Greatest Moral Victories of All Time

[SicEmBaylor]

A thread on the football board got me thinking about this. What are your nominations for the greatest moral victories of all time? They could be football related, historically related, or maybe unique to you personally. It doesn't matter.

My nominee for the greatest moral victory of all time is the Continental Army at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

[NYC Poke]

I can think of 79 of them.

[SicEmBaylor]

I can think of 79 of them.

I would expect as much from a fellow expert on moral victories.

[Chuck Bao]

In Thailand, the anti-government mob claims a moral victory by occupanying and trashing Government House over three months. They moved on Parliament Building earlier this week, surrounded it, cut off electricity and water and declared a moral victory.

Then yesterday, they invaded the airport. I'm not sure what moral victory they'll get out of shutting down the international airport. I know taxi drivers are pretty POed with them. So if they don't have a ride, they can think about their moral victory during the long walk back to Bangkok.

[SicEmBaylor]

In Thailand, the anti-government mob claims a moral victory by occupanying and trashing Government House over three months. They moved on Parliament Building earlier this week, surrounded it, cut off electricity and water and declared a moral victory.

Then yesterday, they invaded the airport. I'm not sure what moral victory they'll get out of shutting down the international airport. I know taxi drivers are pretty POed with them. So if they don't have a ride, they can think about their moral victory during the long walk back to Bangkok.

This is why I'm not a fan of the Pitchfork Brigade.

[Ike]

There is no such thing. You either win or you lose. A 'moral victory' is just what the losers tell themselves after a loss.

[BudSooner]

Well, in that regard Dale Earnhardt Jr has had 9 moral championships.

I seriously got nuthin.

[Okla-homey]

Naval: Jutland, May 31 - June 1 1916. Imperial German Navy attempted to break the British blockade of Germany. Germans had two divisions - Von Hipper w/ five cruisers, Scheer w/ 16 new and 8 old battleships. In addition, the Germans had 11 light cruisers and 63 destroyers.

They faced the Royal Navy with: Two divisions. Beaty w/ 6 cruisers and 4 battleships, Jellicoe had the other w/3 cruisers, 24 battleships, 34 light cruisers and 80 destroyers.

Total losses for the RN was 6 cruisers, 8 destroyers
The Germans lost 2 battleships, 4 cruisers, 5 destroyers

The Germans broke the blockade and claimed a victory. However, they never again sought an open battle w/the Royal Navy.

Moral victory to Britain.

Land: The battle of the Texas Revolution commonly known as The Alamo. Feb-Mar 1836. Mexicans: 3000. Texicans: 145. On March 6 the last in a series of Mexican assaults broke through. Losses: 145 Texicans. 1600 Mexicans. The battle was a Mexican victory, but the fact they killed everyone on the Texican side really P.O.'ed the rest of the Texican population.

Santa Anna, emboldened by his beat-down then continued into the Texas interior in an attempt to hunt down and crush Sam Houston's 600 w/ his remaining 1200 Mexican troops. On April 2, 1836, Santy Anny found Houston near San Jacinto. Or rather, Sam Houston found Santy Anny. The fight was over in an hour and the Texicans didn't take many prisoners. Santy Anny signed away Texas in exchange for his life.

Moral victory to those 145 dead Texicans.

[JohnnyMack]

That Braveheart fella.

[OUstud]

Tech's goal line stand and late touchdown.

[SicEmBaylor]

I'd nominate that idiot aggie who celebrated making a tackle late in the 4th quarter at the 77-0 game.

[soonerboomer93]

This is why I'm not a fan of the Pitchfork Brigade.

because you don't like to walk?

[StormySooner-IN]

I'd nominate that idiot aggie who celebrated making a tackle late in the 4th quarter at the 77-0 game.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPquR4eXa84

[Frozen Sooner]

300 Spartan warriors holding Thermopylae long enough for the Attic forces to organize.

Horatius Cocles vs. the Etruscans

[Scott D]

There is no such thing. You either win or you lose. A 'moral victory' is just what the losers tell themselves after a loss.

I just call them Cub fans while waving that 2005 banner ;)

[Frozen Sooner]

There is no such thing. You either win or you lose. A 'moral victory' is just what the losers tell themselves after a loss.

I would consider losing a battle where important strategic goals are met to be a moral victory.

[8timechamps]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPquR4eXa84

Classic!

[Rogue]

Little Big Horn

[Hot Rod]

Al Gore

[Ike]

I would consider losing a battle where important strategic goals are met to be a moral victory.

