(Sports) Crazy

The other night, Croatia and Brasil played each other in the World Cup. A couple of the girls and I were walking around town, and we took in some of the sights. Walking around Gornji vakuf, it seemed like a normal night. The bars all had the game on, and a fair amount of people were sitting and watching, much like any other night. Crossing into Uskopjle the world changed. On the patio of one of the usually tame bars came cheers and screams, people were honking horns and generally going nuts. They all had Croatia jerseys on, they all were staring at the TV, they all were the same. We walked further down the street, more of the same. Bars were crowded with men and young boys, all looked the same, all wore the same clothes. I was so struck by the homogeneity of it all. The streets were empty, nothing was happening outside of the game, the world didn't exist, the world existed for the game. I think everything revolves about cheering for a team, about having a team to cheer for. I think the actual game isn't that important, it's second to the spectacle built up around it.

Apparently after the game (Croatia lost), a fight broke out in Mostar. I don't really know what happened, but I think it reflects the intensity that such events bring with it.

I thought that I would be able to say that it resembled a team Canada hockey game, but it doesn't. I wanted to say, 'Imagine if', but I realize that that would be a waste. Those of us lucky to live in North America will have incredible difficulties understanding this at all. Our society has ill-prepared us for this kind of situation, I would say that this is where the myth of 'age old ethnic hatred' emerges. We can't imagine why these conflicts exist, so we say that they must always have existed. I'm still trying to figure this topic out.

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, the post was deleted by a restarting computer. I am now writing every message in GMail, as it has auto-save and spell checker.