soccer as ersatz-war: the normal madness
Spiegel online reported on the European Championship 2008
Europe is a continent shaped by migration. Nowhere can that be seen more clearly than on the football pitch. So far in this year’s tournament, almost 30 percent of the goals have been netted by foreign-born players. For the German team, the total is much higher.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,559493,00.html
It is all the more absurd to see the identification of millions of Germans with professional mercenary gladiators. Or perhaps not absurd at all.
If we accept the assumptions that
- national football competitions psychologically speaking replace wars between nations carried out on a symbolic level
- humans‘ normal social environment is the group (extended family, clan, small community: 7-10 people) and tribe (larger community, 25-50 people)
- for the last 200 years the notion of “nation” has been implanted in the minds as a substitute for “tribe”
- international sports are ersatz-wars (reporters consequently using the war-language: “beat” “won”, “lost” and “Italians”, Germans”. Polish paper Super Express printed a photo montage of Polish coach Leo Beenhakker holding the severed heads of German captain Michael Ballack and coach Joachim Löw under the headline “Leo, Bring us Their Heads!” see full report: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,557842,00.html
then this is not absurd at all: it’s just the normal madness.
church going
My mother, 78, felt pretty well today, with her glucose level sinking below 300 mg/dl so she decided to go to church again with her aged friend. Meeting other people of her age, her cultural and social background, speaking the same language, going through the same rituals makes her feel happier. She thinks the price she had to pay – a little hypocrisy – was worth while paying. She met old friends, changed information, walked. Existing communities are easier to adhere to than building new ones, which always takes some extra effort.
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