Juan Sarmiento #4- Soccer Explains the World, Football Explains the US

            The novel How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer, dedicates its last section discussing the idea that just like soccer, people return to tribalism and nationalism overshadowing the idea of globalization. Many people when their International soccer team is playing are very much in favor of where they are from. Foer fails to really mention international soccer or events such as the World Cup. It is clear that Foer is right in that no matter how international or globalized we are now because of advancement in society and technology, at the end of the day people will revert to nationalism.

It is interesting to make the connection that what if, since soccer explains the world, then maybe American Football explains the US. In the last week or so it has been made visible that America is much more divided as previously thought or portrayed by the national media. This divide could possibly be explained by American football.

It is clear that the US is very much not into soccer. Maybe there is a correlation between passion for soccer and internal unity. I believe this may be possible because of the difference of values across nations. Everyone knows that the United States values individualism as well as completion, this can be seen in every aspect of US society, from schools, jobs and of course the economy. These values are instilled in every American and are leading us to a country lacking the tribalism experienced by other countries with many different and opposing values.

Because the United States lacks the nationalism compared to other nations when it comes to soccer, American football might be the most suitable way to explain this country. American football rewards individuals that stand out as well as hard workers on and off the field. Americans see themselves as strong willed and determined, much like football player feel. There are 32 professional teams and hundreds of college teams, all these numbers of teams to root for allows us to see why the US is so divided. Just like American football is divided across the country, so are its followers being taught to go against its own people .The US focuses on individualizing instead of unifying, which is preventing its members from feeling the same sense of unity and nationalism explained by those whose values bring them together.

The lack of unity, and in fact the encouragement of individualism, has produced a country divided when it should be coming together. Be it racial, economic, and international or any other social issue, the American public is trained to fight each other.

As long as the US remains divided, issues will not be resolved and conflict will persist. The phrase “together we stand, divided we fall” is a clear view of what this country is. The separation makes it harder for progress to be made, but makes it easier for us to be ruled and take action.

It is time, that if the United States wants to remain an international power, that it moves from a country of divided people to a country unified to truly help change the world for the better.

Other countries will become increasingly unified because of the theory of tribalism proposed by Foer, maybe even reverting us back to a world where globalization is barely a factor. It could also move us to a time where the tribal instinct moves from specific countries, to world organizations such as NATO and the European Union. Regardless of what is to come, the US should look towards soccer explaining it instead of American Football.

Soccer is the World’s Favorite Pastime

Soccer is the World’s Favorite Pastime

                Every four years the world comes together to enjoy a month of nail-biting, on the edge of your seat, heart breaking, and exhilarating soccer. A month of sitting with eyes glued to the television as the game and the magic of soccer happen on the field. People of every nation, whether they be directly in the World Cup, or watching just as a spectator who loves the game, soak in the talent of the best soccer players in the world. Globalization has allowed for soccer to become the world’s favorite pastime. An individual can choose to root for a local team, or root for a team across the world because they have access to all details of different teams through globalization and the spread of information, ideals, and traditions. Spectators can be found wearing jerseys on their own country or perhaps their favorite player’s jersey from another country. Integration of international beliefs, capital, goods, ideas and people flow from country to country during the world cup.  

                Franklin Foer’s novel, “How Soccer Explains the World”, discusses how some people have dedicated their whole lives to honoring and supporting their favorite soccer team. The Red Star Belgrade said they would be willing to kill people (and they actually have killed people) because they are against the Red Star Belgrade’s team, “A Croatian, a cop: it doesn't make a difference. I’d kill them all.” (10) This gang like behavior can be accounted for by globalization and the passing of the idea of gangs across borders. A movie may come out in a different country, and the Serbs may have seen these movies, gotten the idea of a gang, and started a gang to support and defend their soccer team. Technology allows for the integration of all these ideas across numerous borders. Technology spreads information about anything and everything to everywhere around the world. It has also allowed for the spread of soccer because now an American can tune into games happening all over the world and vice versa. The impact that soccer is able to have on nations due to globalization and technology is that local and global beliefs of ideas are replacing national beliefs.

