The Fail Room
It matters what you call things. Especially if you're an Alabama fan. From the Failure blog:
In December 2008, the visitors’ locker room at Alabama’s home field was christened “The Fail Room” (in honor of benefactor James M. Fail), and Crimson Tide opponents have experienced precious little success in the years since.
In fact, visiting teams lost 19 of 21 games between 2009 and 2011, the only victories authored by Auburn (in which soon-to-be NFL #1 draft pick Cam Newton brought the Tigers back from a 24-0 deficit), and a #1-ranked Louisiana State team (which escaped Tuscaloosa with a 9-6 win thanks to Alabama’s four missed field goals).
Really? Really:
In the nineteen losses, the visitors have been outscored by an average of 28.7 points a game, outcomes that were likely influenced by the Fail Room, says California native Dr. Rosanna E. Guadagno, a social psychologist who became a Crimson Tide fan after landing a job at the university and experiencing the excitement generated by the team. “There is some psychological theory that suggests we should see a difference in home games as a result of the Fail Room,” she contends.
Guadagno is referring to labeling theory, which posits that if you label somebody — by calling them shy or geeky, for instance — it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. With the help of graduate students at Alabama, she is currently working on an archival study of the psychological impact of the Fail Room; in other words, an applied demonstration of labeling theory.
“We are calling our visitors failures and suggesting that they are going to fail. I think it is detrimental to the psychological mindset of those who come to play at Alabama,” continues Guadagno, who argues this has more impact than, say, painting the visitors’ locker room pink, as the University of Iowa has done at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
In my continuing effort to make every single thing into an insight about the election, I offer this. "Labeling theory" works. You call Republicans "the party of the rich," and "out of touch" and "anti-female" enough, and it starts to stick. Not with the voting public, though. With Republicans themselves.
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Comments:
Aug '10
Re: The Fail Room
Wait, if we call Republicans "the party of the rich", doesn't that mean all us poor slobs in the party would become rich?
Because if so, forget elections, I want the money. Let's keep that label.
Can we also be the party of the hyper-intelligent, the party of the very successful, and the party of the incredibly attractive?
Oct '10
Re: The Fail Room
Hmmm, maybe we on the Right then should stop labeling Obama a "socialist anti-America alimentary canal orifice"...
Jul '10
Re: The Fail Room
Republicans are too punked to take on voter fraud head on, much less to actually be better at it than the other side. But, but, that would be "conflict" and there's a tee time obligation to be met. A more useless party is hard to imagine. At least the other disgraceful Party of Washington can win.
Anyone for Tea?
Re: The Fail Room
The Tide lost on Saturday and I'm sure you are posting this just to hurt me.
Jan '11
Re: The Fail Room
Unrelated, then there's that other name - "To the disappointment of all Harvard undergraduates, the late Harvard President Leonard Hoar (3rd president of Harvard College) has not yet had a house named after him (Hoar House)."
Dec '10
Re: The Fail Room
If this is true, I guess Republicans should nominate Steve Wynn for president next time around.
Jul '10
Re: The Fail Room
Is Guadagno taken into account that a Man Who was actually named Fail was somewhat successful?
Apr '12
Re: The Fail Room
I was just going to say... your timing's a little off, Rob. Apparently A&M didn't get the "fail" memo. Though I, as a Notre Dame fan, do not in the least mind the sweet reminder.
Apr '12
Re: The Fail Room
It would be right kind of them to lose again on the 24th instant.
May '10
Re: The Fail Room
"Women will remember in November!"
That was a bumper sticker that appeared a lot around here for the last year. Remember .... what?!? Didn't matter. There had to be some outrage inflicted upon women that they should remember and vote for Obama in November.
And so they did.
Dec '11
Re: The Fail Room
Are you sayin' that Aggies are too dumb to read the label?
Gig 'Em!
Apr '12
Re: The Fail Room
I once had a consulting gig that took me to Texas and I had to translate the back-and-forth of the Longhorn and Aggie jokes to the lead from New Jersey. That was more fun than the day the pigs et my little brother!
Edited on November 12, 2012 at 2:23amSep '12
Re: The Fail Room
A&M's victory was a welcome bright light in an otherwise dreary week. My guess is the team refused to be labeled by the opposition. (As an aside for those who might not know, A&M regularly ranks very high on lists of the nation's most conservative universities.)
Gig 'Em Aggies, looking forward to 3 more years of Johnny Football!
Re: The Fail Room
Yes! Sorry! I'm on the NR cruise -- this comment is costing me HUGE Internet connection charges -- and I did write it on Friday, for posting yesterday. Melanie, it never occurred to me that the Crimson Tide would falter. My apologies.
Sep '12
Re: The Fail Room
"Falter"? There we go again, losing the language.
Oct '12
Re: The Fail Room
The GOP fell into a trap. By constantly lauding the entrepreneurial class, protecting small businesses (and not so small ones) from tax increases, and firing back at "you didn't build that," they made working class and loads of middle class voters feel like they're contributions were unworthy to the business owners by comparison.
Jul '12
Re: The Fail Room
I'm somewhat confused by this. Having weathered the disappointment of not being able to enjoy the dirtier air and water that Romney promised (and Mimsy was so looking forward to running over a few orphans in the Rolls), now you're telling me I must wait for my compadres down at the club or (the gods help us) Thurston V and his little friends to form a Plutocrat party? Intolerable and insufferable, if I've heard you correctly.