John Samuel
Why is it that there is so much use of the language of aggressive violence
in the way each of the games of World Cup is being reported? As the mania of the spectacle of the Brazil World Cup begins to unfold within and
among us, the language of violence (
such as rape, aggression, massacre, or blood stain, war front) infiltrates in to
our sense and sensibilities without us even realizing it. These metaphors of
violence are at the core of the DNA of not only the world Cup, but also all
other high profile sports events. Because all sports events are the
'demonstration' of power of and by the modern 'construct' of nation-state
around which our identities are 'established' through 'identification' and
markers of 'legal' personality with an
offer of 'freedom' through instilling 'fear' and ensuring a presence of
'credible' threat. The project of nation-state operates through a combo package
of 'fear', 'freedom', 'security' and 'services'- and all these get demonstrated
with an element of entertainment of
'seductive' spectacle of the institutionalized power. The parade of ‘Guns’ and
armed ‘vehicles’ and ‘macho’ machines during the republic parades are also
combined to give us these ‘entertaining spectacles’ of aggressive potential. And another
such entertainment of demonstrating the macho-power of the ‘collective’ identity
of nation-state is the high profile ‘sports’ events. Politics of nation-state
and politics of sports are the two sides of the same coin of how power operates within us and among us.
All sports events are a demonstration of such power to 'entertain'
and 'seduce' us by 'showing' off the power of nation-state in a full-fledged manner.
The politics of sports have three dimensions:
1) The aggression of
adrenaline- wherein there is a 'macho' celebration- and in a way the
manifestation of entrenched patriarchy in the way many of the popular games (foot
ball, cricket etc) being projected as a 'male' domain. It is the most evident
spectacle of the male-centred ‘sexuality’ and sports become another
demonstration of ‘sex’ and ‘sexuality’. And there is an element of ‘seduction’
in all such sports events. There is a combination of pornography and politics
operate in the way Sports events are marketed and manifested. We all get ‘hooked’,
we get ‘excited’ about the demonstration of adrenaline when a goal is scored in the most-televised sports event in history.
2) The politics of
international sports (Olympics, World Cup etc) is also a reflection of 'macho'
chivalry of the 'nation-state'. The logic of a nation-state is built on the
ideology of 'aggression' and 'protection'. The project of the 'nation-state'
and its earlier avatars of 'king'dom(never the 'queendom) and
empires are all built on the idea of 'war'( a male game of aggression and
aggrandizement) and 'peace'- as protection. In a way, the logic of old pirates
and the present organised 'gang' is also based on the same political sub-text
of 'aggressive violence and 'protection' for a payment. In a way, the very same
logic operates at the core of the nation-state. It is the army and police (largely
male bastions) that give the 'muscle' to the nation-state. And the entire enterprise
survives on 'credible' threats to the 'external' as well as 'internal' enemies
of the state. And offering a package combination of 'potential' threat and
assured 'security'. The 'nation-state' displays its macho power during the
display of 'guns', arms and ammunition ( all of them have male connotation) on
'republic ‘day 'parade'. So sports is often an extension of the same logic( as
the Colloseum and gladiators so well demonstrated during the Roman empire) - and
sports is a reflection of 'war' by other means. Hence, the USA, China and
Russia invested so much in sports. The Olympics in china was also about the
announcement that 'China' has arrived as a global hegemonic actor
3) And the third dimension is that Sports is now a modern
market 'service' of 'play' pay' and get entertainment.The World Cup and all other
marketed sports events are about creating a spectacle and selling them wholesale to the world. Here too advertisement and 'corporate' image gets
aggressively pushed and media become the 'pimp' of the 'seductive' market. So
in a sense it is in events like the World Cup, that the multiple metaphors military, and
media and market operate within us and through us to eternally seduce us and
show us how adrenaline operate within us, within the notion of the nation-state
and within the dominant power paradigm that we all have been forced to
internalize for thousands of years. So as the World Cup is all about 'rape', massacre',
'killing', 'fucked' and 'blood-stains'. The media sells these 'war metaphors and we
too begin to swallow them without even realizing that we are ' swallowing the
most institutionalized notions of 'macho' male power.
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