Rumour I'm just starting is that the turrets woven into the fabric represent the three towns of the Plymouth City brand and are to get us accustomed to seeing them as they are the begining of a migration away from the Mayflower. Times have changed and much like the issues the Exeter Chiefs had with their branding, Argyle are going to dissaciotate themselves from an image that too some, represents the arrival of colonisation and the suppression of indigenous people.
I am guessing that this post is just a wind-up, but it illustrates the internet problem that at the other end of the spectrum can lead to the storming of the US Capital Building by insurrectionists who mainly had no idea that they were insurrectionists - you throw out wild speculation based on a grain of truth and some people think "may be" and it grows from there and becomes a stick to beat people with; because people are not wired to think of the balance of the evidence for or against a wild speculation rumour; particularly as we have become used to a decade or so of exactly the same thing, and we all have our biases towards and against the political right and political left.
What is the evidence for, and the evidence against this "rumour" that someone may want to start, even if to plant a seed in someone else's mind?
For -
Some people may wish to eradicate all historical symbols of the oppression of indigenous people by colonisation. These people tend to be on the far left of the political spectrum and our chairman is to the left/liberal side of the political spectrum.
Against -
The Mayflower may not generally be seen as a symbol of oppression of the indigenous American peoples. Indeed, the Pilgrim Fathers may remain very mainstream in American culture which is respected with an annual family orientated bank holiday that is valued and engaged with by the vast majority of American people of all cultures.
As far as I am aware, our chairman has not previously gone on record with extreme far left views. To the contrary he appears to be a capitalist with strong liberal values. This supports the taking of a knee if the players want to engage with it, but does not demand the pulling down of statues or the eradication of historical symbols.
The club wishes to release a strongly innovative players' shirt that reflects the community in which the club sits.
The club wants to be as imaginative as it can be with the symbology of the club. This is "new Argyle", we are different from any other peer club and want to show it.
Turrets have always symbolised the "city" of Plymouth.
The club's crest used to contain the city's turrets. Turrets are nostalgic for the club.
The chairman's old school badge included the city's turrets. He may strongly associate turrets with the city.
The turrets stood against the Nazi blitz. Turrets are nostalgic for the city and the people of Plymouth.
There is probably more.
So, on any jury's evaluation, I would suggest that "beyond any reasonable doubt", the evidence for and against indicates that the inclusion of turrets in the club shirt design is not a first step to the removal of the Mayflower from the club crest because the club sees the Mayflower as a symbol of the oppression of the first American people, or is in any way a first step in softening us up so that this long term plan of removing the Mayflower can be achieved by the club.
The statement was totally ridiculous but written in a way that some people may just think "may be". It deserves to be called out.
