This weekly roundup thread is intended for all culture war posts. 'Culture war' is vaguely defined, but it basically means controversial issues that fall along set tribal lines. Arguments over culture war issues generate a lot of heat and little light, and few deeply entrenched people ever change their minds. This thread is for voicing opinions and analyzing the state of the discussion while trying to optimize for light over heat.
Optimistically, we think that engaging with people you disagree with is worth your time, and so is being nice! Pessimistically, there are many dynamics that can lead discussions on Culture War topics to become unproductive. There's a human tendency to divide along tribal lines, praising your ingroup and vilifying your outgroup - and if you think you find it easy to criticize your ingroup, then it may be that your outgroup is not who you think it is. Extremists with opposing positions can feed off each other, highlighting each other's worst points to justify their own angry rhetoric, which becomes in turn a new example of bad behavior for the other side to highlight.
We would like to avoid these negative dynamics. Accordingly, we ask that you do not use this thread for waging the Culture War. Examples of waging the Culture War:
-
Shaming.
-
Attempting to 'build consensus' or enforce ideological conformity.
-
Making sweeping generalizations to vilify a group you dislike.
-
Recruiting for a cause.
-
Posting links that could be summarized as 'Boo outgroup!' Basically, if your content is 'Can you believe what Those People did this week?' then you should either refrain from posting, or do some very patient work to contextualize and/or steel-man the relevant viewpoint.
In general, you should argue to understand, not to win. This thread is not territory to be claimed by one group or another; indeed, the aim is to have many different viewpoints represented here. Thus, we also ask that you follow some guidelines:
-
Speak plainly. Avoid sarcasm and mockery. When disagreeing with someone, state your objections explicitly.
-
Be as precise and charitable as you can. Don't paraphrase unflatteringly.
-
Don't imply that someone said something they did not say, even if you think it follows from what they said.
-
Write like everyone is reading and you want them to be included in the discussion.
On an ad hoc basis, the mods will try to compile a list of the best posts/comments from the previous week, posted in Quality Contribution threads and archived at /r/TheThread. You may nominate a comment for this list by clicking on 'report' at the bottom of the post and typing 'Actually a quality contribution' as the report reason.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
The Death of Nationality is the Death of Meaning
This identity crisis is endemic at all levels of the game. It starts at the lowest level, where local coaches are wont to scout outside their townships and communities to plug squad gaps. Which can eventually leave supporters wondering who exactly they are cheering for when none of the players on the pitch are local. This trend scales all the way to the top, where elite clubs deploy international scouting dragnets to vacuum up global talent.
Leagues try to patch this wound by mandating "homegrown" player quotas, while clubs aggressively market their academies as 'local'. But these measures are at best bandaids when the 'local' academy prospects are ethnically foreign anyways.
This lack of organic connection has fundamentally altered the mentality of the modern player. Today's game lacks the raw, tribal intensity of previous eras. Most notably exemplified by the 'Golden Generation' with players like Roy Keane*, Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard to a lesser extent played with a borderline obsessive ferocity. The tribalism was so severe that it actively sabotaged the English national team where the players didn't even socialize or eat together, discounting Keane who is Irish.
You might say that's a weakness, and it obviously was. But it was also beautiful. A human story that contextualized an era.
All of this is to say that when football relies entirely on global mercenaries, when the goal is for the symbol of the team to win, you lose the ability to build genuine dynasties or narratives. Without a shared local or national identity, victory becomes sterile, and the emotional connection between the fans and the pitch is severed. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy things. But it's a level below the 'original'. The true story is with the homogenous teams that represent the essence and effort of distinct people and everyone watching feels it.
More options
Context Copy link