News Article: Mike Matheson receiving Death Threats

Shareefruck

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And by the way. Let’s stop treating people who make death threats as though they’re so different from you or I or even the players. For example, in the heat of the moment even a high character guy like Erik Gudbranson made a death threat to Matt Martin which the only problem people had with it was he didn’t follow through.

At the end of the day this boils down to this fan base being extremely passionate. Probably the most passionate in the league. If not top 3. If you look it up, the root word of passion is suffering which makes perfect sense. Canucks fans have suffered more than almost every other fan base. So other people judging are totally ignorant. The suffering of Canucks fans creates a cause and effect relationship between passionate fan responses like sending death threats. To expect Canucks fans to act like monks is unrealistic. It would be nice but so would world peace. Expecting Canucks fans to forget their suffering is like expecting African Americans or First Nations Canadians to forget what they’ve been through and not be angry about it and act like they never suffered. It’s total ignorance.
Where that analogy falls apart is the reality that the suffering of Canucks fans is ultimately built on something that doesn't matter half as much as we like to treat it, is probably more than a little silly, and reacting to it with extreme, potentially destructive passion is a lot less justifiable than cases of actual, genuine, meaningful suffering.

Perhaps being top 3 most passionate in the league is actually a bad thing that we should feel a little bit ashamed and embarrassed about.
 
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Motte and Bailey

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Where that analogy falls apart is the reality that the suffering of Canucks fans is ultimately built on something that doesn't matter half as much as we like to treat it, is probably more than a little silly, and reacting to it with extreme, potentially destructive passion is a lot less justifiable than cases of actual, genuine, meaningful suffering.

Perhaps being top 3 most passionate in the league is actually a bad thing.

Of course African Americans and First Nations suffered more than Canucks fans. I would never say they didn’t. That doesn’t mean my analogy fails. Analogies aren’t supposed to be perfect comparisons with 100% similarities, go look up what an analogy is, because my analogy works. Canucks fans have suffered a lot. No one should disagree with that. And there are repercussions for that suffering even if you want to dismiss it as “oh well hockey isn’t that important” well it sure does feel important when your team scores a big goal or your player gets cheap shotted. You can’t control a natural reaction like that.
 

Shareefruck

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Of course African Americans and First Nations suffered more than Canucks fans. I would never say they didn’t. That doesn’t mean my analogy fails. Analogies aren’t supposed to be perfect comparisons with 100% similarities, go look up what an analogy is, because my analogy works. Canucks fans have suffered a lot. No one should disagree with that. And there are repercussions for that suffering even if you want to dismiss it as “oh well hockey isn’t that important” well it sure does feel important when your team scores a big goal or your player gets cheap shotted. You can’t control a natural reaction like that.
It's not a question of severity (who suffered more or less), though-- I would never criticize an analogy on that basis. Difference in severity does not invalidate any analogy. And you're right that the reaction part of the analogy, in total isolation, ignoring context, is analogous.

However, that key difference is where any conclusions drawn from the analogy have to stop being applied. One is unavoidable, unwanted suffering thrust upon a group and the terrible natural consequences to that, while the other is not only avoidable but entirely self-inflicted delusional suffering for the sake of something trivial, and the terrible non-trivial natural consequences to that.

That difference changes everything, and it's not a difference of severity, it's a difference of circumstance.
 
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Canucker

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Of course African Americans and First Nations suffered more than Canucks fans. I would never say they didn’t. That doesn’t mean my analogy fails. Analogies aren’t supposed to be perfect comparisons with 100% similarities, go look up what an analogy is, because my analogy works. Canucks fans have suffered a lot. No one should disagree with that. And there are repercussions for that suffering even if you want to dismiss it as “oh well hockey isn’t that important” well it sure does feel important when your team scores a big goal or your player gets cheap shotted. You can’t control a natural reaction like that.

Where this analogy runs into trouble is that any "suffering" by a Canucks fan is self inflicted by choice, whereas the suffering of First Nations and African Americans was inflicted upon them with no choice. A self inflicted suffering shouldn't rise to the level of threatening people with harm...or "repercussions".
 