                Soccer has also promoted the growth of trade. Foer mentions that teams have recognized the money that they can make by globalization, and try to spread their support to other individuals in other countries to become fans and buy the soccer gear for a specific team, “to convert themselves into international capital entities and entertainment conglomerates.” (38) The best way to make money is to gather supporters beyond the teams’ normal borders in order to sell more tickets and apparel. Foer discusses how the Rangers team has expanded past its small area in the Scottish Premier League in hopes of joining the British Premier League (39). Globalization through soccer allows for these communities of supporters to have a voice that they might not get elsewhere, and to spread beliefs and ideals on international levels. 

Blog Post #4 - Soccer and the Growing Tide of European Anti-Semitism

Michael Krasna

GVPT200

11/30/14

Blog Post #4

Soccer and the Growing Tide of European Anti-Semitism

            Anti-Semitism is a cancerous movement that is once again sweeping across Europe, and at an alarming pace. Anti-Semitism originated as religious discrimination towards Jews for their perceived role in the death of Jesus. As a result, Jews were persecuted and attacked, most specifically in the Spanish Expulsion and Inquisition in the 1490’s. Since that time, anti-Semitism has manifested itself in many forms, such as racial anti-Semitism, made popular by the Nazis, economic anti-Semitism, based on the premise that the Jews control banks and media, and political anti-Semitism, based on anti-Zionism and the premise that the Jews do not deserve their own sovereign state. Although many believed that European anti-Semitism had come to an end with the Holocaust, history is repeating itself in much of Europe. Four Jews were murdered outside of a Jewish school in Toulouse, France in March 2012, and according to a rt.com news article on anti-Semitism in the UK, “A total of 302 incidents were reported… the highest monthly total since records began in 1984.” Accordingly, European Jews have been leaving Europe in droves in recent years due to this dangerous uptick in anti-Semitism.

            One of the most prevalent arenas of European anti-Semitism is in fact the football pitch. In Franklin Foer’s book, How Soccer Explains the World, Foer explores the reasons for globalization’s failure to end the enmity among opposing soccer fans in Europe. One example that Foer uses is the English soccer club, Tottenham Hotspur FC, known as the “Yid Army.” Yid is a Yiddish slang term for a Jew, which is often used in a derogatory manner by Tottenham’s opposing fans. I believe that this anti-Semitic rhetoric has been a prevailing force in the dangerous advancement of anti-Semitism into the European mainstream. It is thus imperative for Europe’s leaders to further join together in the fight against racial and religious marginalization in order to avoid another catastrophic ethnic genocide.

Country Roads to Globalization

            Country music is a genre of American music that originated in the South in the 1920s. While the genre is typically believed to only be popular in America (as its name implies), that hasn’t stopped the beloved American music style from transcending state borders. Over the years, country music has globalized and been heard around the world. Evidence of the globalization of the American born-and-bread genre is found in international country music festivals, like C2C (Country to Country) in London, and some of the most popular country artists traveling overseas to Europe, Asia, and Australia for sold-out concerts. Furthermore, country music artist and Australian native Keith Urban commented in an interview about how he loves the globalization of country music because it is making music more accessible to fans world-wide.

            A majority of country songs have themes of U.S. patriotism and life in the South – topics you may not think would resonate with listeners in Europe, Asia, and Australia. If you visit small, rural, Southern towns in America, it’s obvious that country music plays a significant role in shaping Americans’ identities and cultures.

But why has a genre that depicts small-town USA, American flag-waving, dirt roads on the countryside, and pick-up trucks gained popularity with foreign listeners who have no personal connection to the lyrics? On the surface, it appears as if the rhetoric of country music would not resonate with foreign listeners; however, the genre transcends borders and has resounded with fans across the globe.

Songs of the country music genre discuss universal topics like family, love, heartbreak, work ethic, faith, and overcoming struggles. Because the song topics are universal (even though they seem to cater more to American listeners), country music has been globalized.  As Franklin Foer argues in How Soccer Explains the World, people gravitate toward institutions outside of the state to find their identities. For some people, this is found in listening to music popular in other states. In the case of Foer’s book, soccer fans from across the globe identify with teams in states they have never even visited. Many of these fans passionately and whole-heartedly identify with the teams, as Foer explains in the first two chapters. Hooligan gangs of Red Star are merciless to the opposing teams, sometimes killing the rival fans. Furthermore, a Rangers fan can’t make it through a bar full of Celtic fans without getting mugged, and vice versa.

