the euro has arrived at klagenfurt. germany and poland kicked off yesterday putting an end to months of preparations in and around klagenfurt. so far it has been a peaceful come-together of people simply wanting to enjoy football. as always there are a few exceptions. and sometimes they seem to ruin it for everyone around them. 140 hooligans were arrested yesterday after they started marching through the old town of klagenfurt singing “polish people should wear a yellow star” referring to nazi germany’s rule of jewish people having to wear a yellow star on their clothes identifying them. it makes me sick down to the stomach and though police surrounded and arrested each and all of them there’s a bad taste to be left back. it even goes as far as me doubting sometimes the world is as good sincere and beautiful as i still believe it is. in the movie matrix, one of characters states something i was boldly reminded when i heard about what happened downtown:
I’d like to share a revelation that I’ve had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you’re not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You’re a plague and we are the cure.
I believe.
you know what’s even more weird and stupid? Polish people doing the Hitler-greeting. On TV. During the match they filmed and broadcasted someone doing that …
What separates humans from other mammals is ‘free will’. We have the choice to do good or to be evil. Everyone of us has this choice. And everyone of us has to decide.
If the majority decides to be good, than there will be equilibrium (although one should argue, that an equilibrium is not by any means the ‘best’ of all situations), if the majority decides to be evil, than there will be a viral plague.
It’s just like cancer: the majority of cells are not going crazy – everything is fine and malicious cells will be isolated and swept away, but if this fragile structure breaks, then there will be a tumor. Growing and causing pain and suffering.
Living half way between the two Fanzones (‘Neuer Platz’ and ‘Messegelände’) I found the majority of people/fans being friendly, happy and just wanting to have a good time.
There will always be some examples of stupidity and fanatism, but, it’s our choice how we treat them, and it’s our choice which side we are supporting.
Oh and for the “you are the plague, we are the cure” snippet …
There’s is a nice lyric in one of the songs of “I Am X”:
“Everybody’s someone else’s freak – every cure is someone else’s disease.”