Vol. 27 No. 289 (2022)
It's soccer, not a war
In a few months a World Cup will take place. A moment where massively, without distinction of gender, the deepest tribalism emerges, the one that affirms the feelings of cultural and ethnic identity, represented in the colors of the shirt, the anthem, the features of the players, the style of play and in everything we imagine represents and testifies to what is ours, to us, what distinguishes us from others. And it causes the deepest emotions of satisfaction and pride, or anger and humiliation.
On the media side, we see how the language of war is naturalized, with metaphors typical of epic discourse. Words like crush, eliminate, massacre, fight, hit, destroy, hero, sacrifice, battle, defeat, strategist, shot, dominate, submit, enemies, execution, and others run through the usual lexicon of sports journalists who live, during the event, their dream days.
If the soccer narration is crystallized by representing a war, perhaps the same thing will be reproduced in daily life. In a time plagued by violence, with an unusual number of senseless massacres, of displaced migrants in search of hope, it would be beneficial to broaden the emotional field, and above all empathy and solidarity, to value the multiplicity of cultures, the ethical aspects, playful and aesthetic, affirming that beyond their own tribe there are others with whom, in one way or another, they can share, because they are also close.
Tulio Guterman, Director - June 2022
Published:
2022-06-09
