SHORTPOD (24): THE WORLD CUP AND THE DENATIONALISATION OF ENGLISH FOOTBALL

Affirmative Right Chief Editor Colin Liddell looks at the ongoing World Cup, and reflects on how Western European elites are changing football from a collective and tribalistic expression of White working-class identity to something more consumerist, atomised, rootless, multiracial, and meaningless.

Recommended links:

Andy Nowicki's YouTube channel
Caste Football

THE 28-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN

Tim Tebow: no fucker (and no homo)

by Andy Nowicki

It's true that celebrity behavior is usually a matter of little or no account; hence the term "celebrity," with its attendant connotation of overweening glitz and general absence of substance. It is also a verity that what gets called gossip is often based on an unfounded rumor and always none of our business; hence the term "gossip," suggestive as it is of snoopily vicarious prurience and unwarranted intrusion.

Still, there is something of value in noting what "ordinary people" are talking about with regard to the rich, beautiful, famous, and powerful, because it tends to reveal the underlying collective psyche of the times. We not only relish the notion that even celebrities have problems; even more, we thrill to the idea that their problems aren't totally unlike our own. And yet, somewhat contradictorily, we find their problems so damned glamorous that we actually wish we had them too. No matter how totally effed up a celebrity may be, his or her total effed-up-ness has an aura that draws us in and makes us perversely envy them all the more. The fact that such a response is silly doesn't make it any the less real. It is simply a part of our programming to be attracted to the trappings of perceived glory and fame.

BRAZIL: FOOTBALL OR FASCISM?

The Eagle has landed.

by Colin Liddell

There are only two factors that unite Brazil – the Portuguese language and their pride in their 'national' football ("soccer") team. Almost everything else – regional rivalries, racial differences, economic inequalities, and diverse climate zones – drives the nation apart. Even Catholicism, since the inception of Liberation Theology, has become more of a divisive force. It is interesting, therefore, to consider what effect their drubbing at the hands of Germany in the World Cup semi-finals will have on the nation.

It is also interesting to ponder on the cultural semantics of an overtly German team – even one that isn't quite pure itself – crushing a team that is a kind of poster child for the great multiracial hybrid future that we are all supposed to stroll willingly towards. Alas the main talisman of this mongrelized team, Neymar, a mixed race player with naturally kinky hair who has straightened and dyed his hair blond, couldn't make the game due to his injury in Brazil's quarter-final victory over Colombia – a somewhat darker version of themselves.

GAMING THE WORLD

This article was published at Alternative Right four years ago, at the time of the 2010 World Cup. Although the soccer references may be slightly dated, the points made are more relevant than ever.

Balotelli and banana.

Soccer and the Campaign for Anti-Racism 

by Colin Liddell

For most of those interested in it, the World Cup exists on two levels. First, there is the intense partisan connection that all supporters feel for their own national team—some of the deepest and occasionally darkest feelings known to man. Then there is the wider interest in the game—a more generous and objective love of the skills and stories generated by the competition, such as Germany's remarkable ability to destroy teams on the break, Diego Forlan's incredible shooting accuracy, Maradona's touchy- feely management style, and, of course, Paul the Octopus.

Typically the earlier stages of World Cups are experienced mainly on the first level, while in the latter stages—after most of the teams have been knocked out—supporters tend to broaden their appreciation and enjoy the game in a more general sense.

In my case, as the supporter of a country (Scotland) that failed even to qualify for the World Cup finals, my interest has been on the second level, except for a passing interest in seeing my country's traditional rival (England) knocked out—an aspiration that has thankfully come to pass.

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AS A WEAPON OF CLASS WAR

by Colin Liddell

The case of footballer John Terry has once again brought the issues of racism and political correctness into the media spotlight. As these pustulent entities sit there baking in the glare, they emit a miasma of side issues and discussion points that the mainstream media dutifully spins in appropriate ways.

This time Terry got off with calling opposing player Anton Ferdinand a "fucking Black cunt." Apparently his lawyers were a lot better than those of Emma West. But he's not out of the woods yet. The Football Association, which got egg on its face when they prematurely removed him from the captaincy of the English national team, is set to reopen its own investigation into the incident, with possible sanctions and stigma beckoning for Terry.

The main reason for Terry's acquittal may have been his actual innocence. It is obvious that the man who has successfully captained the multiracial Chelsea team for several seasons can’t be what most people understand to be a "racist." But since when has the thoughtcrime industry been interested in innocence?