We have lost a lot of our ability to understand decorum as a society. While this certainly isn't a the-good-days-are-gone message (there was a lot of bad in the past, too), to a large degree, social media and talking-head media have changed the way people approach and react to one another.
Name-calling is OK to do, it seems, even if one is an adult.
This specific situation surrounds former Indianapolis Colts punter (and current ESPN talking head) Pat McAfee standing up at game 4 of the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers playoff game in Indianapolis and trying to get the crowd worked up. In doing so, he called people names and used abusive language.
Singer John Mellencamp took to social media to criticize McAfee's comments, but did not name the former punter.
Mellencamp said in part, "I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don’t know, called out some of the people who had made the trip from New York to support their team — and in turn, support our team. The audience booed these people. I'd say that was not Hoosier Hospitality...On behalf of most Hoosiers, I would like to apologize for our poor behavior."
At that, Pat McAfee went off the proverbial deep end.
Pat McAfee followed somebad trends in attacking John Mellencamp
Pat McAfee needs to understand there might be children in an audience
During McAfee's comments near the end of game 4 of the Knicks and Pacers playoff series, when he tried to fire up a crowd that didn't need it, McAfee included the phrases "turn this s--- up" and "send these sons of b------ back to New York with their ears ringing." The talking head is obviously incapable of enticing a crowd by using foul language.
Bad language at times is fine, but one needs to understand their audience. Parents bring small kids to games, and having some awareness that young ears do not need to hear mean-spirited comments is important. We live in a culture now where name-calling and meanness are far too common. McAfee was an example of that.
Pat McAfee needs to learn that it is OK that people sometimes disagree with him
Another common issue is that some people have lost the understanding that some people will not like what they have to say and that disagreements are OK. The people doing the disagreeing don't always have a personal dislike of the other person. They might simply not like a view.
McAfee immediately resorted to Mellencamp's comments by trying to tear down the singer personally. Mellencamp did not call McAfee names (he didn't even mention his name), but commented on the situation. That was the correct way to speak about the issue.
McAfee went low while Mellencamp tried to stay high. The former punter said on his ESPN program, "What a moment for John Coug yesterday. I don't know what he thought he was doing with that particular quote tweet...John, can't tell you how bad everything you did here was...John, shut the fuck up, OK?"
But then McAfee got far more personal, "You try and think you're gonna bury me? I don't think so, John. Hey Coug, suck it buddy! Hope I get a chance to see you real soon. I think we're probably gonna be in the same place pretty soon. I don't want any of your bullshit. I don't like you. I know your name, and I don't like you."
McAfee...why? Just because someone disagreed with you, you turned into the lowest form of intelligence and attacked Mellencamp personally instead of addressing the situation as the singer did. Shame on you.
John Mellencamp was right
Mellencamp's gripe was not that Pacers fans booed the Knicks or anyone else. His issue was with someone who was not directly involved in the game with grabbing a microphone and working up the crowd in a negative way. There was no need for McAfee to call other fans names. McAfee created a storyline that did not need to be there.
It is OK to root for one's team without demeaning the fans of other teams. Doing so is non-sensical and crude. McAfee clearly never learned to play with class.