Pessimistic vs Pathetic

[redmule]

We are a pessimistic lot. By training and by nature, we seek the flaw, the defect, the weak link. We have to. People die or are maimed if the O ring fails, if the support collapses, if the circuit shorts. While vigorously defending our designs, we desire criticism from those we consider knowledgeable. We bring this to our non professional life. My wife is constantly complaining, "Would you stop with the What Ifs!" That is why we obsess and moan about the state of our athletic programs. I really cannot find significant fault with the Institute itself. It's reputation, capabilities, student body, facilities, faculty, growth, research, etc. exceed anything I expected when I matriculated 40+ years ago. What it has done for me and my extended family in terms of material, professional, and personal satisfaction is beyond the wildest hopes I had when growing up in small town Georgia half a century ago. "Fix the d----d athletics" cries out the engineer in me and us as that is the only thing we really have to obsess about.

Our friends to the east, though, fill the pathetic slot. I read Dawg Rant at times. I must admit there are topics on there I find congenial, as there are more small town rural Georgia guys at uga than at Tech so I can relate in some sense. A few threads lately have reminded me how pathetic, relative to Tech, their situation is. They can beat us in football. I give them that. But they are still a pathetic lot. For instance, they were orgasmic when it was announced they would play Notre Dame. Some even said they knew they would not get tickets but were going anyway just for the experience. A trip to ND for Tech fans is nice, but not novel. Most have literally never seen uga play at a major college campus outside the Southeast. This makes them parochial and irrelevant to college football nationally.

But what really caught my eye a few days ago was a thread about how they are overtaking Tech in academics. Baghdad Bob must have studied in athens. We (Tech) are being defeated on every front. All that is left is for the nation and world to recognize that Athens, Greece has been resurrected in athens, Georgia 2500 years later. Now, there is no doubt that when you been crawling all your life, learning to walk must seem like discovering relativity, and they are taking some baby steps. But once again, pathetic. I have a simple question for them, " If uga disappeared tomorrow, would anything distinctive be lost?" Not really. There are a dozen more just like them within easy driving distance: Auburn, Bama, UT, Clemson, Florida, LSU. Essentially same students, majors, faculty, facilities, academics. You get my point, but again they're pathetic. All those I've listed have won National Championships in football, some multiple times, since uga. Now ask yourself that same question about Tech. How far to find another like us? With a National Championship in football within living memory? They have been assimilated. We have maintained (and increased) our distinctiveness.

They claim to own the state. Guess that is the limit of their aspirations: big fish in a small pond. Pathetic. I believe we look beyond the horizon. Now fix the d----d athletics!!! And let's take even that away from the leg humpers.

 

[Lexjacket]

We are a pessimistic lot. By training and by nature, we seek the flaw, the defect, the weak link. We have to. People die or are maimed if the O ring fails, if the support collapses, if the circuit shorts. While vigorously defending our designs, we desire criticism from those we consider knowledgeable. We bring this to our non professional life. My wife is constantly complaining, "Would you stop with the What Ifs!" That is why we obsess and moan about the state of our athletic programs. I really cannot find significant fault with the Institute itself. It's reputation, capabilities, student body, facilities, faculty, growth, research, etc. exceed anything I expected when I matriculated 40+ years ago. What it has done for me and my extended family in terms of material, professional, and personal satisfaction is beyond the wildest hopes I had when growing up in small town Georgia half a century ago. "Fix the d----d athletics" cries out the engineer in me and us as that is the only thing we really have to obsess about.

Our friends to the east, though, fill the pathetic slot. I read Dawg Rant at times. I must admit there are topics on there I find congenial, as there are more small town rural Georgia guys at uga than at Tech so I can relate in some sense. A few threads lately have reminded me how pathetic, relative to Tech, their situation is. They can beat us in football. I give them that. But they are still a pathetic lot. For instance, they were orgasmic when it was announced they would play Notre Dame. Some even said they knew they would not get tickets but were going anyway just for the experience. A trip to ND for Tech fans is nice, but not novel. Most have literally never seen uga play at a major college campus outside the Southeast. This makes them parochial and irrelevant to college football nationally.

But what really caught my eye a few days ago was a thread about how they are overtaking Tech in academics. Baghdad Bob must have studied in athens. We (Tech) are being defeated on every front. All that is left is for the nation and world to recognize that Athens, Greece has been resurrected in athens, Georgia 2500 years later. Now, there is no doubt that when you been crawling all your life, learning to walk must seem like discovering relativity, and they are taking some baby steps. But once again, pathetic. I have a simple question for them, " If uga disappeared tomorrow, would anything distinctive be lost?" Not really. There are a dozen more just like them within easy driving distance: Auburn, Bama, UT, Clemson, Florida, LSU. Essentially same students, majors, faculty, facilities, academics. You get my point, but again they're pathetic. All those I've listed have won National Championships in football, some multiple times, since uga. Now ask yourself that same question about Tech. How far to find another like us? With a National Championship in football within living memory? They have been assimilated. We have maintained (and increased) our distinctiveness.

