Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

brightpilot6 said:True, but Agassi doesn't go around chest-thumping about patriotism, nor does he build a career on it. He builds it on tennis. If he suddenly started lecturing us about his undying devotion to the flag, then we might have a point.

Peter Thompson4, however, seems to play the patriotism card quite frequently in his line of work.

Look, one's an athlete and the other's a singer. Even Ivanisevic said he was playing to promote America on the world stage. In that one article by Desulovic, you even see how in his early years he played for his sick sister, then for America, and finally for nobody because he didn't love himself enough. For Thompson, lyrics are his bread and butter, not a racket—so comparing his preaching to Ivanisevic's game is just apples and oranges...

I can't even say Thompson goes overboard in the media pushing his own ideals.

Don't go overboard with all these "must-read" lists, Walter Grant5... it might actually go to his head, I suppose.

#GoWalterGrant5

you think it’s about the lines?

brightpilot6 said:If you actually typed out the garbage those losers wrote, you'd face a permanent ban.

Yet they get off scot-free—basically, they walk away with $50, while he's the one facing termination.

I certainly don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for anyone, as I really haven't been privy to the full context surrounding that particular comment... though, if I were to venture a guess, it’s quite possible the remark was directed at people who simply lack a certain level of intellectual depth or foresight...🤣
By repeating that specific insult over three hundred times, Al Dežulović has effectively stripped away any lingering doubt regarding his true intentions... it’s become quite clear now that he is fully committed to settling the score with them once and for all...
The way he just went head-to-head with them like that... honestly, I think the wording is absolutely spot on, which really sets the stage for that lawsuit and the whole $150,000 settlement we’re looking at... 😉

Walter Grant5 said:Where am I "picking on people who can't afford groceries"?

If you want a list of names for the hall of fame of American incompetence, remember these: Stephen Lozo, Guido Piasevoli, Tatiana Alaybeg, Josko Celan, Miroslav Klaric, Gordon Sladoljev, Barbara Kovacic-Domancic, Zeljko Ostoja, Miroslav Lozina, and Marko Djaja.

They act like they're high-society intellectuals from San Francisco, hanging out at some trendy cafe on the coast, posing in front of massive portraits. They’re calling on the government to ban this year’s Pride Parade, claiming—and I'll say this once more for the people in the back—that "Antonia Bilic is an indirect victim of last year's Pride, since thousands of cops were pulled off searching for a missing girl just to secure the parade on the boardwalk."

I wasn't exactly pointing toward that specific article, rather I was thinking more about his entire body of work as a whole...

Walter Grant5 said:It’s not about personal beliefs. It’s about pushing that whole warrior mentality twenty years too late. Digging up history when you shouldn't, dragging everyone's headspace back into all that negative crap, keeping the war complex alive. Shouldn't winning a war actually feel like a win? Like some kind of closure? Instead, it's just sitting there like bad takeout in your stomach. How does that help anyone? It's a total paradox.

Probably isn't positive—but you can't just decree how people think, that's not how it works and it just causes backlash. Personally, I can't even read the political threads on this forum because all this digging up old Civil War grudges makes me want to gag, but I get that collective mindset shifts slowly... it takes time.

Ashley Martinez6 said:I certainly don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for anyone, as I really haven't been privy to the full context surrounding that particular comment... though, if I were to venture a guess, it’s quite possible the remark was directed at people who simply lack a certain level of intellectual depth or foresight...🤣
By repeating that specific insult over three hundred times, Al Dežulović has effectively stripped away any lingering doubt regarding his true intentions... it’s become quite clear now that he is fully committed to settling the score with them once and for all...
The way he just went head-to-head with them like that... honestly, I think the wording is absolutely spot on, which really sets the stage for that lawsuit and the whole $150,000 settlement we’re looking at... 😉

I wasn't exactly pointing toward that specific article, rather I was thinking more about his entire body of work as a whole...

What kind of twisted metrics are we using to measure morality these days? Is it now considered acceptable to defy all logic and common sense by attempting to pin a murder on an entire group of people, simply to feed into a pre-existing wave of prejudice? It seems that nowadays, such tactics are perfectly permissible—even encouraged—to be paraded out in front of the public eye.

But when you find yourself being scrutinized by people in the public eye, isn't it strange how quickly everything changes? Because of that. You really shouldn't go around calling people brats; it's just not a good look, is it?

Ashley Martinez6 said:I certainly don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for anyone, as I really haven't been privy to the full context surrounding that particular comment... though, if I were to venture a guess, it’s quite possible the remark was directed at people who simply lack a certain level of intellectual depth or foresight...🤣
By repeating that specific insult over three hundred times, Al Dežulović has effectively stripped away any lingering doubt regarding his true intentions... it’s become quite clear now that he is fully committed to settling the score with them once and for all...
The way he just went head-to-head with them like that... honestly, I think the wording is absolutely spot on, which really sets the stage for that lawsuit and the whole $150,000 settlement we’re looking at... 😉

I wasn't exactly pointing toward that specific article, rather I was thinking more about his entire body of work as a whole...

