A new feather in UNC's hat: stalking w̶o̶m̶e̶n̶ alumni

[alteran]

This is one of the weirdest threads I've seen in a long time. Not sure why it is not on the OTB, but I will say my two cents.
I grew up in Durham, the son of two Duke grads that went on to work at Duke hospital. There was only one team I was going to grow up cheering for. In my school(s), the majority of my classmates were UNC and State fans. Not once did I ever get into a fight or feel bullied because I was a Duke fan and they liked Carolina.

My first day of school at Hillandale Elementary School in Durham, I was bullied by a--hole sixth graders with whispy facial hair because they flunked a couple times. I was the last stop on the bus route, so I was stuck with them. I got grabbed, shoved, and had bruises. Like pre-teens will, they had moved on by my second day, but the event left an indelible mark.

I've experienced a lot of BS from UNC fans over the years, most of it at the level of annoyance or rudeness. But I have had several events on the nasty end, like a guy picking a fight with me at Duke Hospital-- DUKE HOSPITAL!, after I accidentally bumped into him and immediately apologized. His first comment was about my Duke hat, which I didn't even realize I was wearing until he mentioned it. But for me, the BS has not been at the level of what Throaty has been through.

The vast, VAST majority of UNC fans are great people. Furthermore, I matriculated at UNC in the late 80s, and I would say I experienced far less BS there than elsewhere. In fact, I can't remember anything bad at all there, now that I think about it. My theory has long been that a-holes and bullies gravitate to UNC because, at least in NC, it gives them cover to be, well, a-holes and bullies.

Maybe I've been unlucky. But maybe you've been lucky. Either way, there's a lot of jerks in NC with major entitlement relating to their perceived affiliation with UNC.

[DukieInKansas]

My first day of school at Hillandale Elementary School in Durham, I was bullied by a--hole sixth graders with whispy facial hair because they flunked a couple times. I was the last stop on the bus route, so I was stuck with them. I got grabbed, shoved, and had bruises. Like pre-teens will, they had moved on by my second day, but the event left an indelible mark.

I've experienced a lot of BS from UNC fans over the years, most of it at the level of annoyance or rudeness. But I have had several events on the nasty end, like a guy picking a fight with me at Duke Hospital-- DUKE HOSPITAL!, after I accidentally bumped into him and immediately apologized. His first comment was about my Duke hat, which I didn't even realize I was wearing until he mentioned it. But for me, the BS has not been at the level of what Throaty has been through.

The vast, VAST majority of UNC fans are great people. Furthermore, I matriculated at UNC in the late 80s, and I would say I experienced far less BS there than elsewhere. In fact, I can't remember anything bad at all there, now that I think about it. My theory has long been that a-holes and bullies gravitate to UNC because, at least in NC, it gives them cover to be, well, a-holes and bullies.

Maybe I've been unlucky. But maybe you've been lucky. Either way, there's a lot of jerks in NC with major entitlement relating to their perceived affiliation with UNC.

There is a lot of that entitlement to go around in other states with other schools. Around here, it is KU over KSU. It is tiring to always have people thinking they are superior because of their affiliation with one school rather than the other but usually the really rude/destructive/combative types are few and far between. One friend described it as people being surprised that she is a KSU fan when she could be a KU fan. Definitely an annoying attitude. Since there are so few unc fans around here, there is generally an exchange of good natured ribbing. I did replace someone's tar heel shirt with a beautiful Duke shirt. I was going to use the tar heel shirt to wash my car but I'm afraid it will hurt the paint.

A piece of mail delivered to your house from a much disliked sender shouldn't be such a cause for distress - especially if it is addressed to someone else. One possible solution - if they include a business reply return envelope, put all the paperwork they sent, including the envelope, and send it back with a request to be removed from the mailing list. They pay for the privilege of getting their mailing back. Please note: This should only be done by the addressee and not a spouse.

[77devil]

This is one of the weirdest threads I've seen in a long time.

Indeed.

Still shaking my head that anyone has the level of paranoia that their kid is going to have a horrible childhood being raised in NC because his dad went to Duke. That is absolutely bizarre.

