PSA for our most idealistic and vocal pessimists

[Smelly McUgly]

There are 44 active threads on the first page of the main forum as I am posting this.
5 or 6 of those threads are either saying there is too much negativity or we should all be happy, or something of that nature.
If I'm being generous, there are like 4 threads that are overwhelmingly negative.

Can we stop acting like this board is being torn apart by negativity and pessimism? Any hyper-criticism we're seeing is mostly relegated to the threads mentioned above, and there is a lot of genuinely good discussion taking place in those threads as well.

The LA-LA-LA-LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU brigade that can't dare to hear any criticism of their favorite team just can't emotionally handle acting like that, however. They're too busy building themselves back up by pretending to be better fans than anyone that dares criticize the Seahawks.

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

Honestly, I feel if any fan can say whatever they feel like it, negatively or pessimistically speaking, and do so with such ungratefulness and disrespect.

Then I have every right or the OP of this thread has every right to be just as annoying and short-sighted in our attempts to call out these party poopers. Even though the OP had more tact than I did.

They have an opinion on what they believe, and we have an opinion on what we believe.

If they can say whatever they feel and what, I too can say whatever I feel and want about their negativity and how they view things.

All in all, it mostly comes down to this.

I've just never seen a 5-1 Seahawks team with so much disrespect, so much animosity, so much hatred or trash aimed at our players. It is sickening. This team deserves way more respect and credit, and all some people can do is focus on the negative aspect of every mistake of a player's game.

Its raining on the 'Hawks parade and raining on my experience as a fan. If they can do so, then I feel like as a poster and a fan, I can choose to rain on the Hater's Negativity parade with my optimism and positivity. And do so as annoyingly as some of the posters that choose to hate and trash on my team that is 5-1 not only after every loss but every win too.

If certain posters want to be ultra negative about the team, they can choose to do that. But then at the same time I can choose to be negative about their opinions and I can choose to be irrational and dramatic about it too. And choose to voice my strong dislike and disgust of all the negativity that I'm not forced to read but nonetheless I'm subjected to anyway by constant default.

 

[Polaris]

Apparently some of you weren't here last year. Compared with some weeks (post Miami last year in particular), the commentary is particularly mild.

Edit PS: I wasn't an active member then (of course), but I was an avid lurker.

 

[HawkWow]

I respect the OP's positivity and lesson on how to construct a positive post (I think that was his msg, I only read a portion). But too often, it seems to me that one camp or another wants everyone to think and post in the same vein they do. Wouldn't that ultimately prove redundant...if not down right monotonous? This forum would look like:

OP: "Hey, we struggled but we won"!! then this>
Poster 1) "We sure did"! ?
Poster 2) "I hope we win next week too"
Poster 3) "You and me both"

Every Hawk fan in this forum loves their team. If your kid is bringing home Ds on his report card, you're going to be much more critical of him than if he's bringing home As and Bs. That doesn't mean you love him less. It means you expect more. I expect more from this team than we are currently getting. I'm all about winning the ugly games, I just don't want the majority of them to be ugly. There's no logical excuse for us struggling with the team we played yesterday. Looking at the schedule to date; We have played 1 very good QB, and lost that game. I'd say that's reason for concern if our hopes are to beat Rodgers, Manning etc. YMMV but do know debate is healthy and you are free to engage...or not.

 

[kearly]

I think pessimism has it's uses. For example, it was a healthy thing to be pessimistic about the 2009 Seahawks, or the prospect of a 2010 Seahawks team with Mora and Ruskell coming back for more. Who wanted to be an optimist in December of 2009 with that team going in that direction? In that case, the negativity played a useful role and without it we simply are nowhere near where we are today.

But pessimism right now? I don't really see the use of it. We know that our GM, coach, and QB are absolutely the right guys for the job. As far as everything else, I think our GM and coach have done a terrific job establishing themselves as problem fixers, and even more importantly, as problem identifiers. Sure, sometimes they don't recognize problems as fast as we'd like, but they seemingly always get things at least diagnosed within a year.

I would welcome a change at OC, a change at FB, maybe a change or two on the OL. But I don't think my being pessimistic about those areas will impact much, because it's Pete's show and he'll make changes as he sees fit. And Pete's not going anywhere.

 

[RolandDeschain]

I would welcome a change at OC, a change at FB, maybe a change or two on the OL.