Breakers

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I'm sure most of those death threats were sent to Gudbranson...There are some sick idiots in this fanbase.

I dont know how you could send a death threat over something like this.
I'd wager I am gudbranson's biggest hater, but he actually sounds like a pretty solid guy off the ice.

I can't imagine taking a team that serious to get to that point.
 

Hollywood Burrows

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Man this fanbase really likes to embarrass the hell out of themselves


you people are such tools, my god. You really believe this behaviour is AT ALL unique to canucks fans??

edit: it's certainly not remarkable, but the other day my friend linked me to a tumblr thread that featured multiple death threats over the last star wars movie. If you don't understand that death threats are part of discussing things online then you probably don't discuss things online often.

Nobody is excusing anything, obviously it's bad, but please spare us your whinging over the state of Canucks fandom. This "story" isn't indicative of anything except the passion of the fanbase.
 
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Motte and Bailey

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It's not a question of severity (who suffered more or less), though-- I would never criticize an analogy on that basis. Difference in severity does not invalidate any analogy. And you're right that the reaction part of the analogy, in total isolation, ignoring context, is analogous.

However, that key difference is where any conclusions drawn from the analogy have to stop being applied. One is unavoidable, unwanted suffering thrust upon a group and the terrible natural consequences to that, while the other is not only avoidable but entirely self-inflicted delusional suffering for the sake of something trivial, and the terrible non-trivial natural consequences to that.

That difference changes everything, and it's not a difference of severity, it's a difference of circumstance.

Where this analogy runs into trouble is that any "suffering" by a Canucks fan is self inflicted by choice, whereas the suffering of First Nations and African Americans was inflicted upon them with no choice. A self inflicted suffering shouldn't rise to the level of threatening people with harm...or "repercussions".

Meh I don’t really see it as a key difference. The suffering is there whether or not it was chosen. That’s the point. Someone who smokes 10 packs a day and gets lung cancer will suffer the same pain going through chemo as someone who never smoked but still got lung cancer. The circumstance doesn’t change the fact that suffering is suffering and it will therefore cause a reaction. This is not even to argue the arguable point that the choice to become a Canucks fan vs another team is most likely determined by arbitrary events like the location of ones birth or childhood.
 

Breakers

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you people are such tools, my god. You really believe this behaviour is AT ALL unique to canucks fans??

edit: it's certainly not remarkable, but the other day my friend linked me to a tumblr thread that featured multiple death threats over the last star wars movie. If you don't understand that death threats are part of discussing things online then you probably don't discuss things online often.

Nobody is excusing anything, obviously it's bad, but please spare us your whinging over the state of Canucks fandom. This "story" isn't indicative of anything except the passion of the fanbase.

Ohhhh it's passion. :sarcasm::sarcasm:
 

Motte and Bailey

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Jun 21, 2017
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you people are such tools, my god. You really believe this behaviour is AT ALL unique to canucks fans??

edit: it's certainly not remarkable, but the other day my friend linked me to a tumblr thread that featured multiple death threats over the last star wars movie. If you don't understand that death threats are part of discussing things online then you probably don't discuss things online often.

Nobody is excusing anything, obviously it's bad, but please spare us your whinging over the state of Canucks fandom. This "story" isn't indicative of anything except the passion of the fanbase.

I think the level of passion that Canucks fans have is somewhat unique in hockey. Of course it all pales in comparison to what European soccer fans and fans of other sports are likely to do.
 

Canucker

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you people are such tools, my god. You really believe this behaviour is AT ALL unique to canucks fans??

edit: it's certainly not remarkable, but the other day my friend linked me to a tumblr thread that featured multiple death threats over the last star wars movie. If you don't understand that death threats are part of discussing things online then you probably don't discuss things online often.

Nobody is excusing anything, obviously it's bad, but please spare us your whinging over the state of Canucks fandom. This "story" isn't indicative of anything except the passion of the fanbase.

