As a USC Trojan there are many things to hate about the Domers. Each of us has our personal favorites, but virtually all of the specific things we hate about ND point to one thing in particular: the “Irish” holier-than-thou self-righteousness.It wouldn’t be so bad if the origins of this smugness were based only in football. Certainly, there is a lot to make ND feel competent in terms tradition on the gridiron. The football part of it deserves some respect, if for no other reason than our victories over the “Irish” help to propel USC’s national status. But it’s the other element of ND Nation that fully deserves our hate.
You know what I’m talking about … the self-absorbed arrogance, the pious ethics by convenience and the blind hypocrisy that make “Irish” fans believe that ND is “God’s Team.” It’s sickening, really.
Having benefited from the freedom of thought that comes from a non-denominational education at USC, Trojan alumni recognize and understand the psychology of ND’s self-importance, duplicity and belief system that fuel its holier-than-thou attitude.
We understand how a smug institutional philosophy enables fans to think that God plays favorites on the gridiron. We understand how “Irish” pomposity can beget the pseudo-ethics that result in miraculous “100 percent” graduation rates year after year. We understand how ND’s belief system, pervasive in other institutions throughout the U.S., can create a national following of vulgar “Irish” “fans” who don’t respect the game of college football and couldn’t identify South Bend on a map. (Please heed a language warning on these last two links.)
All this, as we already know, fuels the Domer Hype Machine, the subway alumni and the east coast bias that help to perpetuate the belief that ND is pre-ordained to win football games.
USC Trojans understand all this, and we see it for what it is …
We see Charlie Weis saying stupid stuff.
We see ND losing to Michigan at home by 26 and to Ohio State by 14 after preparing for more than a month.
We see Tyrone Willingham getting fired three years into a five year contract, while Weis gets a 10-year extension after seven games … with a 5-2 record, no less.
We see the “Irish” losing their last eight bowl games to produce an all-time losing record in bowl appearances at 13-14.
We see ND pretending that NCAA violations and criminal activity never happen in its glass house.
And the list goes on and on and on …
It is true that USC is not perfect, but we don’t claim to be or act like we are. We aren’t pompous, arrogant or sanctimonious enough to be that hypocritical. We aren’t stupid enough to insult our own intelligence or fool ourselves into believing half-truths. In other words, USC doesn’t have a holier-than-thou attitude.
Notre Dame on the other hand … well, this is where we profess our respect for the history and tradition of our inter-sectional rivalry and wish the “Irish” a good game.
Then again, ND stands between USC and a berth in the national championship game, which is more than enough reason to call out the “Irish” for all their self-righteous holier-than-thou smugness … and simply let the hate flow.
Fight On! Beat the “Irish”!
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5 comments:
And who is Notre Dame to call for people's heads when they break the law. At least at USC, the NFL agents that pay the players have the balls to thumb their noses at the NCAA.
"Having benefited from the freedom of thought that comes from a non-denominational education at USC..."
This line is a real giggle-inducer. Having studied philosophy, theology, and history at both secular and religious institutions, I've noticed that folks who enjoy taking swipes at religion and religious education never fail to include the little self-congratulatory adjective "free" in their self-evaluation of their own thinking and reasoning, while seemingly blissfully unaware of their own positivist and/or anti-religious assumptions.
If you wish to denigrate Notre Dame as an academic institution, you may want to pick another line of attack.
jerry,
I respect your opinion, since you "studied philosophy, theology, and history at both secular and religious institutions." I am open to your view.
But, let's be clear ... I'm not anti-religion, only anti-hypocrisy. If you think otherwise, that's an assumption you make.
Again:
"Having benefited from the freedom of thought that comes from a non-denominational education at USC..."
How on earth do you convince yourself that the above statement (made by you) is actually an "anti-hypocrisy" statement instead of an anti-religious, or more accurately, anti-denominational slight? There was no "assumption" on my part; I merely read your own words back to you. If you had left out the "non-denominational" phrase, you might be able to mount a credible defense; however, the inclusion of that little nugget leaves you with no believable escape route.
You are entitled to your biases, but please do not insult me by trying to claim that the above comment is "anti-hypocrisy" instead of a repackaging of the prevalent nonsense that religious affiliation prevents free intellectual inquiry and analysis while non-affiliation promotes it.
Congratulations on USC's victory Sat. night, and good luck on Jan. 8...
jerry,
You are right. Perhaps I made an assumption. I assumed that you actually read this post in its entirety and were capable of seeing this line, which you've quoted twice, within the context of this post.
If you don't recognize that there is a difference between subscribing to a religion and tying the outcome of football games to your chosen religion, then let's not waste each other's time.
If you want to take a section of a sentence I wrote as part of a blog post about college football and turn it into a statement of anti-religion or anti-demonination, I suppose that's fine. But, you are missing the point.
This post is my take on my blog about the hypocritical elements of Notre Dame football.
If you are offended in any way by that section of a sentence within the larger context of a post I wrote ... tough cookies.
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