 

[Basis4day]

I just expect when coming to a fan board for a team that is 5-1 that it feels like a fan board of a team that is 5-1. And i really hope that if we win on Thursday it will feel like a fan board that is 6-1.

Maybe it's just a sign i read too many threads.

 

[Veilside]

I respect the OP for his out of the box thinking. Seems that many people on here would just rather become defensive and assume that he is attacking their "fandom" while (from what I can tell) the opposite is actually true. In fact, he's attempting to teach us something we may have not considered before.

I have also read the same information he is stating in Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People". It is true that people are able to accomplish more through praise than through criticism, and I believe what the OP is thinking is that hypothetically if we as fans had an effect on the outcome of the psychology of the players, would we rather them experience praise or criticism given the information we have. Obviously a higher chance of performance increase would come through our players receiving praise and this is what I view as the point of the OP's post.

I know how it is ingrained in our heads that we have no chance as fans to effect the players thoughts in any possible way, but take this thought into consideration...

Why is this forum considered one of the best (if not THE) best source for intelligent Seahawks information? We have a lot of knowledgeable people on here that use a considerable amount of time and effort doing research and watching film so that those of us without a good eye for the game (or time to review) can have a slight idea of what's going on. I'd be willing to bet that many of you are considered by your friends as a Seahawks guru just from regurgitating what you learn from this site. If your friends consider you a credible source, then what are the chances they would tell some of their friends, and them their friends, and so on? Word of mouth information can spread very quickly not too mention other people have social media that they like to share their opinions on.

That's another thing....freaking Twitter changes everything. Direct link to the players themselves and I'd be willing to bet not every single kid coming out of college has the mental determination and fortitude to be like Russell Wilson and the ability to "ignore the noise". If it is true that we as humans are able to perform better through receiving praise rather than through criticism, ask yourself what would you want your team to hear from you or from the people you influence?

Maybe it is time to change our way of thinking and accept the possibility that we may have a bigger impact as fans than we think.

 

[HawkWow]

I think pessimism has it's uses. For example, it was a healthy thing to be pessimistic about the 2009 Seahawks, or the prospect of a 2010 Seahawks team with Mora and Ruskell coming back for more. Who wanted to be an optimist in December of 2009 with that team going in that direction? In that case, the negativity played a useful role and without it we simply are nowhere near where we are today.

But pessimism right now? I don't really see the use of it. We know that our GM, coach, and QB are absolutely the right guys for the job. As far as everything else, I think our GM and coach have done a terrific job establishing themselves as problem fixers, and even more importantly, as problem identifiers. Sure, sometimes they don't recognize problems as fast as we'd like, but they seemingly always get things at least diagnosed within a year.

I would welcome a change at OC, a change at FB, maybe a change or two on the OL. But I don't think my being pessimistic about those areas will impact much, because it's Pete's show and he'll make changes as he sees fit. And Pete's not going anywhere.

Kearly. Not all posters are of your ilk. You are very well spoken / written and have the ability to express your displeasure, or critique, in a way that does not offend. Not everyone possesses such talent.

It's a very fine line between criticism and critique. I have read many of your random thought threads. If you were less articulate, some of your (excellent) critique would be viewed as nothing more than criticism or even pessimism, even though that was not your intent.

I think the critique of some, gets misinterpreted due to delivery. Especially in the hours immediately following a less than stellar performance. I like the option of passing on a thread if it is not to my liking. Others should employ similar strategy.

 

[sc85sis]

I respect the OP for his out of the box thinking. Seems that many people on here would just rather become defensive and assume that he is attacking their "fandom" while (from what I can tell) the opposite is actually true. In fact, he's attempting to teach us something we may have not considered before.

I have also read the same information he is stating in Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People". It is true that people are able to accomplish more through praise than through criticism, and I believe what the OP is thinking is that hypothetically if we as fans had an effect on the outcome of the psychology of the players, would we rather them experience praise or criticism given the information we have. Obviously a higher chance of performance increase would come through our players receiving praise and this is what I view as the point of the OP's post.

I know how it is ingrained in our heads that we have no chance as fans to effect the players thoughts in any possible way, but take this thought into consideration...

