Army-Navy game: White Power hand symbol appears to be used during pregame broadcast

Well, well. I just watched WJLA weather hoping for a snow day or at least a 2 hour delay.

The news crawl, that word ticker at the bottom of the screen said, “Military investigating possible use of ‘white power symbol’ at the Army Navy game.”
 
"Old people are stupid". That is the reply I received when I asked a cadet about the hand gesture incident. Apparently it is a rehash of the "Circle game" now played by the high school/college kids. Nothing to do with anything else.

The circle game



Since the 1980s, the OK gesture has been the key feature of the popular school prank, "the circle game". A person initiating the game makes the gesture below their own waistline and tries to trick an opponent into looking at it. If the person looks at it, the maker of the gesture punches the opponent in the arm. Variations exist where a player who can insert their own index finger into the circle without looking at it may punch the circle-maker. In November 2000, the gesture gained widespread use when the circle game was a plot feature in an episode of the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. In a much earlier version (1950's), the circle was placed over the maker's elbow, or any body part.

Now I also know what "OK Boomer" means. :oops:
 
By the way in the 1980's a German waiter asked me how the Jaeger Schnitzel was and I smiled and gave him the OK sign. The person I was dining with told me I just called the waiter an A-hole. Afterwards I made exclusive use of the thumbs up sign.
 
Wow. I am definitely not current with this new sign language. I just checked with few teens and they all said that if you look you get punched. Kind of silly today’s young kids play. Nothing more. In my time it meant it’s A OK. Nothing more. I hope this issue doesn’t go out of proportion and all things settle down.
 
jl123 said:
By the way in the 1980's a German waiter asked me how the Jaeger Schnitzel was and I smiled and gave him the OK sign. The person I was dining with told me I just called the waiter an A-hole. Afterwards I made exclusive use of the thumbs up sign.
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Hate to tell you, but in some cultures that means "up yours".

Sometimes you just can't win.
 
When I asked about this, my cadet said to me that it's a just a stupid game and not a racist symbol. He did not see it as a racist symbol at all.
 
CalvinBall said:
Hope you get your snow day
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Thanks. The kids say to wear PJs inside out and flush ice cubes down the toilet. I used to tell people to do a snow dance but was told that’s offensive to Eskimos.
 
NavyHoops said:
Lots of opinions here. Why we live in a great country... everyone can have them. Let’s keep everything above board.

I know many are asking why allow this thread. I think for many young candidates and current Mids/Cadets they need to see what kind of responsibility comes with the privilege of attending one our great SAs. The spotlight is there no matter how minor someone thinks something is. The country has high expectations for those who attend our SAs as they should. Something that may or may not have been totally benign, has now gotten a massive national spotlight. One day they could be the officer assigned to perform the investigation into this. They could also have a unit with a race issue one day. It’s important to understand that as an officer there can and will be incidents that no matter how much training you go through, you will be faced with incidents you had zero clue you would be faced with. That is where the training kicks in to use your soft skills, problem solving and critical thinking to find solutions.
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You are absolutely right NavyHoops. I was so focused on the fact that the post was incendiary that I glossed over the lack of a sense of responsibility and accountability for Mids/Cadets' actions, but that's what it is all about. There's a higher standard for those who have the privilege of attending SAs and the fallout for one thoughtless act will reverberate for years to come. I'm shocked and disheartened by the antics that are allowed to go unchecked. I was glad that the new Supe was not afraid to hold our Mids accountable for their foolishness. Some parents didn't agree citing "boys will be boys" and that seems to be a part of the culture. Perhaps it's always been a part of the culture, but we just weren't aware because we didn't have thousands of outlets looking to go viral. Someone explain to me this: was it a given that your conduct should always be becoming of a member of the U.S. Armed Service? Does there need to be a course taught, now? Can soft skills be taught?
 
maxman007mom said:
Someone explain to me this: was it a given that your conduct should always be becoming of a member of the U.S. Armed Service? Does there need to be a course taught, now? Can soft skills be taught?
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On how to be human?
On how to laugh on a day of celebration for academy students who are stressed beyond belief to engage in a childhood game to make their peers laugh?

So unbecoming...( roll eyes)
 
FlyBoy1993 said:
On how to be human?
On how to laugh on a day of celebration for academy students who are stressed beyond belief to engage in a childhood game to make their peers laugh?

So unbecoming...( roll eyes)
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I get that part. I do. Crap. You can't say anything these days. There used to be a time and place for it. That's what I mean.
 
NavyHoops said:
Lots of opinions here. Why we live in a great country... everyone can have them. Let’s keep everything above board.

I know many are asking why allow this thread. I think for many young candidates and current Mids/Cadets they need to see what kind of responsibility comes with the privilege of attending one our great SAs. The spotlight is there no matter how minor someone thinks something is. The country has high expectations for those who attend our SAs as they should. Something that may or may not have been totally benign, has now gotten a massive national spotlight. One day they could be the officer assigned to perform the investigation into this. They could also have a unit with a race issue one day. It’s important to understand that as an officer there can and will be incidents that no matter how much training you go through, you will be faced with incidents you had zero clue you would be faced with. That is where the training kicks in to use your soft skills, problem solving and critical thinking to find solutions.
Click to expand...

Nothing you said is wrong. But in this instance its being blown way out of proportion. This article is not newsworthy. We are talking about cadets here...I think they deserve the benefit of the doubt. When it comes to institutions of higher education, SAs are one of the few remaining conservative strongholds in the country...not surprising that an SJW sympathetic editor would choose to generate such a story and publish. And Trump is a big supporter of the game...anything associated with him could become a target.
 
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