The ucla bruin Instinct

As we’ve stated here before, it is important to know thy enemy. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we must always engage in debate with our enemies, especially when they don’t want any.

But, we should know what they’re up to at all times, if for no other reason than the comedic value and general entertainment it provides us. Besides, you never know when they'll do something stupid, however frequently that may be.

Such is the case with the bruin “nation,” which continues to show a proclivity for attacking its own.

As it turns out, this ugla instinct is true to the nature of actual bruin bears, which -- according to at least one hunting Web site -- attack their own in the wild as a way of “population control.” An entry on “Calling and Hunting Bears” tells us that "adult male bears will kill cubs if given the chance ..." But, I digress …

Sure, we’re used to seeing the “nation” personally attack its head football coach and anyone else (especially fellow bruins) who don’t subscribe to its narrow points of view. But, last week, Nestor -- no, I will not post his real name again -- and his clan decided to attack a young bruin cub named Ben Azar, an ugla student who writes for the Daily Bruin.

Azar’s offense? He dared to disagree with dumpdorrell.com:

The dumpdorrell.com Web site has criticized Dorrell for every reason imaginable, including poor in-game coaching, failure to take responsibility, inability to recruit and insincerity. It makes some ridiculously baseless, LaRouche-like assertions that should serve as red flags to the people that actually put stock in the Web site. One assertion that really has me chuckling is that the assistant coaches that have left have mostly been forced out by Dorrell, who is using them as scapegoats to deflect responsibility from his “horrible” beginning as a head coach.

It won’t happen, but let’s say this movement actually got what it wanted and a new head coach was hired for this season. How ludicrous would it be to implement a new system and revamp the whole program in a season where they are prepared to be an elite team? It would make a rebuilding year out of what should be a great year for the program.

True to their nature, the bruin “nation” and dumpdorrell.com sought to discredit Azar -- as if an amateur journalist for the ugla student newspaper requires discrediting -- by pointing out and inflating the kid’s questionable reference to Lyndon Larouche.

The assclowns over at Daily Bootlickers are now comparing Dorrell critics over at DD to a known anti-semite and fascist. […]

That is, of course, just uncalled for on the part of these amateuer [sic] idiots at the Daily Bootlicker. Keep in mind though that this is not something new coming out from this so-called joke of a sports section from UCLA's student newspaper.

This from Nestor, who thought it appropriate to compare the buzz about USC “basketball” to opinions about the Iraq War and weapons of mass destruction. As much as Nestor protests the Larouche reference, perhaps the hullabaloo over the "accusation" is designed to distract from the other adjectives Azar used to accurately describe the dumpdorrell "movement": "ridiculously baseless" ... "red flags" ... "has me chuckling" ..."ludicrous."

Not to be outdone, dumpdorrell.com gives us this “not at all verbatim” account of its “conversation” with the Daily Bruin editor Jeff Schenck, during which “dd” professes not to care what Azar thinks … in the midst of demonstrating just how much “dd” cares what Azar thinks.

DD: Will you be printing a retraction or an apology for the piece?
JS: No.
DD: Why not?
JS: It was Ben’s column and Ben’s opinion and we don’t think he called you guys racist.
DD: We don’t care what he thinks about us. Anything printed in the DB reflects on the community. He equated us and critics of Dorrell with a nazi racist criminal. You don’t think LaRouche is racist?
JS: Ben never made that equation. You are reading into that. He said your arguments were like LaRouche’s arguments, silly and extremist.

Clearly, it's the Daily Bruin that couldn't care less what dumpdorrell.com thinks. Nevertheless, the “not verbatim” dialogue continues in a “silly and extremist” manner.

JS: We are sorry if you are offended but we don’t agree with you.
DD: It’s not about us, we could care less what the DB and Ben Azar think about us. Its the larger community that we are concerned about, and allowing this poisonous perception to exist is wrong.
JS: We are sorry if you feel that way. But it is Ben’s opinion and his piece.

As Nestor says, “this is not something new.” The “nation” also has been harassing another bruin student “journalist” named David Woods.

Apparently miffed that Woods wrote a piece criticizing ugla coach Ben Howland, Nestor went all Mike Krzyewski on Woods, comparing Woods to the great Bill Plaschke.

It's pretty clear that this student version of Bill Plaschke is as clueless about the sport as the one the Trojan Times subjects us to every week. […]

The clown ought to look at himself in the mirror, and he would discover that he is not capable of writing a concise, well thought out sports column.

Of course, we’re not above commenting on a student reporter’s bad journalism occasionally, but while it’s one thing to criticize a young student for writing something that the “nation” considers stupid (that is, anything that doesn’t fall in line with Nestor’s narrow point of view), it’s another thing to label Woods an “assclown” in a sincere attempt to embarrass the poor kid. True to form, Nestor goes even further, calling for Woods’ proverbial head:

If you want to write Daily Bruin about this idiot, I'd suggest you contact/email Daily Bruin's Editor-in-Chief Jeff Schenck at jschenck@media.ucla.edu (and at editor@media.ucla.edu). In addition, email sports editor Bobby Gordon at bgordon@media.ucla.edu. Fill up their email boxes folks.

It is just embarrassing that a "senior" sports writer of the student newspaper of the best public university in the country, featuring one of the greatest athletic program in college sports, can write such a misinformed, ignorant article on its hallmark sports program. Time to let them know how they have become a joke. Perhaps they can be chastened before they move on to real jobs. Maybe this could be a wake up call for them before they completely evolve into (it may be too late) the Bill Plaschke of next generation.

Now that’s what an alumni network is all about! LOL.

Of course, like Pavlov’s dogs, the usual suspects followed, led by typically abusive comments from our friend “Tydides”:

I've said it before and I'll say it again: David Woods is an embarrassment to UCLA. I hope he reads BN. I'd like to direct this comment at him: Find A New Career Path. […]

I'll say this right now: Howland did a much better job as a basketball coach last night than Woods did as a writer. […]

Adding his two pennies, “bluestreet” describes Woods as “a shitty sports writer who is clearly asking the wrong questions.”

Geez. It seems like common sense that a head coach of an esteemed basketball program would do a “much better job” at his profession, relative to an aspiring student sports writer … that is, an amateur without benefit of an actual journalism program!

Of course, USC Trojans don’t have these issues … one, because the Daily Trojan is produced by students who attend a real journalism school and who write articles even the ugla "nation" deems "intellectually honest" and "brutally accurate" … two, because we would rather support members of the Trojan Family, particularly our young student journalists, rather than kill them off.

Then again, perhaps we shouldn’t be so hard on these bruins and this “population control” their supposed “nation” employs. It’s all instinct for them, after all.

Fight On!
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