World Cup
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Paula, will you please remove the Peter Cook and Dudley More video link? My comment too. Thanks. The edit option has timed out.
Bijou, I am very sorry for a silly thing I posted and I hope Paula will remove it. I did not intend it to hurt you and I apologise to everyone here.
Apology accepted
And don’t worry, you don’t have a monopoly on foolishness, just ask my family.
However, as a penance you will need to watch the entire World Cup final (icluding penalties) in the noisiest pub in your locality
😉I am a snob.
And I like Lord Snooty and have all the cartoons.
BD – You wouldn’t be attempting to whitewash ‘football culture’ in this country – would you? In my experience it is the sickest, racist, atavistic and most violent sub-culture in this country. The game is boring – continuous one end to the other where a ‘pin-ball machine’ like bit of luck decides the result by a goal or two. And why do you think the mega-rich invest so much money and time in it? Because it provides one of the most successful political distractions available. You’ll be telling me next that the Olympic games brings people and cultures together; no it doesn’t – it imposes a mono culture on the world.
Jack Common.
Wez – “You wouldn’t be attempting to whitewash ‘football culture’ in this country – would you? In my experience it is the sickest, racist, atavistic and most violent sub-culture in this country”
I wasn’t sure if I should dignify such a fatuous, condescending and silly question with an answer, but on balance, it is probably best I do,
To define the cultural experiences of the 15.7 million people who play football regularly (including the 3.7 million children aged 5 to 15 who play football as part of organised teams), the 1.4 people who volunteer weekly as part of grassroots football, the couple of million people who attend football matches on a regular basis across all levels of the game, in the terms you describe is amongst the most poorly thought out comments I have ever seen on this forum (and there have been a lot).
Taking one point, in terms of “violence” in football, in the last season that has been fully reported there were, 2,037 arrests in total across organised football matches across England and Wales. Bear in mind this is arrests, not convictions, and as you know the police have a long history of arresting people without things progressing to charging. The large majority was from being drunk, not violent. Statically, football matches and their environs are amongst the safest places in the UK, far, far safer than most large shopping areas, music venues, night clubs, etc.
I could say more about the great football writers, the strength and vitality of fan created initiatives such as show racism the red card, the way football has created a huge message about the value of multiculturalism, the growth of the fanzine movement, the inclusiveness that has been fostered across the whole of football regarding disability (including local clubs setting up sensory areas for children with autism), the growth of fan run clubs that demonstrate models of mutuality, etc. but your probably too blinkered and stupid to consider these things.
‘but your probably too blinkered and stupid to consider these things’. Very comradely statement I must say. I’m sorry I dared to criticize your religion. I think you’re one of those always proving how working class you are and anyone who dares to criticize your taste must be ‘blinkered and stupid’. There was a time when even in the the ‘civilized’ city of Cambridge all the pubs closed down because there was a home game. I’m glad things have improved (according to you) but the upcoming tribal hysteria that will be apparent on Saturday evening will prove my point.
‘Thomas More’ wrote:
“BJ, I am finding Jack Common’s books hard to obtain.
I do like Alan Sillitoe. “Uncle Ernest” is my favourite of his short stories.”
I have a copy of Common’s ‘Kiddar’s Luck’ as an epub if you want me to email it to you.
ETA:
I just noticed that Libcom has a small selection of his articles and a biographical sketch of him and his connection to Orwell:
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