Quote Originally Posted by Will Stewart View Post
After reading this thread, I want to chime in with two thoughts, one of which is brief -- nc_hokie87's post was the trigger for it -- and one of which is a little more lengthy.

1.) I have never, either on this board or in personal conversations, heard a single person evaluate Seth's worthiness as VT's coach on the basis of his being Jewish (or not). It makes me wonder if some of our posters who bring up the possibility are looking for something that's not there. I'm not just calling you out, nc_hokie87, there is at least one other poster who appears to be on the same hunt for antisemitism. I don't see it. I do think that Seth's upbringing and background affect how he interacts with people, but isn't that true for all of us? We are the products of our environment and our culture. Seth's no different. But I have never heard anyone say he's not fit to coach VT because he's a "new York Jew." So please quit hunting for something that's not there.

2.) One of the biggest reasons I posted the poll about Seth's job status (click here to see it) was because I wondered about the numbers behind the heated debates that I see on this board. Since the team started tanking in January, there have been a TON of emotionally-charged, back and forth debates about Seth.

But here are the numbers: Out of 4,081 people who voted in the poll, only 283 (6.9%) think that Seth should be "fired right now." Almost twice as many, 547 (13.4%), think the exact opposite -- that Seth is doing a great job and his job status shouldn't even be talked about.

The giant bell-curve in the middle -- the other 78.7% -- think Seth should be given more time to prove himself. Some think he'll be gone, probably soon, others haven't made their minds up yet.

So, here's my point ... when we get these big back-and-forth threads between Seth supporters and Seth denigraters, what we're actually seeing are the 6.9% going back and forth with the other 93.1%, in some form or fashion. Think about that.

6.9% is one out of every 14 people. If there were 14 people at a party, and one of them says something like, "Seth did a pretty good job on ESPN, did you see it?" ... and someone diverts the conversation into criticism of Seth, that drags down the conversation.

Then maybe one of the people says something like, "I think Finney-Smith can be really good. He struggled this year, but he really showed promise at the end of the season." ... and someone diverts the conversation into criticism of Seth, that drags down the conversation.

If one of the people says, "How about NC State? They were a bubble team, and now they're in the Sweet 16!" ... and someone diverts the conversation into criticism of Seth, that drags down the conversation.

If one of the people says, "Boy, am I glad VCU got eliminated. That was a neat story at first, but as a VT fan, all the VCU love was starting to bug me." ... and someone diverts the conversation into criticism of Seth, that drags down the conversation.

A question, then: Would you really do that? Would you stand in a group of 14 people, and constantly divert the conversation so you could spew negativity and ugliness? How quickly would the other 13 start looking around, splitting off, maybe going outside for a break, or maybe going to get a drink, so they don't have to listen to you hijack the conversation AGAIN? How quickly would the other 13 people realize that there was no point having a discussion with you, and presenting opposing viewpoints, if all you're going to do is vehemently spew negativity?

Something to think about. If you're anti-Seth, you have probably made your point by now. Maybe more than you should. It might be time to back off a little bit and quit turning every conversation about something else into an anti-Seth rant. At some point, it just makes you look bad.
Thanks for a very balanced, enlightening post. I will here forward strive walk away with the other 12 persons and find a more productive discussion.