Why is this forum considered one of the best (if not THE) best source for intelligent Seahawks information? We have a lot of knowledgeable people on here that use a considerable amount of time and effort doing research and watching film so that those of us without a good eye for the game (or time to review) can have a slight idea of what's going on. I'd be willing to bet that many of you are considered by your friends as a Seahawks guru just from regurgitating what you learn from this site. If your friends consider you a credible source, then what are the chances they would tell some of their friends, and them their friends, and so on? Word of mouth information can spread very quickly not too mention other people have social media that they like to share their opinions on.

That's another thing....freaking Twitter changes everything. Direct link to the players themselves and I'd be willing to bet not every single kid coming out of college has the mental determination and fortitude to be like Russell Wilson and the ability to "ignore the noise". If it is true that we as humans are able to perform better through receiving praise rather than through criticism, ask yourself what would you want your team to hear from you or from the people you influence?

Maybe it is time to change our way of thinking and accept the possibility that we may have a bigger impact as fans than we think.

I agree with this. And the OP actually fits in with what Pete does as a coach.

Also, what we post may have little to no effect on the team, but it certainly can affect others on this forum.

 

[NFSeahawks]

You guys can certainly say what you like, do what you feel, and believe what you want, but if you're to help ensure the best season possible, it would behoove us all to speak nicely, find that silver lining (which is pretty easy at 5-1), criticize seldom and without worry, and simply enjoy what could still be one of the best seasons this franchise has ever had. This concludes your Public Service Announcement.

I don't know if my words should go in the shack but this is honestly the dumbest run on sentence ever. So because we are 5-1 we should speak nicely about the team? And not be real? and be fake? Are you a fake person? Do you like being fake and faking your way through life? Do you like ignoring the evident problems with the team all the while at 5-1?

Take the good with the bad, not one without the other. Theres always two sides to everything.

 

[BirdsCommaAngry]

Fake, as you're defining the word and at this current point in time, would be pretending that excessive criticism is beneficial. We're more than capable of critiquing without ignoring the context of the season, pointlessly blasting one of the best teams in the league, or oversimplifying it all into categories like good and bad.

 

[RiverDog]

Why do we see more threads and more posts about guys like James Carpenter, Derrick Coleman, Bruce Irvin, and Percy Harvin than we do about Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, or even Pete Carroll?

IMO it's because there's more interest in debating something that's controversial than something in which there is general agreement. You will get more varied opinions and posters will feel more obligated to express their views when there's an opposing polar opposite view rather than simply reinforcing something they already agree with, and there's not a lot of controversy surrounding Wilson and Lynch as there's not a lot to be critical of their play this season and since we're winning and there hasn't been a lot of controversial coaching decisions, you don't see a lot posts about Pete or something he's done as the subject line.

Take away the opposing viewpoints and include just the positive stuff and you'll kill 3/4 the comments made in the forum.

I love a lively debate, so long as it's kept civil and others bear in mind that we're all part of the same brotherhood in the 12th man, which most of us do. Debating in forums like this hones my debating skills, helps me think before I speak, gives me a good range of adjectives to use to help me get my point across, and I can apply these skills to everyday life, especially in my line of work. And it's through many of these debates that I learn a thing or two about football in general and specifically about our Seahawks. I do not see the logic in the OP.

 

[Anonymous]

All of this psychology is great and all, but it doesn't mean squat unless the players and coaches actually read the posts on this board.

As far as I can tell, we are fans typing our thoughts on a message board to be read and commented-on by the same. It also occurs to me that there are those here who take their fandom of this team to levels which is clearly a huge portion of their daily lives. To that end, the actions (or lack thereof) of the team on game days is dealt with on emotional levels which rival the attention given to one's own child or close relative. This may, or may not, cause these individual's survival and protective instincts to emerge. The instincts to protect one's running back when someone belittles them (for example) is nearly identical to two fathers arguing in the high school grand stand.

Many of the posts of this week have me just shaking my head. If I may; let's remember that this team is one of our favorite things in life, not THE favorite thing. Far be it for me to impose will, but my suggestion to more than a few of you would be to take inventory of things you can change and those you cannot. Proper perspective is your friend.

Nothing we say to each other here will have any impact on plays that are called, touches a rookie will get, or the defense that's called on 3rd and 6 with only two wideouts on the field.

 

[razgriz737]

Why do we see more threads and more posts about guys like James Carpenter, Derrick Coleman, Bruce Irvin, and Percy Harvin than we do about Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, or even Pete Carroll?

