Football

Posted on 2002/06/06 14:40:56 (June 2002) by john.

Groan...

Well, to be honest, I don't have anything particularly clever to say here, I'm just really tired of hearing about the world cup already! Well, generally I'm not that into football anyway, but I think what is bothering me particualrly is all the patriotism you get along with the world cup. I'm sure if I wanted to go into depth and try and be all clever about it, I could come up with a load of waffle about how it is modern tribalism, divisive, breeds aggression, and is effectively a metaphor for international warfare and so on, but sadly it has sapped my will to live and I can't be bothered. Maybe it's not just the world cup - the Olympics and even the Eurovision song contest compete on a nation versus nation basis. Why does it always have to be like that? It would be great to have some kind of international event that wasn't a competition between countries, although practically I have no real idea how this could work. Suggestions welcome.

I agree that the rush of patriotism and, perhaps more worryingly, nationalism that seems to have gripped the country scary! Flags everywhere and stuff. In some respects, the comaradery is a good thing. My neighbour asked me to go to the pub with him tomorrow to watch the England vs Argentina game. I'd never normally go anywhere with him in a million years, but I am tempted...??!

Anyway - a non competative international event? That'd have to involve a real Alien landing or something beyond the confines of Earth I recon.

Posted by rowanboy at 2002/06/06 15:20:14.

How about a load of people getting together to build a big monument or something. It could be an annual event, perhaps staged somewhere different every year. At the completion there could be a big festival with food and music from all over the world. Just simple co-operation and everyone enjoying other people and cultures. No-one has to win at it. However hippyish this may sound, I think it'd be a lovely idea.

Posted by john at 2002/06/06 15:32:42.

How big a monument? Would planes crash into it?

Posted by rowanboy at 2002/06/06 15:54:25.

For a start, I think Patriotism is great. It's a far cry from Nationalism which is scarey.

I think competition is great and I would support it. Competition makes us work harder to do better, without it, everything would go to shit. It also makes life more interesting. Imagine Highmead without the continuous Hastings - Hawkins competition (search engine, anyone?).

Football may be essentially dull or even not to your taste, but that does not make competition dull.

In the end John, many of your gripes are somewhat unconsolable. Everyone competes and will always do so. People like to feel that they are doing better than someone else. This is human nature and is unlikely to change. If you got rid of geographical boundaries, there would still be competition as the participants would draw a new line given some other criteria, religeon perhaps.

As far as the monument goes, there is no excitement in building a monument. Having the idea about building one and the final product is great, but the actual building is dull as anything and would not attract the finance. People want to be entertained, building stuff is not that entertaining!

Please do not slant competition with your hatred of football and the bad public image it has. I bet if there was a competition based in a nerdy field which was really popular, you'd suddenly love it.

Posted by Rob Lang at 2002/06/06 16:11:06.

Hi John

I agree that it would be a lovely idea if people could come together and not compete - and there's plenty of occasions where they do such as music concerts etc. Unfortunately, competition is something that is totally hardwired into our genes - you can trace it back to amoeba. Its why we have big brains and culture in the first place. So while cooperation is lovely, competition is healthy. Its just when the rivalry gets out of hand that things become unpleasant.

All, the same, you must be a girl for not wanting to watch the football.....!

Posted by Alex at 2002/06/06 16:12:14.

Well, he is a girl! Check out the long hair (http://www.maison-de-stuff.net/dsp/postcards/img/john.jpg)! I can understand the dislike of football. The only thing I really enjoy about it is the camaraderie when watching with enthusiasts (tip my hat to Eric and Bob). This group spirit can be found all over when a number of people are supporting a similar cause and it can be very uplifting.

Posted by Rob Lang at 2002/06/06 16:24:54.

I think I might post an article about spades being spades to see if Rob automatically disagress with that as well!

I think people confuse competition with striving to do better. The latter is very healthy, the former means that somebody has to lose, and is therefore bad, in my opinion. I think what is hardwired into our genes is more an inability to accept that there can be alternatives to competition, rather than competition itself. I think people are looking at the world wrong. If beating an opponent really is the only possible motivation for anyone to do anything, then I'm clearly living on the wrong planet.

Posted by john at 2002/06/06 16:36:26.

And no, my "gripes" are not inconsolable. If I, as an individual, can see the benefits of a radically different structure of society, then surely in a world of six billion people somebody else must think similarly. I'm not quite arrogant enough to think I'm the only person who can see beyond the flaws of the current human condition. When somebody presents you with a jar they can't open, what is your first reaction? Is it to give up immediately assuming nothing can ever be done about it, or is it to think constructively about how you might be able to assist?

Posted by john at 2002/06/06 16:45:14.

Unfortunately, in the dog eat dog world of Darwinian biology, it is about competition. If you're bigger, better, brainer, have a longer tail than your neighbour, laydeez will shag you and your genes will march ever onward. Impala didn't evolve to run fast in order to better themselves, they need to be faster than other impala so that lions eat the slowcoaches instead. Once you get into higher mammals such as primates, their intelligence is enough that they realise they can often get what they want by cooperation (chimps hunting monkeys to impress females, male lion coalitions to take over prides) but ultimately its still about doing better than your rivals. Why strive to keep up with the Joneses if there are no Joneses?

Posted by Alex at 2002/06/06 16:45:46.

Ever seen Witness? When they all get together and put up that barn? That was pretty amazing.

Posted by Mike at 2002/06/06 16:47:12.

Well, in your view patriotism is a flaw of the current human condition but to many millions its perfectly natural and, in the case of the World Cup, a source of pleasure. Surely that would be a very difficult thing to change?

Posted by alex at 2002/06/06 16:49:40.

Yes, but we're beyond that state now. We have no natural predators and we live in a framework in many ways very sheltered from the ravages of nature. Yes, amongst primitive beings that don't know any better, competition is necessary. We should know better though!

Posted by john at 2002/06/06 16:49:52.

Ah, but the intelligence to know better is an aspect of our genes. And the drive to compete is also in our genes - it doesn't disappear because competitive individuals are often successful, so the genes are passed on. Having predators is nothing to do with it. In trying to secure a good husband, I'm competing against other women, not lions.

In bringing up predators you introduce an interesting point. The fact that we no longer have to hunt, gather or escape sabre tooth tigers is the main reason we have so many sports etc. We have too much spare time and energy to waste.

Posted by alex at 2002/06/06 16:57:54.

Ok, fair comment about constructive crittisism, John. I was being a bit negative. Sometimes, I get the feeling like some of your gripes are more along the lines of "Why can't people have four legs...". That is why they are unconsolable. I agree with Alex (for the first time in 26 years), competition is ingrained in the univserse at large, it's not a social thing. If I want to buy a digital camera, I go to the cheapest place. If your product is expensive, it won't sell. You need to be competitive.

If you're not competitive, you'll be left behind!

Posted by Rob Lang at 2002/06/06 17:56:48.

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