They claim to own the state. Guess that is the limit of their aspirations: big fish in a small pond. Pathetic. I believe we look beyond the horizon. Now fix the d----d athletics!!! And let's take even that away from the leg humpers.

Hallelujah! Amen!

 

[takethepoints]

Well, Ugag is a pretty good school overall. Like all the SEC schools, it has benefited from a great effort at both the state and federal level to upgrade post-secondary education. (Not recently; governments have had a hard time of late.)

What they are not is a world class institution in anything. They are good, even nationally good, in some things. But it is sort of like comparing Emory Hospital to a decent regional hospital in Georgia. Tech is one of the best technological schools on the planet. This, no doubt, sticks in their craw. Good.

 

[jwsavhGT]

THWG! GO JACKETS!

 

[CornerBlitz]

We are a pessimistic lot. By training and by nature, we seek the flaw, the defect, the weak link. We have to. People die or are maimed if the O ring fails, if the support collapses, if the circuit shorts. While vigorously defending our designs, we desire criticism from those we consider knowledgeable. We bring this to our non professional life. My wife is constantly complaining, "Would you stop with the What Ifs!" That is why we obsess and moan about the state of our athletic programs. I really cannot find significant fault with the Institute itself. It's reputation, capabilities, student body, facilities, faculty, growth, research, etc. exceed anything I expected when I matriculated 40+ years ago. What it has done for me and my extended family in terms of material, professional, and personal satisfaction is beyond the wildest hopes I had when growing up in small town Georgia half a century ago. "Fix the d----d athletics" cries out the engineer in me and us as that is the only thing we really have to obsess about.

Our friends to the east, though, fill the pathetic slot. I read Dawg Rant at times. I must admit there are topics on there I find congenial, as there are more small town rural Georgia guys at uga than at Tech so I can relate in some sense. A few threads lately have reminded me how pathetic, relative to Tech, their situation is. They can beat us in football. I give them that. But they are still a pathetic lot. For instance, they were orgasmic when it was announced they would play Notre Dame. Some even said they knew they would not get tickets but were going anyway just for the experience. A trip to ND for Tech fans is nice, but not novel. Most have literally never seen uga play at a major college campus outside the Southeast. This makes them parochial and irrelevant to college football nationally.

But what really caught my eye a few days ago was a thread about how they are overtaking Tech in academics. Baghdad Bob must have studied in athens. We (Tech) are being defeated on every front. All that is left is for the nation and world to recognize that Athens, Greece has been resurrected in athens, Georgia 2500 years later. Now, there is no doubt that when you been crawling all your life, learning to walk must seem like discovering relativity, and they are taking some baby steps. But once again, pathetic. I have a simple question for them, " If uga disappeared tomorrow, would anything distinctive be lost?" Not really. There are a dozen more just like them within easy driving distance: Auburn, Bama, UT, Clemson, Florida, LSU. Essentially same students, majors, faculty, facilities, academics. You get my point, but again they're pathetic. All those I've listed have won National Championships in football, some multiple times, since uga. Now ask yourself that same question about Tech. How far to find another like us? With a National Championship in football within living memory? They have been assimilated. We have maintained (and increased) our distinctiveness.

They claim to own the state. Guess that is the limit of their aspirations: big fish in a small pond. Pathetic. I believe we look beyond the horizon. Now fix the d----d athletics!!! And let's take even that away from the leg humpers.

That was fantastic.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I think living in Georgia has a good deal to do with a Tech fans outlook, too. I was a lot more pessimistic when I lived in Georgia. Now that I live in Florida, it's not nearly as bad. Even though there are tons of mutt fans in Jacksonville, they don't go out of their way to bark in my face when I'm wearing a GT hat. They bother Gator fans more than me.

 

[MWBATL]

This.

It is bad when you are living in one of those areas (usually rural) where UGa has 90% of the fan loyalties. One gets sick of having people go out of they way to be obnoxious..whether it is barking in your face, flashing their bright lights at you on the road or tailgating you because you have GT gear on your car, or simply yelling obscenities as they pass.......

Nice rant though. Very well done!!

