I guess I just wasn’t made for these times.

thug (plural thugs)

1. A criminal who treats others violently and roughly, especially for hire
2. One of a band of assassins formerly active in northern India who worshiped Kali and offered their victims to her

It’s been fascinating reading the Florida and Auburn message boards over the past three weeks in the wake of a rejuvenated Georgia team’s wins over both schools. The emerging consensus is that Richt is in the process of converting the Georgia program into Miami or FSU North and that he’s unleashing… well, if not the Mongol hordes, at least a bunch of thugs.

Now understand that nobody’s seen a Georgia player throw a punch or engage in consistently dirty play. And there hasn’t been a hand gun in sight (although we seem to have been overrun with scooters). Nope, the hand wringing and teeth gnashing are all about celebrating.

At least with the Florida game, you could make an argument that what took place occurred with the two teams in close proximity to each other and that there was a risk that a Riot in Cell Block 9 might break out at any minute. (I didn’t say it was a good argument, but at least you could trot it out.)

But here’s what has the Auburn posters’ panties in a wad – dancing on the sidelines.

To be fair, some of the Georgia players were waving towels.

Look, I’m a 51 year old guy who doesn’t particularly like rap music. I’ve got three daughters and I’m more than sympathetic to those who criticize much of the genre for its misogynistic view of women. But it seems to me that if you’re going to elevate dancing to the playing of a rap beat (not the words, mind you) into evidence that a bunch of kids are little more than criminally minded delinquents – double check the definition of “thug” at the beginning of this post, please – you’d best make sure that all the windows in your glass house are brightly polished.

After all, supporters of the Auburn program like to associate themselves with a song that sports lyrics like these:

Welcome to the jungle
We take it day by day
If you want it you’re gonna bleed
But it’s the price you pay
And you’re a very sexy girl
That’s very hard to please
You can taste the bright lights
But you won’t get them for free
In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Feel my, my, my serpentine
I, I wanna hear you scream

The generational and social aspects of this don’t escape me. And this isn’t to say that if you want to argue that you don’t like piped in music of any sort at a college game that I wouldn’t listen more favorably to your griping. (I would.)

But the ante is considerably upped in my opinion when you start tossing out the “t” word. Unless you want to start calling these guys thugs, too.

Loosen up, folks. When Lundquist and Danielson are jiggling along, it’s just not worth getting worked up about this.