All-Star Opinions Needed On Team Name - Offensive???

Eyes On The Prize said:

It kinda has a "King Tut Curse" story behind it. Legend says that the diamond was stolen from the statue of the Indian (as in the country India) idol Sita's forehead or eye or something. It is believed that that was when the curse started; the curse being that whoever not only owned the diamond, but came into contact with it, would live a life of bad luck and suffer a terrible death. Well, the man who stole it had sold it and later been ripped apart by wild dogs. There have been many terrible events and deaths suffered by it's owners - things like bankruptcy, gambling problems, suicide, beheading, deaths of children, etc.

The diamond was later given to the Smithsonian and is kept behind a glass case for viewing. It has quite the story to it if you want to research it further. Its very intimidating to look at in person after knowing of the curse, even through the glass

Click to expand...

Just-a-Mom said:

@Mamarazzi and @king nailed it. No way would my kids cheer on this team. I worked in jewelry for years (and I even am a certified gemologist - I know, who knew, right!?) and I've studied this extensively. The horror associated with just that phrase is something most people don't really understand. But think of it this way: it's perfectly legal in this country to sell a lot of products that are obtained through awful means (child labor, etc) and still conflict diamonds are absolutely not allowed even into this country, let alone allowed to be marketed and sold. Makes you think about what could possibly be happening to those people that even the dollar-driven people that run the jewelry industry won't accept it, right?

There are many classifications of diamonds with good connotations to them...champagne diamonds, flawless diamonds, etc. Why not go with those?

The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android || Upgrade Your Account!

Click to expand...

kristenthegreat said:

A little bit of it all. Ridiculous yet smart marketing that got everyone believing diamonds are worth more than they are, unsavory business practices, disregard for labor standards. Would there be such a rush for cheap expendable labor if people realized how low-value diamonds are and stopped buying them?

There's a reason most jewelry stores won't buy back diamonds. If you knew how much it was worth, it'd stop your heart.

The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android || Upgrade Your Account!

Click to expand...

Just-a-Mom said:

Yep - we only took them back on trade for a set valued at at least double whatever you were trading in (and by "valued" of course I mean "priced"!!! ) I never bought anything there - I bought all my jewelry from the jeweler we used or online. For about 85% less than we charged in the store for the same piece.

Click to expand...

kristenthegreat said:

I don't know if it's the general ratio for price, but I saw in one article that a diamond priced at $2000 is typically worth $600. I can only imagine what it cost to mine that..boggles my brain.

Click to expand...

Just-a-Mom said:

Probably. And also if the store has a tag on it that says $2,000 they have no intention of selling it for more than $1,400. We were allowed to take 30% off without even batting an eye. And to get it out the door we could usually do another 10-15%. The markup is absolutely astronomical - and that's AFTER cutting and setting. So that's not even counting the markup between mining and cutting.

It's very hard to imagine how they trace the stones through all the steps to make sure the ones coming to the US are not conflict diamonds (considering all the countries they go through for each step), but supposedly they do! I'm sure some get through though.

The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android || Upgrade Your Account!

Click to expand...

cheerextremehali said:

I have read it. I was educated on "blood diamonds" before this thread. I would have a different opinion if the team was wearing actual blood diamonds.

Orlando allstars have a team named "Indians", that is offensive because it is a direct racial slur

Click to expand...

alexamarysouza said:

That's a little different...the Orlando Allstars teams are all named after baseball teams...white Soxx, braves, angels, etc. this phrase has a historical meaning and is very offensive.


The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android || Upgrade Your Account!

Click to expand...

cheerextremehali said:

Just because Indians is named after a baseball team doesn't make it alright.. Blood diamond is a movie, it's a the same thing

Click to expand...

Cheeranswers said:

blood diamonds is NOT just a movie. and are you seriously saying "indian" is offensive but "blood diamond" isnt?
:cow:

Click to expand...

cheerextremehali said:

I obviously know its not just a movie? Just like indian isn't just a baseball team! Blood diamond is not a race, so I do not find it as offensive.
If you don't like my opinions why do you keep quoting everything I say?

Click to expand...

cheerextremehali said:

I obviously know its not just a movie? Just like indian isn't just a baseball team! Blood diamond is not a race, so I do not find it as offensive.
If you don't like my opinions why do you keep quoting everything I say?

Click to expand...