And the stupidity of it.
 
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Canucker

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so according to this logic all fanbases are stupid. But you feel the need to single out canucks fans. you guys are very cool fans of this team

Defensive much? lol

The "act" is stupid, by any and every fanbase who does it...it just so happens that this happened with the Canucks fanbase and therefore is fodder for discussion among Canucks fans.
 

Hollywood Burrows

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Defensive much? lol

The "act" is stupid, by any and every fanbase who does it...it just so happens that this happened with the Canucks fanbase and therefore is fodder for discussion among Canucks fans.

I'm defensive about the Canucks fanbase when I see sniveling nerds like Elliotte Friedman and Imac trashing us for something that literally every group of fans of anything does, constantly, all the time. It's even worse when people like you swallow and barf up their smears on this forum.
 

Canucker

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I'm defensive about the Canucks fanbase when I see sniveling nerds like Elliotte Friedman and Imac trashing us for something that literally every fan of anything does, constantly, all the time. It's even worse when people like you swallow and barf up their smears on this forum.

Well I'm sorry to have touched such a sore spot, I hope you'll be ok.
 

Breakers

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so according to this logic all fanbases are stupid. But you feel the need to single out canucks fans. you guys are very cool fans of this team

You're damn right I feel the need to single out the canuck fan for something so idiotic.

I wouldn't expect this from any other hockey franchise except for Philly
 

rypper

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I'm defensive about the Canucks fanbase when I see sniveling nerds like Elliotte Friedman and Imac trashing us for something that literally every group of fans of anything does, constantly, all the time. It's even worse when people like you swallow and barf up their smears on this forum.

Imac riding his high horse trashing the entire fanbase because of a few assclowns pisses me off too. Mainly because he's such a hack.
 

Mr. Canucklehead

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Dec 14, 2002
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Whoever the individuals are that sent these threats to Matheson or the members of the Canucks, they are clearly in desperate need of mental help. Sickening that it happened, but hopefully they receive the intervention needed in their lives before it escalates to something more than just messages over social media.
 

Zippgunn

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Every sports fanbase has it's idiots and psychopaths. The Canucks are somewhat unique in that their team is the only major sport team in town (unless you count the Lions and I don't), they are hugely popular in this town and despite being in the league for almost 50 years they have never won a Cup despite a couple of close calls. Then there's the whole Naslund/Moore/Bertuzzi episode which certainly didn't help. And the sore loser riots. So when you combine all of these factors you are going to get a small (but very vocal) group of fans who go over the top, often enabled by the powers that be (CDC for example allows veteran posters to openly wish for injury or even death to hated opposition players which is IMHO irresponsible). Add to this toxic stew the anonymity of the internet and you are going to get some ugly stuff being said online a lot of which nobody has any intention of following through on. I try to ignore them because they are everywhere and reacting to them dignifies their crapola. Sucks to be them for sure.
 
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Pavel96

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I'm sure most of those death threats were sent to Gudbranson...There are some sick idiots in this fanbase.
Gudbranson is one of the worst regulars to wear a canucks jersey in a long time. I wonder if more Canucks fans would prefer him to be on another team even if it meant he walked for nothing? Probably- and the team would be better off.
 

StupidityKills

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you people are such tools, my god. You really believe this behaviour is AT ALL unique to canucks fans??

edit: it's certainly not remarkable, but the other day my friend linked me to a tumblr thread that featured multiple death threats over the last star wars movie. If you don't understand that death threats are part of discussing things online then you probably don't discuss things online often.

Nobody is excusing anything, obviously it's bad, but please spare us your whinging over the state of Canucks fandom. This "story" isn't indicative of anything except the passion of the fanbase.

This. Maybe to a person who never steps outside HF Boards or main stream news reports this is a big deal.

If you've ever had any sort of debaate or disagreement online someone has probably threatened to kill you or told you to kill yourself.

Yes, it's wrong, but welcome to the internet. The people acting like they are embarrassed and disgusted at Vancouver as a city are just as much of a joke.
 

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