While international fans of country music aren’t as passionate or numerous as international soccer fans, the basic premise is still the same – in a globalized world, people search for identities outside of the state. Although many international country music fans have never visited America, they still strongly identify with the music and the culture depicted in the songs. As the sovereignty of the state disintegrates because of globalization, people are more inclined to identify less with their local cultures and view themselves as a global citizen.

Tension Between Russia and the Rest of the World- Silbert

Within the past week Russia has made some powerful moves in regards to bombs and missiles. Earlier in the week, Russia made a statement that they had come to an agreement with Iran to build two new nuclear reactor plants in their county, as well as the possibilities of many more in the future. As the agreement comes to a settlement, it shows that Russia has bigger plans than maybe expected when it comes to making sure other countries know how potentially powerful they can be. One thing to make clear however; Nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs are not the same thing. Nuclear reactors are a set of chain reactions- reactions that can be controlled. Nuclear bombs are not controlled, therefore they can cause much more harm than nuclear reactors, since once detonated, no one knows the amount of destruction the bombs could cause.

Then in the later week Russia made another announcement. As stated by Fox News reporter Shepard Smith, Russia, who is backed by China, was to deploy long-range missile bombers over the Gulf of Mexico. This shows the ongoing tension and battle between the Ukraine and Russia forces. Fox news reports that Russia did not seek permission with other countries to use their ports to refuel and use of other resources and feel that since the Chinese are backing them they can do whatever they please. Shepard Smith states that according to Gordan Chang , Putin is “flaunting” his relationship with China and telling the rest of the world that he can do as he pleases and that the United States can not stop him.

http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/11/12/backed-china-russia-deploy-bombers-over-gulf-mexico

Juan Sarmiento #3 - Unleashing The Hulk

Nuclear Weapons are as much of a threat as having Marvel’s The Hulk. It is my opinion that nuclear weapons might as well be a fictional character the every country uses to threaten other countries, just like Tony Stark when he said the famous “We have a Hulk” line. Sure there has been nuclear testing and it is been used against people before, but we as humans are in a different world. We have organization to regulate these sorts of things.

            The reason I believe that nuclear weapons are the same as the Hulk, is because I truly believe that nuclear weapons are used as threats in politics but they are really not going to be used in military. Because of this they might as well be green giant indestructible fictional characters. There is always much debate and arguing about nuking this country and nuking that country, but in reality we all know that if a country were to launch nuclear weapons towards a enemy State, said country would receive such heavy sanctions as well as have so much unintended consequences that it could hurt it even more than if it had gone to war with the nuked State. Organization such as the United Nations would demand such reparations that it could send the country back 20-30 years.

            Because of all of this it is my believe that it is in all nations best interest to disarm nuclear weapons, as well as terminating any sort of research for world ending weapons. Because no country will use the nuclear weapons or its technology it is wise to invest the money in something more helpful such a sustainable energy or we might as well be throwing away billions of dollars away for a piece of technology that is not benefiting anyone.

            Author Thomas Schelling, argues that even if countries were to decided to disarm themselves of nuclear weapons, said countries could create such weapon in a weeks time. He also estates that if International organizations were to decided to force all countries to agree to no nuclear weapons, that it would not be very difficult for countries to hide the materials needed for nuclear weapons. And although I agree with his assessment, it is my opinion that if countries choose to voluntarily give up their nuclear weapons, that we would enter into a unspoken agreement to safe millions of innocent lives as well as an agreement to get rid of weapons that have us a click away from a third World War. The United States giving up its nuclear weapons and redirecting the twenty billion dollars per year to helping would set an example for other nations to follow.

            In conclusion it is my opinion that in order for all nations to truly give up on nuclear power, the more powerful ones such as the United States, Russia, China and North Korea need to set the example.

            Having nuclear weapons is as fictional as saying that we have the Hulk. Yes nuclear weapons are real and have killed people, but in a world not looking for its everyday citizens to be worried of war and even more discontent with those ruling their countries, world leaders might as well say they are unleashing the hulk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMpCCo8Evnc