Reality
Of course I’m not going to let a chance to talk about the Tar Heels recent national championship pass, but I felt compelled to provide a bit more substance to my thoughts. I’ll leave the sports commentary to my friends over at CBS and Tar Heel Blue. Let’s take a minute to examine this image instead.
You’ll notice 6 championship banners. Some crafty individual added the 2009 banner with Photoshop, as indicated by its striking similarity to the 2005 one. A while back I was engaged in a fairly academic discussion about the ethics of modifying images and I think that this particular instance is interesting.
First consider that the photo conveys the presence of six national championship banners in the Dean Smith Center. This is entirely false. Only five are there. Now, what do those banners convey? Well, they convey that UNC has won six national championships. This is entirely true.
So what we have here is something false conveying something that is completely true. Is it ethical? Taking a Consequentialist perspective, the one factor which determines the appropriateness of an action is its result. In this case the resulting information is true therefore the action is appropriate. Philosophy aside, ask any Tar Heel. They’ll give props to the creator, I’m sure.
And, of course, Go Heels!
Aug 28, 2011
As a Kansas fan, we always get constant flak about hanging our helms banners as i’m sure you do. Since we have 3 NCAA titles, and two helms, there are five banners that portray “National Champions.”
I have tremendous respect for your program and of course, Dean Smith and Roy Williams.
Whenever I get into an argument about our banners. I promptly say “Of course we hang them, they were decided on and proclaimed nationally. And, one day, the NCAA will be no more…should we take the NCAA ones down when that takes effect. Although they NCAA titles are more vaild, because there was never “HELMS BASKETBALL, just Helms Titles.” And of course, when someone asks me how many Titles KU has, I say three. Man, if only we could have that 1957 one that is hanging in the Dean Dome…as you know UNC V. Kansas. 3 overtimes. UNC won.
I am sure you are excited on your potential sixth, as UNC is loaded as ever under Roy, you will have a tremendous season in 2011-2012.
However, back to the question…what do you think of KU hanging 5 banners that all say “NATIONAL CHAMPIONS” and have no mention of HELMS or NCAA. I wouldn’t object to them being changed to our 22′ and 23′ banners saying “Helms” and our other three “NCAA”
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/807/071/59_display_image.jpg?1300922452
Aug 28, 2011
And as far as other schools giving us hell, well, most of them giving us hell about hanging Helms Titles, don’t have any.