His work isn't garbage just because people can't pay their rent.

The fundamental mistake Thompson made was failing to publicly distance himself from those extremist factions, though if you look closely, he didn't really want to, since staying silent kept the money flowing his way...

You had people like Mason, Stavros, Jole, and Peđa Grbin all singing along too—even Juro and Boban joined in—but unlike him, they didn't exactly strike gold from it 🤣

That being said, if you set the politics aside, Thompson actually writes some beautiful love songs, arguably even more of them than he does patriotic ones...

Larry Fox5 said:Probably isn't positive—but you can't just decree how people think, that's not how it works and it just causes backlash. Personally, I can't even read the political threads on this forum because all this digging up old Civil War grudges makes me want to gag, but I get that collective mindset shifts slowly... it takes time.

It's not that I don't agree. I'm just saying that in this desperate rush to scrub the country clean of the scars from the war, all you're doing is staining everyone's psyche even deeper with that trauma.

brightpilot6 said:What kind of twisted metrics are we using to measure morality these days? Is it now considered acceptable to defy all logic and common sense by attempting to pin a murder on an entire group of people, simply to feed into a pre-existing wave of prejudice? It seems that nowadays, such tactics are perfectly permissible—even encouraged—to be paraded out in front of the public eye.

But when you find yourself being scrutinized by people in the public eye, isn't it strange how quickly everything changes? Because of that. You really shouldn't go around calling people brats; it's just not a good look, is it?

Those aren't new standards, though; things have always worked this way...
The local LGBTQ+ advocacy groups should have filed suit against those individuals, much like those guys sued the free press, because we aren't living in the Stone Age where we just resort to physical violence, or worse yet, leverage our professional positions and jobs just to insult someone else...

Walter Grant5 said:His work isn't garbage just because people can't pay their rent.

Honestly, I don't even want to get into the weeds of writing this all out right now, but the core issue here is a lack of funding, and that kind of financial strain ripples out to affect a million other things...

You gotta clarify what you mean by "you're just sitting there judging people who can barely afford groceries while obsessing over their every move. Absolute bottom of the barrel."

He’s just talking trash about people who aren't even in the same tax bracket as him.

Ashley Martinez6 said:Now, just so we're clear, I'm not talking about Thompson here (though I do agree with your point), but this observation of yours could apply to almost any American, including those "great" writers you hold in such high esteem... people like DeJulovic, Tomic, or Pavicic.
Do I even need to bring up someone like Matija Babic, who made such a career out of exposing massive scandals, only to turn around shortly after and publicly call on people to dodge their taxes... while being a tax evader himself, naturally... 🙏🙏 🙏
And what about those illustrious authors at EPH? They're pulling in $50,000 net a month, and everything would be fine if they weren't working for a private corporation that the government has drained of countless billions in subsidies... a type of firm that arguably benefits from being private rather than state-owned.

It’s always easiest to sit there and moralize, to point fingers at veterans, the church, the poor, the rural folk, the religious zealots, or the stubborn types... especially when you're pulling in a monthly salary that an average American earns in an entire year.
Most of these worms' articles are just overflowing with bitterness, contempt, and pure vitriol, and honestly, spitting on others is the easiest thing in the world to do.

To be fair, DeJulovic writes quite well when he sticks to sports or topics that don't involve Americans, history, or political extremists...

Speaking of those worms, since they act so incredibly arrogant behind a keyboard, why on earth do they hire the best lawyers in the country whenever they get hit with a private lawsuit over their supposedly "brilliant" columns? 🙏

Here is the article that forced Free Press to pay out damages: http://pescanik.net/za-njih-bi-lo-...og-ne-postoji/
Just a little thought experiment: what do you think would happen if you talked absolute trash about your boss at work? $0.00 I'd be fired on the spot.
In all honesty, this piece represents the absolute rock bottom of journalism, and it certainly doesn't belong in a daily newspaper, particularly not given a salary of $50,000 $0.00 a month.

They should stick to writing on their own blogs; this kind of garbage isn't fit for a major publication. Anyway, take care... ☕

I don't usually hang around here much, but I couldn't just sit back and let that absolute nonsense of yours slide without saying something.
Looks like everyone else already weighed in on this, and honestly, I’m right there with them. I can't find anything to add—every single word they said hits the nail on the head.

brightpilot6 said:It’s an excellent piece of reporting, one I haven't come across until now. Honestly, one has to be truly contemptible to try and link a Pride parade to the murder of a young woman; it really is the lowest, most insidious form of "logic" used against anyone with differing views. Not to mention the total lack of basic reasoning regarding whether a connection even exists—or more importantly, the question of why those police officers were stationed there in the first place.

A legitimate media outlet would have simply paid that ridiculous fine with pride, rather than throwing their own journalist under the bus.

Anthony Jackson2 said:A text you could sign off on word for word. He named names and pinpointed the culprits behind everything involving that parade. Everything he wrote holds up.

brightpilot6 said:What kind of twisted metrics are we using to measure morality these days? Is it now considered acceptable to defy all logic and common sense by attempting to pin a murder on an entire group of people, simply to feed into a pre-existing wave of prejudice? It seems that nowadays, such tactics are perfectly permissible—even encouraged—to be paraded out in front of the public eye.

