It is complicated.
I'd use a specific example of some neighbors I have, but I really don't want to say their attitude or beliefs to be honest. Suffice it to say in some ways they would approach the worst of Hurts detractors. On the other hand, the last conversation I had with my brother before he passed away was about Tua. My brother was a good guy, didn't bash players, but he was just legitimately enthused about Tua's abilities, he wasn't saying a lot of negative stuff about Hurts. The knowledge that people like my neighbors exist can poison reasonable conversations about Tua and Hurts, though.
I got overly defensive of Hurts, and sometimes I still have that instinctual reaction. I think he can do more than be a running back, I don't think he was a good fit with Daboll's offense or what Alabama was trying to do, but I've seen him better utilized and I've seen him be effective. So, when people talk about a guy who is actually younger than Tua, younger than even AJ when he first started, who actually has 3 years of eligibility left and seem to think he should just switch positions and be done with it, that's not hate but it does seem to be writing him off. On the other hand, if Drew Bledsoe is your quarterback, and Drew was a solid QB, but if you have Tom Brady on your bench, how do you not call for Tom Brady to play?
The problem I had is I fixated on the negative (sometimes completely accurate) things being said about Hurts. If you have a 100 page topic about Hurts, there's going to be negative things said, and I did feel a cumulative effect. It did start to blend together to me, I see it said that Hurts isn't a good quarterback, he's really a running back, he should be benched, he needs to change positions, etc... and those messages get repeated, at a point it felt like it was too much, like it had gone too far. The thing I lost perspective on was that for the most part, individual posters were being perfect reasonable and rational. The psychological effect of hearing what are negative things about Hurts over and over are probably more powerful than intended. I can't blame Jay Barker or Tua for their reactions, because I felt that myself and to be honest overreacted. I think it's a reminder both from my actions, but from the actions of others that our words can mean more than we intend them to mean, and on the internet we have no way of truly conveying how we feel, some things said can be taken more harshly than intended.
I'd use a specific example of some neighbors I have, but I really don't want to say their attitude or beliefs to be honest. Suffice it to say in some ways they would approach the worst of Hurts detractors. On the other hand, the last conversation I had with my brother before he passed away was about Tua. My brother was a good guy, didn't bash players, but he was just legitimately enthused about Tua's abilities, he wasn't saying a lot of negative stuff about Hurts. The knowledge that people like my neighbors exist can poison reasonable conversations about Tua and Hurts, though.
I got overly defensive of Hurts, and sometimes I still have that instinctual reaction. I think he can do more than be a running back, I don't think he was a good fit with Daboll's offense or what Alabama was trying to do, but I've seen him better utilized and I've seen him be effective. So, when people talk about a guy who is actually younger than Tua, younger than even AJ when he first started, who actually has 3 years of eligibility left and seem to think he should just switch positions and be done with it, that's not hate but it does seem to be writing him off. On the other hand, if Drew Bledsoe is your quarterback, and Drew was a solid QB, but if you have Tom Brady on your bench, how do you not call for Tom Brady to play?
The problem I had is I fixated on the negative (sometimes completely accurate) things being said about Hurts. If you have a 100 page topic about Hurts, there's going to be negative things said, and I did feel a cumulative effect. It did start to blend together to me, I see it said that Hurts isn't a good quarterback, he's really a running back, he should be benched, he needs to change positions, etc... and those messages get repeated, at a point it felt like it was too much, like it had gone too far. The thing I lost perspective on was that for the most part, individual posters were being perfect reasonable and rational. The psychological effect of hearing what are negative things about Hurts over and over are probably more powerful than intended. I can't blame Jay Barker or Tua for their reactions, because I felt that myself and to be honest overreacted. I think it's a reminder both from my actions, but from the actions of others that our words can mean more than we intend them to mean, and on the internet we have no way of truly conveying how we feel, some things said can be taken more harshly than intended.
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