I have some friends from Brazil who are huge fans of Brazilian soccer. We just watched the Brazil/Spain game together the other night. They'll be horrified, being very peaceful people; on the other hand, I shall have to be highly circumspect about it, given their occasional remarks on how violent we North Americans are.
Different kind of thing, anyway. It's one thing to shoot a man. It's another thing to stone him to death, behead the corpse, quarter the body, and then put the head up on a stake. That takes commitment.
I read this to the VES when I first saw the story -- it was in response to her query, "Um, Mom, is something wrong??" -- and I remembered a comment that Brave's rookie Evan Gattis made earlier this year after yet another pinch hit home run, "When I played in the Venezuelan leagues, if you went 0 for 4, they followed you to your car after the game. You kinda learn to hit in pressure situations...."
Although, now that I think about it, to not only stone, behead and quarter him, but to do so in front of the entire crowd (not a small entity anywhere in S. America wrt soccer matches) followed by the staking speaks, perhaps strongly even, towards *whom* was killed as well, no?
I have some friends from Brazil who are huge fans of Brazilian soccer. We just watched the Brazil/Spain game together the other night. They'll be horrified, being very peaceful people; on the other hand, I shall have to be highly circumspect about it, given their occasional remarks on how violent we North Americans are.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, that's not an isolated occurrence; although, hopefully, it's rare.
ReplyDeleteThat shooting seems more recent than 20 years ago....
Eric Hines
Wasn't, or not much more. I remember it well.
ReplyDeleteDifferent kind of thing, anyway. It's one thing to shoot a man. It's another thing to stone him to death, behead the corpse, quarter the body, and then put the head up on a stake. That takes commitment.
I read this to the VES when I first saw the story -- it was in response to her query, "Um, Mom, is something wrong??" -- and I remembered a comment that Brave's rookie Evan Gattis made earlier this year after yet another pinch hit home run, "When I played in the Venezuelan leagues, if you went 0 for 4, they followed you to your car after the game. You kinda learn to hit in pressure situations...."
ReplyDeleteAlthough, now that I think about it, to not only stone, behead and quarter him, but to do so in front of the entire crowd (not a small entity anywhere in S. America wrt soccer matches) followed by the staking speaks, perhaps strongly even, towards *whom* was killed as well, no?
Well, then there's the football war:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_War
That was Honduras and El Salvador.
There is a new professional soccer team in Philadelphia. Their games have been selling out.
Hmmmmm....
Well, nice to see soccer going back to its roots.
ReplyDeleteIt's another thing to stone him to death, behead the corpse, quarter the body, and then put the head up on a stake. That takes commitment.
ReplyDeleteNot sure how much commitment it takes to be/to allow oneself to be caught up in the heat of the moment while in the madness of a mob.
It's the vividness of the memory that makes the shooting seem so recent.
Eric Hines