See, and I'd simply call that losing a battle while meeting important strategic goals. In and of itself, thats still a loss. If meeting those strategic goals helps you eventually win the war later down the line, then it's a loss you can live with. But at the time of the original loss, there's usually no way to see if thats going to happen or not.

[Curly Bill]

Dunkirk -- over 300,000 British and Allied troops where rescued off the beaches where they had been hemmed in by the Germans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunkirk

[SteelClip49]

1999 Independence Bowl as we lost on a last second FG to Ole ****. But that was a sign that Oklahoma's supremacy was back and it hasn't gone down since.

[TUSooner]

Dunkirk -- over 300,000 British and Allied troops where rescued off the beaches where they had been hemmed in by the Germans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunkirk

That was my first thought.

[King Crimson]

I would consider losing a battle where important strategic goals are met to be a moral victory.

I'm not going to pull out my H.H. Scullard's two volume Roman history but once Hannibal was in Italy, there was a Roman consul/general (forget his name) who declined to meet Hannibal in battle several times earning himself an unflattering nickname suggesting he didn't have the intestinal fortitude to win the big one.

once wetting Hannibal's appetite for battle, he proceeded to assemble and retreat many times in a circular geographical route knowing that to prepare for battle repeatedly exhausted a field army's supplies greatly. eventually, Hannibal's army deteriorated due to lack of provision.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

[B]Land: The battle of the Texas Revolution commonly known as The Alamo. Feb-Mar 1836. Mexicans: 3000. Texicans: 145. On March 6 the last in a series of Mexican assaults broke through. Losses: 145 Texicans. 1600 Mexicans. The battle was a Mexican victory, but the fact they killed everyone on the Texican side really P.O.'ed the rest of the Texican population.

Santa Anna, emboldened by his beat-down then continued into the Texas interior in an attempt to hunt down and crush Sam Houston's 600 w/ his remaining 1200 Mexican troops. On April 2, 1836, Santy Anny found Houston near San Jacinto. Or rather, Sam Houston found Santy Anny. The fight was over in an hour and the Texicans didn't take many prisoners. Santy Anny signed away Texas in exchange for his life.

Moral victory to those 145 dead Texicans.

I'd have gone with Bunker (Breed's) Hill. But teh Alamo is a good'n.

[King Crimson]

many of the Greeks who died in the resistance fighting against Nazi occupation. there are some really powerful monuments around some areas of Greece...where all the men of villages were executed because of the fierceness of the resistance.

[tbl]

So would all of Hannibal's victories be moral victories since he ultimately lost to Rome? The dude had some serious slaughters over the Romans, but he ended up losing in the end to Mr. Africanus.

[TUSooner]

***

Land: The battle of the Texas Revolution commonly known as The Alamo. Feb-Mar 1836. Mexicans: 3000. Texicans: 145. On March 6 the last in a series of Mexican assaults broke through. Losses: 145 Texicans. 1600 Mexicans. The battle was a Mexican victory, but the fact they killed everyone on the Texican side really P.O.'ed the rest of the Texican population.

Santa Anna, emboldened by his beat-down then continued into the Texas interior in an attempt to hunt down and crush Sam Houston's 600 w/ his remaining 1200 Mexican troops. On April 2, 1836, Santy Anny found Houston near San Jacinto. Or rather, Sam Houston found Santy Anny. The fight was over in an hour and the Texicans didn't take many prisoners. Santy Anny signed away Texas in exchange for his life.

Moral victory to those 145 dead Texicans.

Santa Anna is the "Grandfather of Chewing Gum" by the way.

[King Crimson]

So would all of Hannibal's victories be moral victories since he ultimately lost to Rome? The dude had some serious slaughters over the Romans, but he ended up losing in the end to Mr. Africanus.

no, because they gained no symbolic purpose that led to the ultimate demise of the opponent. Rome burned Carthage to the ground in the 2nd Punic War.

Hannibal was also trying to avenge his brother Hasdrubal defeats in Spain and the loss of the silver mines there....in addition to Sicily as a trade port (first Punic War).

[Frozen Sooner]

If the entire purpose of Hannibal's campaign had been to get some table salt, you'd have to consider that a pretty major moral victory.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

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[Frozen Sooner]

Spending $14 million and 17 years to make an album and come away with overproduced dreck.

Oh, wait: that's a phyrric victory, not a moral victory.

[Spray]

Sex with the wife last night. She said she "wasn't in the mood" but I knew better! She wasn't really into it, but it felt like every other time.