The demarcation line between sports and war is blurring alarmingly in Russia. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian Nationalists have become increasingly, and violently, intolerant of most other ethnic groups. Brutal beatings and vengeful murders have ensued.
It is often argued that sports serve the general public by allowing fans to “blow off steam." In Russia the soccer stadiums and adjacent boulevards have become a battle ground between the Russian Nationalists and a variety of “minority” ethnic groups. The minority ethnic groups involved hail from the Caucasus and other regions which were once included in the Soviet Union. Even at that time these regions were resentful of Russian rule. The “Union” was mostly provided by the Russian Army.
The dividing line between sports and war is a historically a thin one. When sports are mixed with perceptions of centuries old injustice they become a provocative brew and civility can quickly flip to war with the slightest provocation. Here is raw video of some results of that social chemistry.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11976792
No comments:
Post a Comment