 

[augustabuzz]

I get a good chuckle from their claim of usurping the academic throne. The stats released this past week regarding the incoming freshman class amazed me. For instance, the 75th percentile scored 780 on the math and 770 on the verbal portions of the SAT.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

We are a pessimistic lot. By training and by nature, we seek the flaw, the defect, the weak link. We have to. People die or are maimed if the O ring fails, if the support collapses, if the circuit shorts. While vigorously defending our designs, we desire criticism from those we consider knowledgeable. We bring this to our non professional life. My wife is constantly complaining, "Would you stop with the What Ifs!" That is why we obsess and moan about the state of our athletic programs. I really cannot find significant fault with the Institute itself. It's reputation, capabilities, student body, facilities, faculty, growth, research, etc. exceed anything I expected when I matriculated 40+ years ago. What it has done for me and my extended family in terms of material, professional, and personal satisfaction is beyond the wildest hopes I had when growing up in small town Georgia half a century ago. "Fix the d----d athletics" cries out the engineer in me and us as that is the only thing we really have to obsess about.

Our friends to the east, though, fill the pathetic slot. I read Dawg Rant at times. I must admit there are topics on there I find congenial, as there are more small town rural Georgia guys at uga than at Tech so I can relate in some sense. A few threads lately have reminded me how pathetic, relative to Tech, their situation is. They can beat us in football. I give them that. But they are still a pathetic lot. For instance, they were orgasmic when it was announced they would play Notre Dame. Some even said they knew they would not get tickets but were going anyway just for the experience. A trip to ND for Tech fans is nice, but not novel. Most have literally never seen uga play at a major college campus outside the Southeast. This makes them parochial and irrelevant to college football nationally.

But what really caught my eye a few days ago was a thread about how they are overtaking Tech in academics. Baghdad Bob must have studied in athens. We (Tech) are being defeated on every front. All that is left is for the nation and world to recognize that Athens, Greece has been resurrected in athens, Georgia 2500 years later. Now, there is no doubt that when you been crawling all your life, learning to walk must seem like discovering relativity, and they are taking some baby steps. But once again, pathetic. I have a simple question for them, " If uga disappeared tomorrow, would anything distinctive be lost?" Not really. There are a dozen more just like them within easy driving distance: Auburn, Bama, UT, Clemson, Florida, LSU. Essentially same students, majors, faculty, facilities, academics. You get my point, but again they're pathetic. All those I've listed have won National Championships in football, some multiple times, since uga. Now ask yourself that same question about Tech. How far to find another like us? With a National Championship in football within living memory? They have been assimilated. We have maintained (and increased) our distinctiveness.

They claim to own the state. Guess that is the limit of their aspirations: big fish in a small pond. Pathetic. I believe we look beyond the horizon. Now fix the d----d athletics!!! And let's take even that away from the leg humpers.

That was AWESOME !!!!

 

[4shotB]

We are a pessimistic lot..


But what really caught my eye a few days ago was a thread about how they are overtaking Tech in academics.

Now fix the d----d athletics!!! And let's take even that away from the leg humpers.

Interesting post. I agree with you for the most part. Let's look at it differently though as it speaks to one of the issues I have with our AA....marketing. If some Ga. fans believe they are overtaking us in academics, does it really matter what you and I think? Not really. Perception is reality in the marketing world.Somehow or another the powers that be in Athens has created the perception (whether it is true or not really doesn't matter in the postmodern world).

Now, do you ever see a GT fan or fans claiming the opposite...i.e. that GT is overtaking Uga as the dominant athletic power in the state? No you don't. You may see some posts about our golf team and recent wins in basketball and baseball and whatever and people qualifying things with statements like we really do well overall against Uga relatively speaking given our limited curriculum and such. We don't market ourselves well enough to overcome the pessimistic nature that you talk about (and which I happen to believe is true fwiw).

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

I think living in Georgia has a good deal to do with a Tech fans outlook, too. I was a lot more pessimistic when I lived in Georgia. Now that I live in Florida, it's not nearly as bad. Even though there are tons of mutt fans in Jacksonville, they don't go out of their way to bark in my face when I'm wearing a GT hat. They bother Gator fans more than me.

Have lived in Georgia since 71 & not one SOB has ever barked in my face. Not gonna happen. The only thing that i have ever experienced is good natured ribbing. Like a guy at the golf course saying he could not let me play with my GT hat on. I said i was just trying to give the place some class & we both laughed.

The ONLY time i ever had anything serious was in the mid 80's in the boonies outside Commerce. ( MUCH more rural then). I was at a phone booth (kids that is what we used before cell phones ) and 2 guys drove by, and having seen my GT sticker hollered FU GT. So naturally i hollered back FU2. They slammed the brakes, did a 180 and drove back. As they pulled into the parking lot i pulled the Colt 1911. They left and the guy that owned the store came out and asked if all was ok. I told him what happened, he said he knew the guys and they were idiots. That was it.

 

[LongforDodd]

Have lived in Georgia since 71 & not one SOB has ever barked in my face. Not gonna happen. The only thing that i have ever experienced is good natured ribbing. Like a guy at the golf course saying he could not let me play with my GT hat on. I said i was just trying to give the place some class & we both laughed.

