“Keep your Marxist hands off Gritty”: WSJ writer fumes over allegations that a mascot is antifa

Vice ^ | 10/08/18 | Rex Santus

[Libloather]

Gritty, the bright orange, furry, 7-foot creature of Philadelphian origin, is no longer a simple mascot for a hockey team: Antifa activists have co-opted him as their own. In fact, they so effectively claimed Gritty as a working-class, leftist icon that the Wall Street Journal was forced to publish an anguished op-ed Monday demanding that these people keep their “Marxist hands off Gritty.”

“The same leftists who want statues of Thomas Jefferson removed are now petitioning for Gritty to replace Mayor Frank Rizzo on a downtown mural,” Jillian Kay Melchior said in the Wall Street Journal op-ed.

“Gritty belongs to Philadelphia, not to far-left activists. Still, in an era when everything from Nike and the NFL to your local restaurant is a political battlefield, this development is as predictable as it is sad,” she said. “Not only can’t we have nice things; we can’t even have silly, creepy things.”

[Libloather]

Leftist activists immediately latched on to Gritty after the Philadelphia Flyers introduced him as their new mascot in late September. The socialist magazine Jacobin, for example, tweeted on Sept. 26 that “Gritty is a worker.”

So is mom. Now, get back into the basement. And no sammich for you.

[jarwulf]

They hate their opponents so much they have to ape them by adopting a cartoon mascot too.

[ETL]

What is they offered them a replacement, such as...

[ETL]

[ETL]

[P.O.E.]

“Gritty is a 7-foot-tall fuzzy orange creature who will be part of the team’s community outreach efforts, according to CBS Philadelphia.

The character’s bio page suggests Gritty is still working through anger issues:

His father was a “bully,” so naturally he has some of those tendencies — talented but feisty, a fierce competitor, known for his agility given his size. He’s loyal but mischievous; the ultimate Flyers fan who loves the orange and black, but is unwelcoming to anyone who opposes his team.”

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gritty-philly-flyers-mascot-backlash_us_5ba9568be4b0375f8f9fc4b0

[ETL]

Protesters use Flyers' new mascot 'Gritty' to decry Trump

[NurdlyPeon]

And yet ANOTHER incident where all I have to say is: read my tag line.

[bert]

Philadelphia is a left wing, no longer America city

It is so far gone, it can’t be salvaged

[IronJack]

I would imagine Gritty has trademark protections. Maybe the anti-fags would be more appropriately represented by “Shi-ty”.

[airborne]

Hockey Ping!

(let me know if you want on or off the ping list)

[\/\/ayne]

I’m no Communist, and I’ll you that right now
I believe a man should own his own house and car and cow

- I'm No Communist Lulu Belle & Scotty

[Psalm 144]

LOL! It took the mushroom people this long to attempt a Pepe putsch???

[griswold3]

Needs an udder with a million teats

[WMarshal]

Gritty has sanpaku eyes.

[ETL]

Lol! Thanks. Never heard or saw that before.

[ETL]

____________________________________________________________________

PETE SEEGER: "I AM A COMMUNIST"

Communist Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen perform at Obama's Inauguration, 2009.

[dfwgator]

What would Dave Schultz do?

[Gritty]

That obviously isn't me.

I don't skate. ;-)

[ConservativeStatement]

What would Ed Snider do?

Former team owner from 1967 until his passing a couple of years ago. And a conservative politically. Good humanitarian, too.