If Throaty was a psych. prof, I'd suggest his post was a weird social psychology experiment. Yet, I'm still not convinced it isn't a ruse.

[Indoor66]

If Throaty was a psych. prof, I'd suggest his post was a weird social psychology experiment. Yet, I'm still not convinced it isn't a ruse.

Yeah. Either a ruse or the most childish thread ever on DBR.

[Duvall]

It's almost like different people have different life experiences. Crazy.

[Des Esseintes]

It's almost like different people have different life experiences. Crazy.

Except a) identifying one's wife receiving a fundraising letter *from a school she attended* as stalking and b) linking that letter somehow(?) to the violent predations of that school's civilian fanbase don't really fall under differing life experiences, do they? They're much closer to complaints about a rogue helicopter pilot on the loose inside this airspace.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Perhaps it's time to lock this thread.

[Wander]

It's almost like different people have different life experiences. Crazy.

If a person's life experience is that they think less than 1% of people from a certain race/religion/school/country/state/whatever are "capable of being decent human beings," then it is far more likely that their story reveals something about that person rather than the large group.

[nocilla]

If a person's life experience is that they think less than 1% of people from a certain race/religion/school/country/state/whatever are "capable of being decent human beings," then it is far more likely that their story reveals something about that person rather than the large group.

I agree with this. I had a similar thought reading a different thread last week. Our Maryland friend claimed that he had been cussed out by most every fan base in the ACC. His point was that it wasn't just Maryland fans that yell obscenities and every team has delusional fans. While I agreed with his premise to an extent, I couldn't help but to think that he was revealing a little about himself and by association, the Maryland fan base in general. What was he doing to invoke all these tongue lashings? People don't just cuss at you because of what you are wearing without some kind of provokement. I have never been cussed at by opposing fans, granted I probably haven't been to as many different arenas as him and others have. I do get comments from UNC fans occasionally, but never anything past PG-13 level. I just smile and sometimes play along with the smack talk.

[hurleyfor3]

The extent to and means by which schools attempt to contact their alumni is fair game, as is whether this constitutes "stalking" (my answer here is no). However, discussion of the sensibilities of the OP, or any other poster, is over the line. [/mod]

[MartyClark]

I have only observed the Duke-UNC rivalry from afar so I don't question anyone's observations or experiences.l

I really appreciate the manner in which people on this board discuss issues in a thoughtful and usually civil way. There are also 6 or 7 people on this board who are excellent writers. Throatybeard is at the top of the list.

[CameronBornAndBred]

The extent to and means by which schools attempt to contact their alumni is fair game, as is whether this constitutes "stalking" (my answer here is no). However, discussion of the sensibilities of the OP, or any other poster, is over the line. [/mod]

Ok, fair enough, but since this isn't about basketball, football, or any particular sport at all, and instead is a borderline public policy discussion, why is it in the EK?

[hurleyfor3]

Ok, fair enough, but since this isn't about basketball, football, or any particular sport at all, and instead is a borderline public policy discussion, why is it in the EK?

It touches on Duke in general, considering that's where most of us went. Really, is it that big a deal which board it's on?

[mpj96]

This is one of the weirdest threads I've seen in a long time. Not sure why it is not on the OTB, but I will say my two cents.
I grew up in Durham, the son of two Duke grads that went on to work at Duke hospital. There was only one team I was going to grow up cheering for. In my school(s), the majority of my classmates were UNC and State fans. Not once did I ever get into a fight or feel bullied because I was a Duke fan and they liked Carolina. Not once did my dentist ever invent cavities so he could torture me because I was a Duke fan brought in by mom, the graduate of Duke nursing.
My friends and I LOVED our rivalry. We'd watch games together, tell each other "your team sucks", and then afterwards go outside and play basketball together.
Still shaking my head that anyone has the level of paranoia that their kid is going to have a horrible childhood being raised in NC because his dad went to Duke. That is absolutely bizarre.

Born and raised in NC. Agree with this post 100%. Throaty I love you but you are weirding out on this one.

[Henderson]

Perhaps it's time to lock this thread.

24 hours later. Perhaps now?

[Furniture]

24 hours later. Perhaps now?

Not locked. Deleted!