The divisive nature of football by Ben Dungate
More than ever, I am noticing the divisive nature of football and the effect it seems to have on ordinary people. The historical violence football has incited will long live in the memories of those that witnessed it first hand, or grew up during the era where barely a weekend went by where the news wasn’t filled with scenes of police battling with ‘fans’ in the street, with tear gas and Molotov cocktails passing in mid-air, both sides embroiled in a war neither partly really understood.
In today’s society, thankfully, outbreaks of this nature are very rare, at least in the West of Europe. However, despite the streets no longer being littered with the fall-out of such events, the seedy underbelly of fanatical football support still lives, only now it is mostly hidden away online in the comments sections of football forums and fan sites, where no one is safe even from their own fans. Dare to cast aspersions on a particular favourite and the metaphorical firebombs are instantly launched from all sides. Because in today’s ultra tolerant society, intolerance reigns supreme.
A differing opinion is met with scorn and sarcasm, and occasionally with a well-thought out erudite counter argument; but only very occasionally. Fans cannot and will not stand for a view that doesn’t align with their own and will die on a hill for their chosen one.
But it doesn’t need to be this way. What is wrong with considering how an opinion was arrived at before declaring it to the world? How about pausing before writing that reply – to really assess what you’re writing and why you’re writing it. By all means engage in polite debate with your fellow supporters, because when conducted appropriately and in the right manner fan forums are tremendous places where some truly insightful people share their deepest thoughts on the team, the players, and the game in general.
We all love football. We all love Arsenal. I even love Mikel Arteta (a little bit), even though I find some of his decisions baffling, because he has reignited that belief amongst us that we might once again see an Arsenal captain hold aloft the Premier League trophy, and maybe even take us to the promised land of the Champions League final once more.
I decided to write this article after sending a highly condescending response to someone and then feeling that little pang of shame that I wasn’t better than that. That I was not big enough to accept someone’s argument against my own, and resorted to childish mockery in an attempt to devalue their comment. That is no way to conduct yourself in what is meant to be a fun environment where like-minded people can share their thoughts.
So let’s be a bit more considerate of each other’s thoughts and opinions. Universal agreement should never be expected or sought, but polite conversation is a fundamental necessity if we are to really get the best experience from this site.
Best regards
Ben
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