Most of us learned long ago that nursery rhymes were not written to soothe the moods of children, create a joyful atmosphere, or to capture their attention but were instead penned to display covert opposition to tyrannical, cruel and perverted dictators and similar monarchies. As most of you also realize especially during the middle ages in Europe, protesting against the powers-that-were, could often leave the dissident with a stiff neck, a headache and in many cases, no head at all.
For example, the following is an excerpt from a popular 19th century nursery rhyme. For all of you aficionados’ out there don’t get your “dander” up because I am not quoting the piece of “literature” verbatim.
“Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush so early in the morning. This is the way we wash our face, wash our face, wash our face. This is the way we comb our hair, comb our hair, comb our hair. This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth. This is the way we put on our clothes, put on our clothes, put on our clothes. So early in the morning.”
Most of us have erroneously defined that children’s piece as a facilitator of merriment. That is a total misconception based on idealism, not realism. Why? Well according to wikipedia.com: “Historian R. S. Duncan suggests that the song originated with female prisoners at HMP Wakefield [in the UK] A sprig was taken from Hatfield Hall (Normanton Golf Club) in Stanley, Wakefield, and grew into a fully mature mulberry tree around which prisoners exercised in the moonlight.”
Even though this is pure speculation, one can imagine prisoners singing the song, openly mocking prison authorities in a very covert way. They are saying that all of their actions are dictated by those who oversee their lives on a daily basis.
As of this moment the NFL has many hoops that the players must jump through and many rings of fire that the players must run through just to make a living.
NFL players are dictated to and must go far beyond their performance on the gridiron, just to satisfy and pacify the status quo. There is no such thing as autonomy in the NFL, here’s why.
Minnesota Viking s running back Adrian Peterson went through hell and high water (some would argue justifiably) because of child abuse allegations. Although, at times the Vikings acted as though he was “damaged goods,” as soon as he began to explore other options Minnesota began to “pee on the pole” and mark their territory.
ESPN Vikings reporter Ben Goessling recently reported from Eden Prairie, Minnesota that: “While Adrian Peterson missed his second day of Minnesota Vikings’ organized team activities, coach Mike Zimmer laid out a simple choice for the running back: Play for us or play for no one.”
ESPN’s Mark Clayton also quoted Zimmer as saying “He’s not going to play for anybody else.”
The NFL dances around like they’re handing out welfare checks in Flatbush” when it comes to disciplining the master cheater and manipulator New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, all while implementing the “anti-Curt Flood rule,” violating the very tenets of capitalism when it comes to players exercising basic American rights, like the freedom to work for whom you wish while able to set your own price without your value being manipulated by the media and false standards.
Why should a player be forced to play for a team that doesn’t want to pay him “the price that he demands?” Yardbarker posted an Adrian Peterson Tweet that went something like this as far as his current contract is concerned. “Question for the people, is a contract two sided or one? Ok great two sided! Well why when one party decides … Mr.? We want you to take a pay cut now or better yet flat out release you! There’s never no talk about honoring a contract! I know hundreds of player’s that wished their team would’ve HONORED the contract! But instead got threw to the side like like trash.
A lill crazy how one side has so much power that they can do as they please when it come to the contract! But when the other-side (player’s) feels for whatever reason! Family, Change of scenery or simply – what they feels just might work best for them! Those same laws don’t apply!”
The NFL powers-that-be often remind their players very emphatically to: “do as the league says, not as the league does.” However, sometimes the league follows the advice of the great imaginary sage and philosopher for the ages, Forrest Gump.
Can’t you hear the words of Monsieur Gump, flowing from the mouths of the NFL ownership “skyping” with the NFL brass reminding them that; “stupid is as stupid does.”
In other words, do as we say, not as we do. May the mulberry bush be now and forever known as: the burning bush.
(The sources for this article were espn.com, yardbarker.com and wikipedia.com)
Aubrey Bruce can be reached at: abruce@newpittsburghcourier.com or 412583.6741
He is also a contributing columnist on urbanmediatoday.com
Follow him on Twitter@ultrascribe
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