Righteous Indignation is the Best Kind
One day when I was in elementary school, a small, red-headed boy named Richie Amidon walked up to me on the playground and asked me if I wanted to be punched in the mouth. I was a savvy kid; I thought I could call his bluff, so I said yes. And then Richie Amidon punched me in the mouth. Our teacher made us both stay in from recess that week, a punishment which always seemed unfair to me: I, after all, had only committed the indiscretion of getting punched in the mouth.
So, when I read that Italy's Marco Materazzi has been fined and suspended by FIFA for receiving Zinedine Zidane's headbutt to his chest, I am filled with righteous indignation.
So, when I read that Italy's Marco Materazzi has been fined and suspended by FIFA for receiving Zinedine Zidane's headbutt to his chest, I am filled with righteous indignation.
posted by Shane @ 6:31 AM
2 Comments:
At 6:12 AM,
Shane said…
The terrorist thing was a false rumor. Materazzi didn't deny insulting Zidane's mother (and sister, incidentally), but mother insults in sport have a long history. It would be hard for me to believe that Zidane never heard--and said--that sort of taunt before.
At 5:39 AM,
Anonymous said…
After querying French citizens over the past three weeks, it is clear to me that Zidane headbutted Materazzi for one of the following reasons:
1. He was gambling that Baudillard was correct, and that his act of (reactive?) aggression would never reach the realm of reality and would, in fact, exist only in the Semiosphere. And everyone knows red cards aren't given in the Semiosphere.
2. The headbutt didn't signify what everyone thought it signified. In France, a headbutt to the chest is "le coup d'amour." It was a love tap - a sign that Zidane respected Materazzi's abilities. Had Zidane delivered a head-to-head headbutt then, well, that would have been the "coup de poulet," which is something altogether different. And slightly unholy.
3. Headbutting is a normal part of French athletic society. In fact, the Ministry of Headbutting enforces a strict three-times-per-week headbutt quota among footballers; it does, not, however, keep statistics on the ethnicities of headbutting footballers. That would violate the primary principle of egalite.
4. And that mother-insulting thing is pooh-poohed by the French, too. They are all certain that Zidane was crafted by earthen golems to dominate soccer in a beautiful, Gallic way.
And, while I appreciate your righteous indignation, Vive le Zidane!
P.S. I hate that Richie Amidon!
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