Friday, July 11, 2014

Brazil riots

Soccer is just a game.

Ouch, I hope my international audience forgives me for such an egregious statement.

But it's true.  At the end of the game, you shake hands.  Some of the time, one team wins.

It's a game.  Not international war and peace.  It's not the end of times when your country loses in a game.  Nor is your entire countries pride put into jeopardy.

If you want to consider your pride, how about the riots at the result?


https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/24419266/buses-set-ablaze-after-brazils-wc-loss/

Does that not say your country is a poor sport?  Yes.  I said it.

It's not like it was a riot over the officiating, like say Arizona-Duke 2001, who some called one of the greatest officiating catastrophes of modern sports history.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/tournament/2011/news/story?id=6253110


I don't think even that was justified.  Destruction of public property is wrong. Like I was taught in Kindergarten, two wrongs, don't make a right.

And so I condemn the riots in Brazil over a soccer game.  You got taken out behind the toolshed - suck it up kid.

You want to talk about real pride?  How about instead of building a useless stadium in the middle of nowhere that will never be used again after this week, how about fixing your roads and bridges - so they don't collapse on people during the World Cup!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/10945283/Brazil-bridge-collapse-at-least-one-killed-two-miles-from-World-Cup-venue.html

That's shameful.
When people are dying from the bridges being left to fall apart, that's a shame.
When people are rioting in the streets for being "Roofless," that's a shame.
When people of Brazil gain nothing from the World Cup, that's a shame.
When natural resources of Brazil are abused by a small minority, that's a shame.

Is not pride in real issues more important than pride in a game?  I think so.

So with that in mind, the people who rioted, and the Government of Brazil, should be ashamed.