Vikings played outdoors. The sideline heaters behind the Vikings bench
look like F-14's on full afterburner. The Packer's sideline? Several linemen
are sleeveless. In Lombardi's day, you wouldn't need an energy crisis to
keep any wussy heaters off his sideline. Anyone showing up for the Packers
training camp quickly learn this, too. Fans? An entire row of some of the
best guts in the Midwest are on proud display, protected only by the thin
layer of bratwurst grease inevitably applied during the violent intake of
four smothered with saurkraut and mustard in the parking lot. Given this
scene, imagine if you were a Packers DB trying to do anything to get into
Randy Moss' head as he breaks the huddle, blowing though his receivers
gloves. This guy is good, and if you are going to direct some smack his way
while walking back to the huddle, it'd better have some Truth behind it.
"Hey, Moss. Is that your heater they're carrying up to your boss's sky box?"
Please note that smack is not delivered in an in-your-face manner. A
respectful smacker gives the smackee an opportunity to smile and give a
little back…Moss might respond with something like, "The only thing you'd
better hope freezes in those skyboxes today is your boss's headset." Touche,
baby.
On the playing field, the most effective smack delivered is the kind that is
backed up. Some good examples are on our quotes page on this website.
Imagine the scene leading up to Shoeless Joe Jackson asking a fan "Hey
loudmouth. How do you spell triple?" I'll bet Jackson didn't need any
classless gestures standing on third base after this particular
three-bagger. Just a simple matter of fact question to the guy in the front
row who now is sinking slowly in his box seat while trying not to spill his
beer, with about 200 people within earshot all collectively thinking what an
idiot he must feel like after popping off loudly while Jackson was in the
on-deck circle. Beautiful. Or what about Muhammad Ali standing over
what's-his-name laying on the canvas and bending down to the guys face and
asking "What's my name?" <../the_quotes/ali.htm> after being sarcastically
and repeatedly called "Cassius" throughout the fight. I'll bet the guy
wished he'd never said anything. This is pure smack.
If you are like me, I usually can't think on my feet fast enough. Some of my
best one-liners are usually delivered to myself as I am driving away in my
car…long after the fact, when it's a completely moot point. But
occasionally, all of us get our big chance. The key is not choking when you
get it.
Trash Talk
Imagine a rapper without a brain. Without wit, all you have left is rhythm
and "spews." The typical fully automatic trash talk discharge usually is
interlaced with some ramblings about your athletic skills being not much
better than your (or their) mother's. Just once, I would love someone's
mother actually appear from out of the stands and make the play. I am going
to venture to guess Trash Talk all started in pro wrestling, and
metastasized from there. A loud voice is the only other prerequisite, which
usually is a given with the other previously mentioned qualifying criteria
(Hint: the Lion and Tin Man don't qualify). This might explain why there is
so much more of it while so little true smack is spoken in our world today.
Sitting next to one of these idiots at any sports contest is excruciating.
Having season tickets next to one should be a form of capital punishment.
The one safe place for both trash talk and smack in running is during
relays. If you run on our team, don't expect some gushing "you're looking
good" encouragement as your fellow team mates lean out the window as they
pass by in the van while you're hoofing up some steep hill. Typical
"encouragement" comes in the form of: "Is that all you got?" or "You can
open it up any time, now." Of course, all of this is in jest, and yes, you
do need to be careful who you are delivering it to. You also need to know
when to cool it if your runner is really hurting or might appreciate some
useful information…like where they are on their leg and how far they have
left to go.
But overall, and fortunately for our sport, most of the talking is done on
the track, trails and hills, baby. However, there are a few examples, such
as the Michael Johnson vs. Donovan Bailey 150 meter dash fiasco run a couple
of years back with the winner getting some ridiculous sum of money to end
their argument over who was the fastest, with Johnson ultimately pulling up
lame coming off the turn. More recently, we had Maurice Green and Johnson
going at it again in a season long verbal battle leading up to the Olympics
and, sadly, included both of them failing to qualify for the Olympic 200 at
the Trails. I believe this is a classic example of how two otherwise fine
competitors can get too caught up in each other and costs each of them
dearly. A 200 final with those two running at their best was something we
much would have rather seen without all the trash talk which I suspect might
have done nothing more than help distract themselves and the rest of us from
the other runners who beat them. I'll bet you can remember Green and
Johnson's names, thanks to all the hype and, yes, trash talk, right? But, in
case you have forgotten, the others are: John Capel (19.85), Floyd Heard
(19.88), Coby Miller (19.96), Berrnard Williams (20.03) and Kenneth
Brokenburr (20.33).
So, the Rage says: Keep your smack short and sweet, and remember, trash talk
can be hazardous to your heat. Just ask Green and Johnson. And that's The
Truth.
The Rage 2/24/01
The most interesting thing about trash talk and smack is that they seem to
affect a competitor's performance. In some cases, it attacks his/her
confidence and in others it provides an emotional thrust that drives the
competitor to greater effort. So although I don't especially buy the
suicide meme theory, I can see direct evidence of the self image and the
effect of memes on that self image.
In professional sports it has become an art form and it's in constant play
in American football and basketball. It became so pervasive that the NFL
made a rule against excessive "taunting" that can penalize a team up to 15
yards for the actions of an individual who goes beyond certain limits on the
field of play.
You can find a lot of information on this subject on Google if you search
"trash talk in sports."
Grant
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