The ONLY time i ever had anything serious was in the mid 80's in the boonies outside Commerce. ( MUCH more rural then). I was at a phone booth (kids that is what we used before cell phones ) and 2 guys drove by, and having seen my GT sticker hollered FU GT. So naturally i hollered back FU2. They slammed the brakes, did a 180 and drove back. As they pulled into the parking lot i pulled the Colt 1911. They left and the guy that owned the store came out and asked if all was ok. I told him what happened, he said he knew the guys and they were idiots. That was it.

Colt 1911? Love it!!!

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Have lived in Georgia since 71 & not one SOB has ever barked in my face. Not gonna happen. The only thing that i have ever experienced is good natured ribbing. Like a guy at the golf course saying he could not let me play with my GT hat on. I said i was just trying to give the place some class & we both laughed.

The ONLY time i ever had anything serious was in the mid 80's in the boonies outside Commerce. ( MUCH more rural then). I was at a phone booth (kids that is what we used before cell phones ) and 2 guys drove by, and having seen my GT sticker hollered FU GT. So naturally i hollered back FU2. They slammed the brakes, did a 180 and drove back. As they pulled into the parking lot i pulled the Colt 1911. They left and the guy that owned the store came out and asked if all was ok. I told him what happened, he said he knew the guys and they were idiots. That was it.

Get 'em, cowboy!!! LOL

 

[Nook Su Kow]

I wish our fanbase didn't fear physical altercations with dwag fans and using the old I'm more civilized excuse.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

As they pulled into the parking lot i pulled the Colt 1911. They left and the guy that owned the store came out and asked if all was ok. I told him what happened, he said he knew the guys and they were idiots. That was it.

What, no S&W 500?

 

[OldJacketFan]

What, no S&W 500?

Ah now, you know that's overkill

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Yes, there is something about being a Tech fan that encourages a critical approach to things, no doubt about it. There is a parallel phenomenon that exacerbates the problem for a Tech fan and that is that the culture in the state of Georgia has a deep brooding inferiority streak. One sees the compensation for this going on everywhere. Towns in Georgia will brag about things all out of proportion to the reality. Does your town have an art museum? Some people in that town will say it rivals the museums of New York. Does your town have a side walk cafe? If will be spoken of as if nothing in Paris compares. Does your municipality have a developing music scene? Stand back jazz clubs of Chicago. I could go on but I hope some of you have noticed this and I don't have to explain. People in Georgia tend to exaggerate their progress all out of proportion to the reality. In some rare cases this "fake it until you make it" approach may work. More times than not, however, it only ends up deluding the local population while people from other parts of the country just shake their heads at how backward we Georgians are.
Now enter the University of Georgia. I have known three people who have taught there, two friends and one family member. Here are a few things they say. The school relies way too much on adjunct professors to teach, often has people teaching outside of their area, struggles keeping certain departments afloat and can't cut a damn paycheck on time to save their life. If you want to find out what the culture is like on the Athens campus just ask anyone who does contract work with them and has tried to get their paycheck right. A close friend of mine who teaches there says that most of his students are pretty dull and ape popular opinion far more than one would think for a flagship university. Very few are willing to struggle for a good grade or challenge the assumptions they already had when they came to college.
Yes, I do not have a hard time believing that the school in Athens thinks they are surpassing Tech in every way because that is the culture of which they are a part. And really, no one in other parts of the country believes that for even a moment. Should Tech fans take on some of that same kind of self delusion? It makes life easier in some ways but I don't think that is the Tech way.

 

[redmule]

One can only imagine the anguish that goes with imbibing and believing the academic renaissance nonsense while at uga, and then looking for a job after graduation. Probably the only worse pain is the one they feel each year when their MNC certainties encounter reality.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

I think living in Georgia has a good deal to do with a Tech fans outlook, too. I was a lot more pessimistic when I lived in Georgia. Now that I live in Florida, it's not nearly as bad. Even though there are tons of mutt fans in Jacksonville, they don't go out of their way to bark in my face when I'm wearing a GT hat. They bother Gator fans more than me.

There is no discernible difference between Duval County and south Georgia.

 

[Vespid]

I have been noticing this recent perception change spreading like a virus throughout the unwashed community that uGa has mysteriously caught up with and actually surpassed GT in academic rating with much amusement. I guess they think if they spew it over and over enough, it will suddenly change perception into reality. But just like the famous lines, "There are no American infidels in Baghdad!", or " I did not have sex with THAT woman", no matter how many times you declare the prevarication, it doesn't make it true. When I hear this drivel from a mutt, I just say, great!.. exactly what matrix, rating or measurement system is publishing this? Haven't gotten anything back but crickets so far.