But when you find yourself being scrutinized by people in the public eye, isn't it strange how quickly everything changes? Because of that. You really shouldn't go around calling people brats; it's just not a good look, is it?

So, are we suggesting that the defenders of tradition are fundamentally at odds with those living in poverty?
It’s much the same when you look at politicians; they are essentially reflections of the very people who put them in office. The chaos we see from young hooligans, that mindless aggression, the echoes of old-school extremism, and all that irrational hatred toward anyone deemed an outsider... it’s all deeply intertwined with these larger existential struggles we face as a society.
If the average American weren't constantly preoccupied with making ends meet just to stay afloat, perhaps there wouldn't be such a desperate need for these outlets, though I suppose if our commentators focused on anything other than sports, they might find themselves being laughed out of the room...

So, if I’m reading this right, Thompson’s love poems are basically required reading now?

EDIT: required reading

Patriotism and tax evasion don't exactly make for a great combo, but what really sticks in my throat about Thompson is this: MPT

Especially since he dodged that whole organized forum discussion on the topic right after—which makes zero sense if you're actually innocent of media smears—and claimed everything he sings and thinks is his truth. Look, he’s got some decent tracks, sure, but if people actually listened to the subtext, they'd probably find some catchy speeches by Hitler too.

EDIT: And honestly, being banned from performing in certain parts of Europe (if not the whole EU, I can't be sure) says all you need to know about his character.

Good grief, where on earth did you crawl out from, 🙏🙏 🙂

At first glance, I actually wondered if Morgan Williams was trying to channel some kind of satirical columnist, but then I remembered that whole mess during the opening of the NBA season 🕺

Ashley Martinez6 said:The fundamental mistake Thompson made was failing to publicly distance himself from those extremist factions, though if you look closely, he didn't really want to, since staying silent kept the money flowing his way...

You had people like Mason, Stavros, Jole, and Peđa Grbin all singing along too—even Juro and Boban joined in—but unlike him, they didn't exactly strike gold from it 🤣

That being said, if you set the politics aside, Thompson actually writes some beautiful love songs, arguably even more of them than he does patriotic ones...

Just to add to that—if you set aside "Čavoglave," "Juru i Bobana," and that other garbage, Thompson has some seriously impressive rock tracks. You’d be surprised how many people in the Midwest actually listen to him.

Adam King6 said:I don't usually hang around here much, but I couldn't just sit back and let that absolute nonsense of yours slide without saying something.
Looks like everyone else already weighed in on this, and honestly, I’m right there with them. I can't find anything to add—every single word they said hits the nail on the head.

If you had taken just a moment to actually digest the text, you would have realized that I am in complete agreement with his article, with the sole exception of those 358 instances where he happens to use the word "jerk." ☕

You mentioned reacting to my "nonsense," which, I suppose, is a fair enough assessment of the situation...

However, if you had gone so far as to call me a fool—and I mean explicitly stating it two hundred times over—then we would be having a very different conversation, because I would have certainly reported your post to the moderators...

Ashley Martinez6 said:So, are we suggesting that the defenders of tradition are fundamentally at odds with those living in poverty?
It’s much the same when you look at politicians; they are essentially reflections of the very people who put them in office. The chaos we see from young hooligans, that mindless aggression, the echoes of old-school extremism, and all that irrational hatred toward anyone deemed an outsider... it’s all deeply intertwined with these larger existential struggles we face as a society.
If the average American weren't constantly preoccupied with making ends meet just to stay afloat, perhaps there wouldn't be such a desperate need for these outlets, though I suppose if our commentators focused on anything other than sports, they might find themselves being laughed out of the room...

The "veterans" getting all this loud-mouthed criticism in this country are the ones pulling $4,000 a month pensions. They're basically political puppets protesting on our backs. I know there are people behind the scenes—well-off types being handed $67 a day just to eat lamb and hang out in tents to make the crowds look bigger. They demand meetings without even having a real reason to ask for them... etc. These aren't the actual struggling vets, definitely not the ones in the same circle as those big-name lobbyists...

I know these people exist because I personally know one of them.

Yeah, hating others is linked to existential issues, but nothing justifies random hate. Besides, taking criticism won't kill you. It makes you better, smarter, stronger. Gives you some perspective. Avoiding criticism just leaves you narrow-minded.

@Morgan Williams you still in town?

Gregory Chavez said:Just to add to that—if you set aside "Čavoglave," "Juru i Bobana," and that other garbage, Thompson has some seriously impressive rock tracks. You’d be surprised how many people in the Midwest actually listen to him.

Personally, I’ve always loved his older love songs. He hardly ever plays them at shows anymore, which is a shame.
Regarding those specific songs everyone keeps bringing up, I remember seeing this one viral video where a bunch of drunk guys in a dive bar were beltng them out at the top of their lungs.