IMO it's because there's more interest in debating something that's controversial than something in which there is general agreement. You will get more varied opinions and posters will feel more obligated to express their views when there's an opposing polar opposite view rather than simply reinforcing something they already agree with, and there's not a lot of controversy surrounding Wilson and Lynch as there's not a lot to be critical of their play this season and since we're winning and there hasn't been a lot of controversial coaching decisions, you don't see a lot posts about Pete or something he's done as the subject line.

Take away the opposing viewpoints and include just the positive stuff and you'll kill 3/4 the comments made in the forum.

I love a lively debate, so long as it's kept civil and others bear in mind that we're all part of the same brotherhood in the 12th man, which most of us do. Debating in forums like this hones my debating skills, helps me think before I speak, gives me a good range of adjectives to use to help me get my point across, and I can apply these skills to everyday life, especially in my line of work. And it's through many of these debates that I learn a thing or two about football in general and specifically about our Seahawks. I do not see the logic in the OP.

Couldn't agree more. Well said.

 

[Blitzfan]

"There are jobs that you can give 70% and get away with it, if you give anything less than 100% here, you'll end up on the nightly news."

That is the sign I am greeted with every day when I go to work and I take it very seriously. I do a job that literally puts me in a fish bowl every day. Thousands of people see me, even though they have nothing to do with my work. Most are ready to make a phone call and complain about the slightest mistake, whether real or perceived and I have to answer to all of them. I am not a football player, but can certainly understand how hard it can be to give your all and fall short in the eyes of other people. As far as I am concerned, I have never had a perfect day, even though I give it my all.

The point that I am trying to make is, we're all human, even football players. We all make mistakes, no matter how hard we strive not to. We, as a society demand perfection in all aspects of our lives, yet are quick to assign blame or make excuses for imperfection.

I am not trying to tell anyone how to act or what to think. But, what I am saying is, give 'em the benefit of doubt. Cut 'em a break. We've all been in situations where, no matter how hard we tried, it just didn't work out. I can excuse failure when full effort is given, knowing that perfection rarely exists on this Earth.

 

[Snohomie]

Our organization wouldn't look here for answers but some of our fans use it as one of many sources for answers and that has an affect. For example, if your circle of friends absolutely hates Sweezy, the conversation of about what, how, and why he's allegedly terrible is going to go a little differently for the fans who haven't read something like one of Kearly's threads about the guy, PFF, FO, or anything that has spoken to his prowess as a run-blocker than it is for the people who are more read.

So, basically, the largest impact our posts will have is that some fans might have different (negative) views of players than they otherwise would?

I gotta be honest, that doesn't seem like a big deal... not worth a PSA trying to get people to change their posting styles...

 

[Largent80]

Iv'e been here over 10 years and I am here because I love the Seahawks.

I love reading peoples comments. I love being able to comment on their comments and I don't give a rip what any of you say, or think about me, except for the many fine people I have met in person here and enjoy friendships from.

The whole point of this place is for people to state opinions, post funny stuff, or even life changing problems.

A great place to do it over the years. But, I have noticed a large influx of newer posters that for lack of a better word....interject a bunch of unecessary vitriol towards other posters and it is a major turnoff.

I have had a few run-ins with some here, most have been smoothed over, usually by me. The ones that keep it going can be described as lacking in self esteem/worth.

Keep in mind before hitting "submit" that if you give a shit about what others think of you, THINK first, or suffer with the rest of us.

 

[RiverDog]

Iv'e been here over 10 years and I am here because I love the Seahawks.

I love reading peoples comments. I love being able to comment on their comments and I don't give a rip what any of you say, or think about me, except for the many fine people I have met in person here and enjoy friendships from.

The whole point of this place is for people to state opinions, post funny stuff, or even life changing problems.

A great place to do it over the years. But, I have noticed a large influx of newer posters that for lack of a better word....interject a bunch of unecessary vitriol towards other posters and it is a major turnoff.

I have had a few run-ins with some here, most have been smoothed over, usually by me. The ones that keep it going can be described as lacking in self esteem/worth.

Keep in mind before hitting "submit" that if you give a shit about what others think of you, THINK first, or suffer with the rest of us.

Nice post.

 

[Laloosh]

So you're saying we're too fat?

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